Abohar, May 4
Jaundice is spreading in the rural areas of this sub-division due to the supply of contaminated water that had started flowing in canals after 23 days of closure even as the administration finds itself busy in Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad elections.

Subhash Sehgal, spokesman of the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (KSS), Rajasthan, told newsmen on phone that the canals in Sriganganagar district were also receiving similar water.

The KSS was thinking of filing a petition in High Court again, he added. The HC had taken a serious view of releasing contaminated water in 2006 but it appeared that the Punjab government preferred to ignore it, he rued.

The health department here on Sunday rushed teams to two of the affected villages for on the spot survey.

According to the available information, there was no proper arrangement for filtering highly contaminated water in most of the rural water works.

In some villages, unfiltered water that contained poisonous effluents discharged by some Ludhiana-based industrial units and the Buddha Nalah was supplied to consumers.

In village Gidderanwali, announcement was reportedly made through the loudspeakers fitted atop a religious place in the morning hours on April 28, whereas the supply had started three days back. But the water had made many people sick by then.

Sources said that the pathological tests on Saturday evening confirmed that jaundice had gripped about 50 persons.

The affected residents in Gidderanwali village included Dilbagh Singh, his wife Harvinder Kaur, daughter Simranjit Kaur and son Gursharan Singh.

Other residents were identified as Amarjit Singh, Matto Bai, Bhajan Ram, Ishwer Kaur, Munshi Ram, Het Ram, Madan Lal, Kala Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Shamsher Singh, Kaku Ram, Chhinderpal Kaur, Mohinder Pal and a former sarpanch Lachhman Dass. In Koyalkhera village, there was no arrangement for the supply of potable water.

The use of contaminated water had resulted in the spread of jaundice, residents confirmed on phone.

Preliminary survey identified the affected residents as Kuljinder Singh, Nishan Singh, Ravinder Singh, Sona Ram, Chhinderpal Singh, Anil Kumar, Amandeep and Pankaj. Some cases have also been reported from village Diwankhera and Khuyiansarwar also.

Commenting on the situation, PPCC vice-president Sajjan Kumar Jakhar said some persons had apprised Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and irrigation minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon about the supply of contaminated water during their visit to a nearby village on April 27.

They had reportedly assured that the matter would be taken up with senior officials at Chandigarh next day, but nothing has so far been done to resolve the problem, he regretted.

Deon (Bathinda), May 4
Six members of a family, including two children, sustained burn injuries in a fire that broke out due to leakage in a domestic LPG cylinder, at the village Deon located on the Bathinda-Muktsar road, today in the morning.

The family members said that women were preparing to cook meal when all of a sudden, LPG leaked out from the rubber pipe leading from the cylinder to burner. The leaking gas immediately caught fire and engulfed three women, Suman Devi (28), Ramratti Devi (58) and Sumitra Devi (30), along with a man Varjinder Kumar (35) and Preeti (1) and Rohit (6).

All the six injured have been reffered to Ludhiana for further treatment as according to the doctors women among the victims had more than 70 per cent burn injuries.

Soon after receiving the information, neighbours and volunteers of the Sahara Jan Seva rushed them to civil hospital, where doctors declared their condition critical.

IPS probationer P.K. Yadav and additional SHO Nehianwala police station visited the site of the incident and civil hospital. When asked, Yadav said, “It was an accident and nobody could be blamed for it.”

Bathinda, May 4
A large number of vehicles running on LPG in the city and its outskirts has exposed the claims of the police that it would bring to book such mechanics and small-time shopkeepers who lure customers to use this device instead of petrol.

The spiralling rates of petrol and diesel has also succeeded in luring people to use LPG kits.

However, the danger in the changeover was exposed in the recent car fire in the city in which the owner of the car, a businessman of the city, had a miraculous escape.

Another such fire had taken place in a vehicle of another businessman on the Bathinda-Barnala road some time back.

