Amritsar, May 6
The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), in a missive to the chief election commissioner (CEC), has sought the transfer of the Amritsar municipal corporation (AMC) commissioner for brazen violation of the model code of conduct by initiating various development works in the Amritsar South constituency.

Congress spokesman Bir Devinder Singh, in his complaint to CEC N. Gopala Sawami, has alleged that AMC commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda has initiated various development works in the Amritsar South constituency in gross violation of the model code of conduct.

The commissioner is doing all this to influence the voters in favour of ruling party candidate Inderbeer Singh Bularia, said Singh. The bypoll here would be held on May 22.

He alleged that Kharbanda was committing all these violations as a committed worker of the SAD-BJP combine in the state.

However, despite repeated attempts Kharbanda could not be contacted by the correspondent.

Singh further complained that the commissioner was a resident of Amritsar and close friend of mayor Shawet Malik.

He said under the influence of the BJP mayor, he is not leaving any stone unturned to ensure the victory of the SAD-BJP candidate Bularia.

Demanding an inquiry into the biased role of the commissioner by the CEC, Singh demanded that the commissioner should immediately be transferred from the city.

Jalandhar, May 6
After battling with the unseasonal rains now farmers are making a round of mandis since there is not space to unload their produce, courtesy the acute shortage
of labour.

A visit to the local mandi was an eyeopener with bags of wheat stacked in every nook and corner leaving no place for fresh arrivals.

Farmers have been making a round of the place but have been turned back by commission agents and the authorities since there is no space to unload, clean and weigh the crop.

Satwant Singh of Nandanpur village said he had been coming there for the past three days but had to return empty handed. “I am apprehensive of the weather since a lot of damage was done by the inclement weather a few days ago. The stock reply here is that there is no space,” he pointed out.

Jagroop Singh of Rasooolpur village, who has been making the round of the mandi for the past four days, echoed similar sentiments. “There is no space to even enter the mandi let alone offload wheat in the sprawling complex,” he said.

“Repeated rounds are also adding to the costs since we have to bring the wheat everyday on tractor trolley. It is frustrating to come everyday only to return with the hope that the situation will improve tomorrow,” added Kartar Singh of Bulandpur village.

Commenting on slack lifting of the wheat, Kalu Singh, president of the Mandi Mazdoor Union, said there was a shortage of labour since migrants had not arrived in the required strength this season. Local labourers, too, were reluctant to load the produce since the labour rate was too meagre, he added.

“The official rate is Rs 4.18 per bag this year, a rise of only 11 paise from last year. The price of wheat was Rs 750 per quintal last year, which was hiked to Rs 1,000 per quintal this year. Why this discrimination with poor labourers? The hike in our case should have been at least Rs 5 per bag,” he advocated.

The lifting would continue to be slow in the coming days since the labourers were not interested in working for such low rates. They found it more rewarding doing odd jobs than lift heavy burden all day long, he added.

District mandi officer S.S. Atwal said the lifting was slow on account of labour shortage but the situation had been normal for the past two days since the arrival of wheat had slackened.

More space was available now than in the past and they were making arrangements to speed up the lifting process, he added.

Hoshiarpur, May 6
The electrocution of a four-year-old boy last night has sparked a protest by inhabitants of the Kirti Nagar and Rahimpur areas of the city on Tuesday.

The protesters blocked traffic and staged a dharna on the Hoshiarpur-Phagwara road at Rahimpur for more than an hour here on Tuesday. However, the police diverted the traffic through alternative roads.

It was only after the intervention and assurance of providing justice to the agitators, by SDM Karnail Singh, that the dharna and blockade was lifted.

It is reported that Rahul (4), son of a migrant kiosk owner, Sipahisa of Bihar, presently residing at local Kirti Nagar, was electrocuted while he tried to turn the tap on for drinking water at Rahimpur near the kiosk of his father on Monday night.

Current was reportedly passing through the tap due to the alleged negligence of the employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board.

The protesters alleged that current passed through the tap from a nearby electric pole which was being installed by the Punjab State Electricity Board by giving support to it through galvanised wires.

Hoshiarpur, May 6
The falling water table has started affecting the residents here as the potable water supply to them has considerably been reduced.

Though the municipal council had installed 55 tubewells in different localities to cater to the needs of more than two lakh inhabitants, it has failed to cover 25 per cent of the area.

In fact, newly merged areas in the MC limits are yet to be provided with potable water supply by the authorities.

The areas which are facing an acute shortage include Romesh Nagar, Shalimar Nagar, Ravi Dass Nagar, Fatehgarh, Sunder Nagar and Deep Nagar. The MC is providing water here through tankers.

Talking to The Tribune, MC executive officer Sandeep Tiwari admitted that there was scarcity of water.

He blamed the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) for it. He said the unscheduled power cuts were the major cause.

Tiwari said, “The tubewell at Green View Park was out of order because due to decline in the groundwater. The needs of 19,000 connections in the town are being fulfilled by 54 tubewells.” He said there was a need to re-bore it and the work would start soon.

However, seven new tubewells were being bored at Suraj Nagar, Shivalik Avenue, Fatehgarh cremation site and Pur Hiran. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had provided special funds worth Rs 20 lakh for it.

Similarly, Lok Sabha deputy speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal had provided Rs 24 lakh from the MPLAD fund to install two tubewells in the Sunder Nagar and Piplanwala areas.

Besides, the MC had earmarked Rs 20 lakh for maintenance of water pipelines and Rs 30 lakh for improving water supply during the current financial year.

Hoshiarpur, May 6
On the second day today, the halwais (sweet meat shop owners) in the city continued their indefinite strike to protest against the dairy owners for not agreeing to supply milk to them at the rate of Rs 19 per litre so that they may sell the same to the general public at Rs 20.50 per litre.

People of the city could not get curd and sweets due to the strike. According to eyewitnesses, on account of non-procurement of milk by halwais, dairy owners had to sell milk at Rs 15 per litre.

A deputation of the City Halwai Union led by their general secretary Kewal Krishan Gautam met deputy commissioner N K Wadhawan and persuaded him to lift the ban on the preparation of sweets made of milk.

Nawanshahr, May 6
The Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Education, Khiala, organised its second
annual convocation.

Sant Baba Malkiat Singh, chairman of the institute, presided over the function. Dr Jairoop Singh, vice-chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, was the chief guest who conferred B.Ed degrees on 90 students.

Dr Jairoop Singh exhorted the students to perform their duties sincerely as they had the responsibility of building the nation.

The meritorious students, who have excelled in academic and co-curricular activities, were honoured.