Bathinda, December 19
Irked over the indifferent attitude of the CCI authorities towards the procurement of cotton, hundreds of farmers blocked traffic in front of the office of Cotton Corporation of India on the Mall Road here this afternoon.

The farmers sat on dharna and raised slogans against the CCI and the state government. The farmers alleged there was a nexus between CCI officials and private ginners, who had been fleecing the farmers by purchasing their crops at rates lower than the minimum support price (MSP).

They alleged that the CCI officials had been deliberately going slow to help ginners fleece the farmers.

"I have been here with my crop since Monday. The CCI has not been purchasing my crop. The private ginners offer Rs 2,600 to Rs 2,650 per quintal against the MSP of Rs 2,800 per quintal. There is collusion between CCI officials and traders to fleece gullible farmers," alleged Bogh Singh, a farmer from Mansa district, while talking to TNS. He said the guidelines aimed at eliminating the middlemen and preventing inter-state selling of cotton due to different MSPs, which depend on the parameters of quality.

He said cotton minimum support price in Haryana was the lowest and the guidelines would help check farmers sell their inferior quality cotton in Punjab.

Farmer leaders said they had no alternative but to block the rail traffic on the Patti-Delhi rail line on December 25 against the indifferent attitude of the Central government and the state government. 

Faridkot/Ferozepur, December 19
When an HIV positive woman, Gurpreet Kaur (30), a resident of village Khunder Utaar, situated on the dusty plains of the Indo-Pak border, felt labour pains on Thursday night, she went to the district hospital in Ferozepur where she was undergoing medical treatment for the past couple of months during her pregnancy but the medical staff, doctors and nurses on duty allegedly refused to help her and did not even let her inside the delivery room.

At the last moment, her husband Prem Singh, a labourer, who is also HIV positive, was forced to take her to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot at midnight in the chilly winter for the delivery.

Realising the gravity of the situation, a senior resident officer on duty in the medical college Dr Preeti Goel along with her supporting staff of the gynaecology department came forward and took up the challenge.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Goel said, "Gurpreet Kaur has given birth to a baby girl. It was a normal delivery and both the mother and child are safe". She said that the baby has been administered immediate requirements of the doses of medicines by a paediatrician.

The head of gynaecology department of the medical college Dr Nishi Garg has given instructions to subordinate staff to take care of the woman and the child. The college authorities had also sent a report regarding this to the state government through the directorate of health. The blood samples of the child had also been taken so as to ascertain whether it was afflicted with HIV virus or not.

Dr Malti Thapar, a member of the Medical Council of India, has appreciated the endeavour of the lady doctor to come forward willingly to conduct the delivery of an HIV positive woman. "We will write to the state government to honour the doctor," she said.

Prem Singh, husband of the woman, had alleged that the medical staff on duty in the civil hospital at Ferozepur did not attend to his wife. "The doctor on duty has not come forward to conduct the delivery and no paediatrician was on duty at that time," he alleged.

However, when contacted, Dr Balbir Singh, chief medical officer of Ferozepur, refuted the allegations and said that a woman gynaecologist posted in the civil hospital was very much on duty. He said that the husband of the pregnant woman demanded an assurance from the doctor that his wife and child would be safe after the delivery. How could the doctor give this assurance in such a complicated case, he questioned?

When asked why no paediatrician was available even as her delivery was already expected during these days, the chief medical officer said that the medical officer on duty had in fact arranged for a private paediatrician to visit the hospital for this special case. 

Bathinda, December 19
Late marriage, pollution, tuberculosis and drug abuse are the major factors responsible for infertility in India, where the success rate of the in-vitro causes for fertilisation (IVF) technique of human reproduction was just 30-35 per cent and not 70-80 per cent, as claimed by some IVF centres.

These revelations were made by Dr Rajni Jindal, a renowned Bathinda-based IVF and gynaecological expert at the Jindal Heart Institute and Test Tube Baby Centre 
here today.

Dr Jindal claimed to have enrolled five couples in her first IVF batch in October. Out of these, three have conceived. This 60 per cent clinical pregnancy rate can be considered excellent and very encouraging by all standards, she cheerfully said.

According to one survey in Malwa region, 20 per cent of the married couples fail to conceive naturally. The main reasons for this are blockage of tubes, disorders of ovulation, tuberculosis and problem in the male partner. Parenthood is the single most ardent desire of these couples.

Dr Rajni Jindal told TNS that the procedure involves mixing of eggs and husband's semen in a Petri dish and transferring them back in the mother's womb once the embryo is 2-3 days old. IVF is a known treatment for those couples who fail to conceive by simpler methods. Till date, people of Malwa had to travel long distances to avail of this specialised treatment, she added. She further informed that with all these facilities being now available at Bathinda, people can save a lot of time and money.

A very exuberant Manminder Singh, a local resident, added, "The last ten years had been very depressing for us when we faced repeated IVF failures at the most reputed centres in the country. We never knew that our prayers would be answered just a few yards away from our home in our very first attempt here."

