Bathinda, November 8
“The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has created terror all around, which has been emerging as 'Nav Atankwad', a danger for the harmony of the nation. It will prove a major setback for the UPA in the forthcoming parliamentary polls as it has been exposed to people, incidentally or accidentally,” claimed Kiran Ghai, national secretary of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), who is also the co-in-charge of Punjab affairs. She was here along with Kamal Sharma, general secretary, state BJP, to attend a private function.

While talking to media, she lashed at Raj Thackeray and his party, the MNS, saying that the 'mischievous' steps of Thackeray could never be termed less than the Marathi edition of the Bhindrawala's strategy, which the country had faced in the past.

Speaking further, she said, “It would damage the integrity of the state and should be suppressed immediately. The callousness of the UPA government is also putting its leaders in shadow.” She added that if the situation was not brought under control, the party would seek the imposition of President rule.

Lashing at the arch-rival party, she said, “The Congress, which has always adopted the divide and rule policy, is now landed in soup, as differences among their leaders have been getting exposed. The ministers in the UPA vary in their statements and stands on a particular issue.”

As Kiran Ghai has the charge of Bihar also, she flayed Lalu Parsad Yadav saying, “Though he is very influential, he is still not been able to come out of the stigma of losing power in the state."

When asked about the performances of the BJP as opposition, she parried the query saying, "We have done whatever we could do. About the rest, public mandate will speak itself."

When questioned about the variation of senior BJP leaders' statements about the claim over the number of Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, she hushed up the query saying that leaders would have been expressing their personal wishes, which should not be highlighted in that sense.

Sriganganagar/Abohar, November 8
Even when major political parties were yet to declare final lists of their candidates, the process of filing nomination papers is going to start on Monday, sources said. The delay has given rise to campaigning by the "candidates of public choice".

In Suratgarh, a social activist Gursharan Chhabra has launched election campaign vigorously with the support of local Sadhus besides other electorates.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Matoria, president of the municipal council at Rawatsar, who was denied Congress ticket from Nohar constituency, has formally joined the BJP.

Hanumangarh/Abohar, November 8
District collector Mugdha Sinha while addressing the election-duty staff during the first camp in Hanumangarh today said that information gained by the employees during the training camps would be tested by quiz programme. Whosoever fails in giving proper answers will have to undergo training again.

Speaking at the camps held in the Shiv Mandir complex and Aggarsein Bhawan, Sinha told the employees, "Not only you are to perform the solemn duty with full transparency but are to prove it also by your conduct. There should neither be any bias nor unfairness with any of the contestant. For us all have equal importance and enjoy equal status. Each sensitive polling centre will this time be provided with a Micro observer. Each voter will be photographed."

The DC informed that public will be given training on use of electronic voting machines (EVM) between November 10 and 20. The sector officers will collect 20 EVMs each from O.P. Pareek in charge of the project.

Sriganganagar DC Bhawani Singh Detha also addressed the election staff at the first camp held in the Sri Palace at Sriganganagar today. 

Barnala, November 8
To lodge their protest against the non-payment of cheques to some farmer families whose land has been acquired by Trident group for expansion plans, the Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) activists staged a dharna and blocked traffic at DC residence here today.

Hardeep Tallewal of BKU Ugrahan was leading the protest. He said that delay on the part of the Trident factory management and the state government in making payments to farmers causing hardship to them as in absence of money they were unable to carry out essential responsibilities, including educating their kids, solemnising marriages of their children.

They were waiting for the payments for the last two years, he said. 

Bathinda, November 8
On the inaugural day of the two-day-long 9th APG National Conference on ecological consequences of economic development in Baba Farid Institute here the experts expressed a deep concern over the rapid deterioration of the environment. The conference is being organised by the geography department of the college where various renowned personalities of the Punjab Geographers Association marked their presence.

Ashoka fellowship awardee Sudhirendra Sharma, S.P. Singh, former vice-chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Gurmail Singh, controller examination, Punjabi University, and Manjeet Singh, Dean colleges, Punjabi University, were among the eminent guests on the occasion.

The experts said due to the economic forces, agricultural and industrial production had become the main theme of development and ecological infrastructure, including water and soil, was under pressure.

