Bathinda, August 19
To boost the production and marketing of ‘kinnow’, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced incentives including Rs 10 crore additional corpus fund for the five citrus estates, including those at Abohar, Ferozepur and Muktsar to make them self-sustaining. Besides, a sum of Rs 2.5 crore was earmarked for launching vigorous publicity campaign to establish ‘kinnow’ as a popular brand in the national as well as international markets. 

Chairing a high-level meeting with the executive members of the five citrus estates of Tahliwala Jattan (Ferozepur), Abohar (Ferozepur), Badal (Muktsar), Bhunga (Hoshiarpur), Bajwara (Hoshiarpur) to solicit their views and suggestions for chalking out an action plan to boost sale of ‘kinnow’ through domestic distant marketing and export, Badal constituted an advisory committee comprising two members each from these citrus estates besides two official members, one each from Punjab Agro Export Corporation (PAGREXCO) and state horticulture department.   

The CM announced to set up a sub-centre at Maur Mandi in Bathinda district under the citrus estate Badal to enable the ‘kinnow’ growers of the area to have an easy access to the various facilities being extended by the estate in the form of agriculture equipment and technical know-how. 

He asked the growers to encourage construction of community tanks in the orchards to ensure uninterrupted water supply for drip irrigation especially in the border belt of Abohar, Fazilka and Kandi area of Hoshiarpur district, for which the department of horticulture was already providing 100 per cent subsidy. 

The Chief Minister also approved Rs 1.5 crore for importing machinery for extracting peel oil from ‘kinnow’.  He directed the PAGREXCO to procure the machinery before the onset of ‘kinnow’ marketing season.  Badal also announced to enhance the subsidy on packaging material for domestic marketing from 15 per cent to 25 per cent. He also asked the PAGREXCO to run all the existing waxing and grading plants.

Badal also stressed the need to give a special thrust on the export of ‘kinnow’ to Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Uzbekistan and certain Central Asian countries and constituted a 7-member panel with one member each from citrus estates and one each from horticulture department and the PAGREXCO to explore revival of export of ‘kinnow’ to the UK, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Dubai.

He also emphasised the need to launch distant domestic marketing of ‘kinnow’ in the country to ensure assured market to ‘kinnow’ growers thereby tapping key markets of Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

Bathinda, August 19
The government has asked the health department to issue guidelines on swine flu to schools. Though the number of students is more in colleges it did not occur to the government to ask colleges to take precautionary measures as well.

District Health Officer D.H. Sekhon stated this morning, “We have got instructions from the 
government to send flu guidelines to schools and we would be sending them to all schools in the district today.”

However, Gurdev Gill, District Education Officer (Primary), Bathinda, when contacted in the evening, said that he was yet to receive the guidelines from the district health department.

During a visit to some schools and colleges, this correspondent found that students were talking about the swine flu and most of them were found to be unaware of the symptoms.

Students did not know how much distance was to be maintained from a person infected with the flu. They said no one had told them about it.

Prof N.K. Gosain of the DAV College said the teachers do spread awareness about the swine flu but no guidelines had come to the college from the health department.

Arun Jee, principal, Delhi Public School, said the school authorities were spreading awareness about the swine flu and were telling the students to take precautions and not to panic.

Meanwhile, the Distric Health Officer today said three suspected cases of swine flu had been reported at the Bathinda military station but the final test reports had been negative.

He added that till date, there had been no confirmed case of swine flu in Bathinda.

Moga, August 19
The Moga police has arrested a constable along with a woman from a hotel premises for involvement in a sex racket, illegal business of drugs and arms smuggling, besides making fake registrations of vehicles.

As per the details available, a criminal case was registered by the SHO of the city police station Kuljinder Singh on a secret information under sections 15, 21, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act; sections 3, 4, 5 of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act- 1956; sections 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act and sections 420, 379, 465, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC against five persons — Sukhchain Singh, Kaka both local residents, Amana son of Jagdev Singh Sarpanch of Safuwala village, Major Singh and Shakti Singh, c/o taxi stand, Prince hotel, district Bhuj (Gujarat) — on Tuesday night. Later, a police team led by the SHO raided a local hotel and arrested constable Kuldip Singh and a woman.

The couple was produced before the court of CJM Karunesh Kumar Kakkar here this afternoon. The court sent them to judicial custody for 14 days and fixed September 2 as the next date of hearing the case.

ASI Ruldu Singh who produced them before the court claimed that the five persons against whom the FIR was registered could not be arrested by the police as they managed to flee. He confirmed that the policeman and the woman arrested by the police were actually not named in the FIR. "They have been included in this case in the due course of investigations," he added.