The kits are openly available at a cost ranging between Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000. This cuts down the cost by one-fourth.

The kit consists of a converter that can be changed from gas to fuel in case the cylinder becomes empty.

A businessman dealing in these kits, said on the condition of anonymity that if the cylinder leaks, then it will be confined to the boot, and it will have no mode of escape thus proving dangerous.

High speed can generate extra heat, especially during summers, to trigger
off a blast.

Despite promises made by the local administration and the traffic police, no concrete step had been taken in this direction to book owners as well as mechanics.

When contacted, Bharpur Singh, traffic in-charge, said, “We do challan such vehicles, which come to our notice. Due to the congestion of traffic on the roads, it is very difficult to check every car, which can result in the piling up of traffic on the busy roads.”

Ferozepur, May 4
With the decision of the union government to reposition the barbed fencing and shift it towards the zero line on the Indo-Pakistan international border, thousands of acres of fertile land is likely to be retrieved back for cultivation.

The farmers will now be able to work in their fields without any restraint and hassle of being frisked by the Border Security force (BSF) personnel. 

According to the information, the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has already released the first installment meant to relocate at least 20 km of the fencing in Ferozpur sector.

It is pertinent to mention that Punjab’s Indo-Pakistan border is 553 km long, out of which fencing was installed on about 450 km long terrain, leaving besides the riverine gaps, where fencing could not be installed due to topographical restraints.

Moreover, the distance of barbed fencing from international border also varied from place to place as at some points, the fence was almost a kilometer away from the zero line and at other places it was hardly 100 metres due to the meandering nature of the border. 

The process of installing electrocuted cobra fencing had begun in the 80s during the black days of insurgency in the state so as to thwart the infiltration of men, material and arms inside the Indian territory.

The fencing though played a crucial role in wiping out militancy from the state. However, the farmers were a harried lot in the bargain as the fencing ate away a major chunk of their agriculture land leaving them high and dry.

After installation of fencing, the farmers had a hard time as they were only allowed fixed hours in day to till their land, which affected their produce.

Over and above, the frisking of women folks accompanying their male counterparts going to fields across the fencing had also became a major issue as BSF had no female guards and often ladies from nearby villages with sound antecedents had to be roped in to frisk the ladies. 

Now, this decision to relocate the fencing has not only brought cheers to the farmers who were having land holdings across the fencing, but it will also relieve the BSF sleuths who had to keep hawks eye on farmers working in fields across fencing.

Moreover, the stringent frisking used to lead to frequent altercations between the farmers and the jawans creating acrimony amidst the both.  

While talking to The Tribune, MP Zora Singh Mann informed that under this multi-crore plan approved by the MHA, around 5,000 acres of agriculture land is likely to be retrieved back.

He added that first installment to reposition around 20 km fencing has been released by the ministry and work will start soon from Ferozepur sector.

The MHA reportedly took the decision after lot of representations from local politicians pertaining to the problems of border farmers who were in now in protesting mode and were demanding compensation for the lands.

Though, the union government had announced compensation of Rs 2,500 per acre for these farmers, which was later, increased to Rs 3,000, but it was considered too little and at times, it never came.  

When contacted, BSF officials informed that though they have not received any official sanction or confirmation from MHA about the same, but the sanction was likely to come soon after which the work shall begin.

Moga, May 4
Growing older seems to be more a dilemma for those senior citizens of the town who leave their homes daily and sit together under the banner of senior citizens council to discuss their problems and chalk out plans to teach the younger generation to pay respect to the elders in their families, to do away with social evils of drugs, dowry, female foeticide etc.

“We have wisdom, maturity and experience and we want to pass it on to the youngsters so that they can lead a better life,” feels Professor Sardari Lal, president of the council.

He says that they organise regular camps in the schools to educate children, to inculcate in them social values and principles of respecting those whom they meet in routine, be at home, friend-circle or in the society where they live.