"Drug abuse and water pollution were also affecting the capacity to produce children in Malwa belt as it could lead to impotency and infertility straightway," Dr Jindal informed.

Bathinda, December 19
The city and the nearby places may witness a cold spell from Monday onwards as the western disturbances which have been influencing the weather conditions in Bathinda region for the last few days, are likely to clear by Sunday.

The region which witnessed an overcast sky, lightning streaks, thunderclaps and a brief spell of showers on Tuesday and also two sunny days after that — but a relatively ‘comfortable’ temperature during this period, all because of the activated western disturbances — may see a decline in temperature after the passing of the western disturbance, the weathermen predicted.

The residents of the city and adjoining areas on Friday witnessed intermittent drizzle from late in the morning till about 1.30 pm. The area is likely to witness an overcast sky with possibility of light rainfall in some places in the coming one or two days, the weathermen said, adding that the conditions, however, may improve afterwards to pave way for a "real chill" due to possible fall in temperature.

According to the regional research centre of the Punjab Agriculture University at Bathinda, the minimum temperature recorded on December 17 was 11.0 degree Celsius while the maximum was 24.5 degree.

On December 18, the minimum temperature remained 10.5 degree Celsius while the maximum was 25.0 degree. The minimum temperature recorded at 7 am on December 19 was 15.5 degree Celsius, sources at the centre said.

The assistant agro-meteorologist at the regional research centre, quoting the prediction for Bathinda zone made by the State Meteorological Centre, Chandigarh, said that the weather is likely to remain cloudy with possibility of light rainfall or thunder showers in isolated places in the Bathinda region in the next one to two days.

And the weather is likely to improve afterwards, the meteorologist added, and said that temperature, both during the day and at night, may fall and the wind speed may also witness a considerable decline. 

Bathinda, December 19
Sunil Chopra, Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Amritsar, said that it was for the first time in the history of the nation that the contribution of direct taxes to the economy of the country was more than the contribution made by indirect taxes, which are signs of a mature and progressive economy. He was addressing members of the Income Tax Bar Association, CA Association and traders after inaugurating the new annexe building of the Bathinda income tax department here today.

Chopra informed that the income department had collected Rs 31,4200 crore from the direct taxes for the 2007-08 fiscal which was 52 per cent of the country's income.

Since Independence, the income tax department had been contributing 18 per cent of the national income which had increased to 52 per cent, he added.

"India was the second country after China in GDP growth which stood at around 7 per cent and had found its name in the list of developed countries," the income tax commissioner informed.

He said that in the Amritsar zone, which comprised Abohar, Muktsar, Faridkot, Ferozepur and Mansa, there were 5.50 lakh income tax payees who were paying tax to the tune of Rs 522 crore every year adding that he hoped to achieve a target of Rs 589 crore in the current fiscal out of which Rs Rs 460 had been collected through TDS. Talking to the media about problems being faced by assessees of income tax refunds, he said the department was making all efforts to remove the anomaly soon.

He urged the public to pay tax voluntarily and honestly.

Later, Bathinda income tax commissioner H.S. Sohi, thanked the chief guest for his all out efforts in getting the building completed on time.

Among others, Raj Kumar, income tax officer (appeals), Madan Lal Kapur, president, Punjab Vyapar Mandal and presidents of tax bar councils of the neighbouring districts, were also present.

Bathinda, December 19
On the third day of their indefinite strike on Friday, the members of the All India Grameen Dak Sewak Union, Bathinda under the banner of the All India Postal Extra Departmental Employees Union, took out a peaceful protest rally in the city. They agitators, who are seeking "proper wage," also staged a dharna in front of the Main Post Office today.

They rally stared from the Main Post Office, passed through Power House road, Court road and Mall road, before culminating at the Civil Lines Post Office.

Talking to TNS, Nachhatar Singh, president of the Bathinda unit of the union, said that they would continue their stir till their demands were fulfilled. The protesters, demanding ‘proper wage’, sought cancellation of the recommendations of the Natarajan Murti Committee. 

Abohar, December 19
A teenager was killed in the stampede that occurred during a langar at the Peerkhana in Rajiv Nagar here last night, sources said.

As per sources, some members of the Punjabi Aggarwal community had last year developed Peerkhana in collaboration with an NGO-based at Malerkotla. The managing committee had been organising a feast (bhandara) on the third Thursday of every month.

Last night, the crowd was beyond expectations and people started pushing each other to reach the rooftop. In the melee, one Pawan Kumar Prajapat, fell down and others started trudging over him.

He was rushed to a private hospital which referred him to the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital. Within minutes, he reportedly succumbed to his injuries.

The president of the managing committee, when contacted by newspersons, said he was not present there when the mishap took place. He, however, said that steps were being discussed to prevent the re-occurrence of such unfortunate incident.

Abohar, December 19
One person was killed while four others sustained injuries when a car in which they were travelling hit a tree on the Abohar-Muktsar road on Friday morning.

Sources said the victims were going to Muktsar. The car hit a roadside tree near village Danewala amidst fog during the wee hours resulting in on-the-spot death of Daulat Ram, while four other passengers sustained injuries. — OC