However, sources in the police revealed that at least three persons named in the FIR had been picked up by the police from the hotel premises and one unlicensed pistol, some quantity of opium/poppy husk was also recovered from their possession.

Attempts to contact the SHO for an official version proved futile. — TNS

Ram Chandra Biswas was in Bathinda on Tuesday.Tribune photo:Pawan Sharma

Bathinda, August 19
Carrying hundreds of news clippings, certificates, a huge passport bearing testimony of his visit to 156 countries, Ram Chandra Biswas (56) of Kolkata has been riding bicycle for about 27 years. His mission is to spread a message of peace and brotherhood across the globe.

Biswas set off on his journey on April 21, 1982. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, had flagged off his journey.

Reaching Bathinda on Tuesday, he produced a huge pile of documents that makes one believe that he has covered over 6,06,500 km through 156 countries and 2,291 cities, including the South and North poles, America (South, Central and North), Africa, East and West Europe, many states of Russia, Greenland, Siberia, Caribbean island, Alaska, all Pacific islands and Australia.

Biswas, who did not marry, stated that earlier, he worked as a postman in Kolkata and then joined a publication house as a painter. “One day, I met a hermit and realised that I was just wasting my life doing routine work only. He inspired me to undertake a task that would give some meaning to my being. I pondered over his words and adopted this mission — appealing all for peace.”

“A bicycle, a dollar, a flight ticket and a language to communicate was what I had when I set off. Indira Gandhi had asked me how I would survive. I showed her the dollar and assured her that I would not beg in any country, in any situation. I have kept my words to this day and would do so in future too,” said Biswas.

The traveller feels satisfied telling that he knew 10 languages. He changed two bicycles while cycling lakhs of miles.

He has kept the two bicycles, thousands of documents, photographs with all eminent personalities of the world, mementos and daily diaries in his museum at his house in Kolkata. “I will die but my museum will not,” he says.

“I have boarded almost every ship, airplane and car but never paid a single penny outside India. It is only here that I have to pay even for accommodation. In our country, brotherhood is at stake. But I am on a mission and for that I have been travelling even in villages,” he added.

Fazilka, August 19
Following the registration of an FIR against five persons in connection with the roughing up of the Beopar Mandal president Ashok Gulbadhar, the traders lifted their two-day long dharna today. All the shops were opened after 2 pm.

The city police registered a case against five persons, namely Vipan Rinwa, Madan Lal, Cipia, Dinesh Gupta, Sanjiv Sharma and 10-12 unidentified persons under section 452, 380, 323, 148 and 149 of the IPC on the statement of Gulbahdar.

Fazilka DSP Karamjit Singh, announced the registration of FIR in presence of the traders, who were sitting on dharna outside the police station. He disclosed that some accused were arrested by the police and the rest of them will also be arrested soon.

Karamjit Singh said that police would launch an operation within a couple of days to check hooliganism in the town and nab the ruffians to maintain law and order.

Earlier, a complete bandh was observed on the second day today. All the shops were closed. Even the members of Chemists Association, who were exempted from the bandh also joined it for an hour. The wholesale vegetable vendors too observed a strike.

Lawyers also abstained from the courts. The traders took out a procession in the town bazaars and staged a protest outside the police station.

According to an estimate, the town had to bear loss of more than Rs 50 lakhs in the last two days due to strike. The Congress tried to derive mileage from the strike.

The local level Congress leaders arrived at the site and tried to steal the thunder.

Even those Congress leaders who had nothing to do with trading activities were seen during the dharna. 

Ferozepur, August 19
Experts and students in a seminar here on Wednesday expressed concern over the rising incidents of honour killings and the khap panchayats violating the basic human rights.

The seminar was organised by the Critique Ferozepur Chapter and Philosophical Society, a students' discussion forum of Dev Samaj College for Women.

In the seminar, chaired by the college principal Madhu Prashar, renowned Punjabi documentary producer, Daljit Ami, Punabi film maker Jitendra Mohan, theatre activist, Ranjeet, activist and research scholar from the centre for social medicine and community health, Jawahar Lal Nehru University. Kuldeep Kaur, actively participated and shared their views with over 300 students and other faculty members of the college.

In his presentation, Daljit Singh raised questions regarding the state and judiciary in protecting the rights of the citizens. He said the current practices, being adopted by the Khap Panchayats in Haryana, is a big threat and violation of the basic human rights of the individuals, who try to marry a person of their choice.

Condemning the recent killing of Ved Pal of Jind, he sought action against the guilty.