In his keynote address, Sudhirendra said, “Over 10,000 farmers committing suicides is a significant number but it does not cause equivalent pain and anguish. The self-interest has overpowered consciousness in the market of greed.”

S.P. Singh spoke at length about the power projects coming in the state. He emphasised that economic development should be pollution free and not at the cost of the health of humans.

The experts also expressed regret on the low profile of the geographers and explained the role that they play in the major development and changes. On the occasion, the association honoured K.K. Kaul and Baljeet Singh Mann, noted geographers, with mementos.

G.S. Dhaliwal, managing director of the institute, said the conference would not only create awareness among students but also in every human being so that they could contribute in saving environment.

“Developmental jobs for the progress of country should not imperil the survival of mankind. Intriguingly, in this country, no official concerned is bothered about such thing,” feels Dev Sharma, former mayor of the Borough of Red Bridge, London, while talking to TNS. Sharma, a psychologist retired from the University of London, said as compared to London, the development in Punjab was unplanned and unregulated.

Talking about ecological changes, he said everybody should take care of the surroundings and ensure cleanliness. Citing some examples of abroad, he said, “Besides administration, civilian too feel it their responsibilty to clean up their surroundings.”

To a query, Sharma said, “Though electricity is the lifeline of a state but resources should not deteriorate the environment.”

On the issue, S.P. Singh said, “If we see the broader side of Nano project leaving Singur, it would be a loss to the state and its inhabitants. Similarly, installation of thermal power projects in Punjab should not be protested. However, there should be proper discussions to check the pollution due to the project in the state.”

Bathinda, November 8
The district health department has prepared itself for the three-day-long Pulse Polio campaign to begin in the district on November16 for the children of migrants. In this regard, Ajitpal Singh, district immunisation officer, convened a meeting of medical officers here on Friday.

He said the department was fully prepared to administer polio drops to children of 170 migrant families in the district, especially those working in brick-kilns, below the age of five years as per the WHO guidelines.

About 16,690 children would be administered polio drops for its eradication from the district, the official said.

He said 82 teams, comprising 27 supervisors, nine block supervisors and seven observation supervisors, would look after the pulse polio drive in the district.

As many as 69 mobile teams would also be pressed into service for administering polio drops to the floating population like those residing at brick kilns, industrial colonies and periphery of the urban areas, Ajitpal added.

He further informed that a door-to-door campaign would be conducted on November 17 and 18 for those children residing in slum areas who could not receive the drops on November 16.

Bathinda, November 8
“An increase in the number of cases of hearing impairment due to long use of mobile phones, earphones and headphones is a matter of concern. Even regular visits to discos have added to the noise trauma that can lead to deafness,” said P.R. Das, ENT specialist, AIIMS, New Delhi, while talking to TNS here today. Local ENT specialist Varun Mittal accompanied Das during the conversation.

Das said, “People have to adopt a responsible behaviour if they want to retain their hearing abilities for a longer period.” He added that genes played a vital role in a person’s hearing abilities.

“More than 10 per cent of Indians are suffering from one or the other hearing problem. And about one per cent of the population has got afflicted with severe deafness. About 10 lakh people suffer from irreversible hearing losses, which need cochlear implant,” Das said.

Elaborating the cochlear implant technique, he said, “It is an electronic device implanted in the human skull to stimulate the hearing nerve electrically bypassing normal ear mechanism.”

Referring to the use of cochlear implant in children, Das and Mittal said the procedure of cochlear implant should be undertaken before the age of five years so that the child can hear and speak normally with the help of post-operative hearing and speech therapy. However, the procedure does yield good results even in adults, they revealed.

Bathinda, November 8
Manmeet Singh and Harmandeep Kaur won the air pistol event for boys and girls respectively, at the shooting competition organised at Government Rajindera College here on Saturday.

In the air rifle event, Manmeet Singh and Gurjeet Kaur stood as winners in boys and girls categories respectively.

Kuldeep Singh, Parmanand, Pinky, Lakhvir Kaur and Shalu besides Manmeet Harmandeep and Gurjeet have been selected for representing the college at the Punjabi University’s inter-college tournament to be held in Patiala on November 10 and 11.