“No doubt, social and human values are better in our country. But the way in which the concept of joint families is diminishing, the elders need to be protected against the odds they face in their daily life,” the professor said.

Demanding the implementation of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill, 2007, in Punjab, he says, “With changing times, it has become the need of the hour to protect the elders from the atrocities they face at the hands of their children and those in the society.”

The Bill has already been passed by the Parliament and now the onus lies on the state governments to implement it. So far, only Andhra Pradesh has implemented it in letter and spirit.

H.L. Sharma, a retired tehsildar and the chief patron of the council, says, “We have been helping the senior citizens of the town by bringing awareness among them about their rights, as most of them are ignorant of their rights.”

He added, “We have managed to get a room in the local secretariat from the district administration and fixed responsibilities of our office-bearers, who come daily and approach the officials to get the daily routine works of senior citizens done on priority basis.”

When this correspondent visited the senior citizens room in the secretariat on Wednesday morning, there were many senior citizens reading newspapers and magazines and also discussing their problems in a pleasant atmosphere leaving their woes behind at home.

It may be mentioned that the senior citizens council is a non-profit, community-based and volunteer-driven agency devoted to enriching the senior citizens’ lives.

Through the efforts of dedicated volunteers, a variety of programs are offered to help the seniors to live safely in their own homes and communities and provide them with an opportunity to maintain their physical and mental health.

Bathinda, May 4
The harvesting of wheat crop on the land belonging to the controversial Dera Lang near Sardargarh village began today under the supervision of the receiver, who was appointed by the administration for the purpose under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code to avoid any untoward incident.

Acting as receiver, Naib Tehsildar Karnail Singh got the wheat crop of 40 acres land harvested and stored around 650 quintal of grains at a store on the premises of the Dera.

As per reports, a fire broke out in one acre of wheat fields today. Fire tenders were rushed to the fields. After the fire was controlled, three combines were deployed to reap the crop. The deputy superintendent of police (rural) along with his subordinates visited the place.

Karnail Singh said, “As a receiver of the property appointed under sections 145 and 146 of the CrPC, the whole wheat grains have been stored under my supervision. The land was 80 acres but as the staff got exhausted till evening, we stopped the work after reaping 40 acres. The rest of the crop will be harvested on Monday. I have been ordered to store the granules till May 15, when the bhog ceremony of Mahant Pritam Singh will take place and after that the DM will issue fresh orders,” added Karnail.

Mahant Pritam Singh (50), who was fighting a court case for the post of chief of the Dera Lang, had died under mysterious circumstances on April 29.

Ferozepur, May 4
The district administration here has completed all arrangements for the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls scheduled to be held on May 12.

Giving details, deputy commissioner Megh Raj said nominations of 833 candidates for Panchayat Samitis and 113 candidates for 25 zones of Zila Parishad had been found valid and accepted by the respective returning officers.

The DC informed that the state election commission has appointed D.K. Tiwari, IAS, as election observer for Ferozepur district.

He added that any candidate or representative from any political party could submit complaints if any, regarding the polls, to the observer.

Mansa, May 4
The CPI (ML) held a meeting here today and criticised both the central and the state governments.

The party’s candidates have filed their nominations for six Zila Parishad seats and seven Panchayat Samiti seats.

After a meeting, district secretary Bhagwant Singh informed that during the election campaign the party would disclose the anti-people policies adopted by the governments.

He alleged that the governments had been implementing the anti-labourer and anti-farmer policies and that the basic demands of drinking water, free education to poor, pensions for handicapped and widows and old-age pensions would be raised during the election campaign.

Mansa, May 4
Congressmen today staged a dharna at Bajewala village to protest against the rejection of nomination papers of its candidates.

The papers of Gurwinder Singh Pammi and Palojit Singh Bajewala, who had filed their nominations against Dilraj Singh Bhunder, son of general secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal (B) Balwinder Singh Bhunder, were rejected on Saturday.

Addressing the dharna, Bikram Singh Moffar, general secretary of the Punjab Youth Congress, Block Congress president Ajaib Singh, Gurwinder Singh Pammi and Palojit Singh Bajewala, criticised the Akali leaders and the government for interfering in the election process. They said the rejection of nomination papers was an attack on democracy.

District president Ajitinder Singh Moffer informed that Gurmeet Singh Bangi would now be the party candidate from Raipur Zila Parishad zone against Dilraj Singh Bhunder.

Mansa, May 4
District president of Punjab Istri Sabha Rekha Sharma has criticised the district administration for deputing staff nurses (paramedical staff) for poll duties.

In a statement issued here today, she said the paramedical staff comes under the essential services category.

“The services of the staff may be necessitated any time, in case of a mishap.” She demanded that the staff should be excluded from the election duties.

Abohar, May 4
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) vice-president Sajjan Kumar Jakhar on Friday exuded confidence that the Congress candidates would register a comfortable win in the ensuing Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad elections.

“First, the wise electorate still prefer the national party and second, the villagers are not happy with the SAD (B)-BJP’s ‘misrule’.”

Speaking to newsmen before leading the party candidates to file the nominations for the PS elections at Nehru Park here today, Jakhar said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had in February last year promised to provide 24-hour power supply in rural areas besides providing water for irrigation to the far flung sub-canals.

“The PSEB had yesterday announced 5-6 hours of power cut for the rural and urban feeders but the consumers were receiving the supply only at night. The unscheduled power cuts in the towns had pushed the small-scale industries into crisis,” the former minister for cooperation, irrigation and public health departments, said.

He added that during his tenure, the tail-end villages received enough water through sub-canals but the present government had failed in providing water even for water-works and ponds.

“The CM has time and again expressed concern over the spread of deadly diseases like cancer in the Malwa belt due to contaminated water. He has planned to open a super-speciality hospital also. But the hue and cry by the public over the supply of highly-contaminated ‘black water’ in the canals and the ‘Budha Nalah’ has been totally ignored.”

The PPCC vice-president also aired the grievances of farmers regarding the ‘poor arrangements’ in the lifting of wheat from the purchasing centres.

Bathinda, May 4
Adding to the sequence of thefts, some unidentified persons allegedly stole cash and jewellery worth lakhs from Deep Nagar, here on Saturday night.

Bhagwan Dass, a rice sheller owner, lodged a complaint with the police stating that when thieves broke in, he along with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter was sleeping at his house. His wife took notice of the incident when she saw the broken locks of almirahs.

In his police complaint, Dass said, “They are suspicious that some inhaler was mixed in the cooler’s water which was installed in the street.”

The mason and labourers, who were engaged by them a few days back, have also come under the scanner.

Bathinda, May 4
To counter “fraudsters” who are befooling people in the name of god for money thriugh false notions prevailing among the masses, the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology organised a four-day zonal workshop to help teachers respond to the superstitions scientifically.

Professionals and magicians performed various acts and imparted knowledge about the technical side of swindle acts and the way they are performed to science and mathematics teachers from 32 schools at the St. Joseph’s Convent here.

District science supervisor, Harminder Singh Sidhu informed that these teachers would further educate the students in government and private schools by teaching them the tricks practically and will create a scientific approach in them. In the next stage, all the science teachers in the district would be trained, he added.

District Education Officer (Secondary) Baljinder Singh Mann encouraged the teachers and said in case of scarcity of finances; science funds could also be used for the purpose.

This is a big step in this direction and will go a long way in instilling belief in science and technology.

The teams would also visit the rural and urban areas to root out superstitions prevailing in society and check all those who try to befool innocent people by performing miracles.

Abohar, May 4
The Railway Board has restored the original route of the Udyan Abha Toofan Express train — Sriganganagar to Howrah (West Bengal) — from Saturday.

The train was suspended on December 7 following the “serious threat” that foggy weather then posed and its route was curtailed to Agra.

The computerised reservation counters have started entertaining the passengers for seat reservations, sources confirmed.

Though the train takes a lot of time, the passengers have no option but to travel by it in order to reach Howrah besides other important stations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Interestingly, the train was initially cancelled and then partly restored only when former minister for Railways and Home Affairs Buta Singh intervened. This was happening for the past three years.

The authorities failed to put forward a reason when asked why fog did not affect other trains on the same route.

The chariman of the Consumer Movement, Sat Pal Khariwal, and Hanuman Dass Goyal, joint secretary of the Railway Passengers’ Association (North Zone), informed that they had faxed about 50 letters airing the passengers’ grievances to the Chairman and GM (Traffic) of the Railway Board during the past three years.

Water was never refilled after the train while returning from Howrah halted at New Delhi, they rued.

Although the authorities had tightened their grip in checking the malpractices going on some other long journey trains but the train was never checked by the vigilance wing so as to unearth the wrong-doings committed by the staff on the train, the consumer activists alleged.

They also demanded that the number of two-tier sleepers and general coaches in the train should be increased in order to meet the rush during summer.

Barnala, May 4
In an unusual gesture, a young man of Dhaula village, Gursewak Singh, drew the attention of the administration towards the plight of a peacock in the old fort of Dhaula city.

He has written a letter to DC Barnala, R.L. Mehta, and chief forest officer, wildlife department, Punjab, to personally intervene into the matter.

His letter narrated that a peacock, in the old fort of Dhanaula city, had been living with his mate peahen for a long time.

There were many other birds and animals also residing in the same fort. On government expenses, feed was also provided to these birds.

But a few days ago, the peahen died. Since then, the peacock was feeling lonely and was not taking his routine diet properly. His health was also deteriorating day by day, the letter added.

So in order to provide company to peacock, a peahen should be brought to Dhanula fort, the letter requested.

The DC Barnala confirmed the receipt of the request. He has marked a letter to the local forest department for further action.

Barnala range forest officer Harmeet Singh, when contacted, said he had gone through the request, adding that it was a complex case, as it was difficult to bring the bird from natural habitat or zoo and to leave her in a residential area.

But as the DC forwarded the matter, he would take up the matter with higher authorities, he said.

Abohar, May 4
A deputation of the ETT Teachers’ Union submitted a memorandum to the SAD (B) MLA from Balluana constituency Gurtej Singh Ghuriana at his residence here today.

President Radhey Shyam and secretary Inder Raj, while speaking on behalf of the union said the SAD (B)–BJP alliance had promised during the Vidhan Sabha elections last year that all the ad-hoc teachers employed by Zila Parishads (ZPs) would be absorbed in the education department within a year of the formation of its government but no step had so far been initiated even after 15 months.

The deputation urged the legislator to convey their feelings to the SAD (B) high command in order to avert further agitation on the issue.

However, Ghuriana said that the matter could be taken up after the upcoming ZP elections only.

Muktsar, May 4
The teaching fraternity of the aided colleges of Muktsar today unanimously elected Jagdish Kumar as the district unit president of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) at the elections held at Guru Nanak College, Killianwali.

Besides Jagdish Kumar, a lecturer at the Guru Nanak Girls College in Muktsar, Bhupinder Jassal of DAV College, Gidderbaha, was also unanimously elected as the PCCTU Muktsar district secretary for the year 2008-09.

Jagdish Kumar said that raising the voice for full financial aid to the aided colleges would be his top priority so that teachers could get their salaries on time.

“It is unfortunate that the salaries of the teachers in some aided colleges were being delayed for three months due to the non-availability of the stipulated funds from the state government,” he said. 

He was also of the view that the privatisation of education would have an adverse impact on the state’s education system.

“The government is running away from its accountability towards imparting quality education to young generation both at school as well as the college-level,” he said.