Jalandhar, February 20
Slogans of successive governments to promote use of technology in agriculture are proving worthless in Jalandhar district as four out of the six soil-testing laboratories are lying nearly defunct across the district.

These laboratories render the farmers devoid of the facility of chemical and mineral analysis of their field soil. Defunct labs draw attention at a juncture when the whole state cries for the injudicious use of fertilisers.

To cater to the farmers of surrounding villages, such laboratories were established in Nurmahal, Bhogpur and at the district headquarters with the assistance of the Planning Board nearly 10 years back.

To serve the residents of villages of Adampur block, a bus with all the equipment and chemicals needed for soil testing, was also provided to the Department of Agriculture.

However, all these laboratories and mobile laboratories have been out of service for the past few years.

As per sources, the department did not receive a budget to employ permanent staff in these laboratories. It is learnt that no money has been released for the past few years for the purchase of essential equipment and chemicals to conduct soil analysis.

“The budget to construct these laboratories was given by the Planning Board. But a few years after the construction, the flow of money was suddenly stopped. We have tried to make the Nurmahal laboratory functional, that too by deputing one staff member alternatively from laboratories situated in Nakodar and Phillaur, which are still functioning,” said an officer.

Chief Agricultural Officer Kulbir Singh Deol could not be contacted.

Each laboratory needs a staff of six persons, including a soil testing officer and an agriculture development officer.

Ironically, another such laboratory owned by the Cooperative Department was shifted from Jalandhar to Malout in 2000.

“The laboratory is not defunct but has been shifted. A sugar mill was established in Malout that year. To promote sugar cultivation and provide the facility of soil analysis to the farmers of that area, the laboratory was shifted to Malout,” said 
District Manager of Markfed J.S. Kanwar.

“Soil testing should not be ignored as most of the farmers cannot ascertain the amount of fertiliser needed for the crop. It is a general practice in the villages that a farmer copies the pattern and amount of fertiliser delivered to his neighbouring farmer,” said Dr A.S. Toor, a senior soil scientist from the Department of Soils, PAU, Ludhiana. 

The girl locked up in a room of the marriage palace. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Jalandhar, February 20
An attempt at snatching a purse was reportedly foiled on the occasion of the marriage function of cricketer Harbhajan Singh’s sister outside Royal Kings Palace, near Chaheru, here today.

Around evening, when the off-spinner’s mother Avtar Kaur was about to send her daughter’s doli off, an eight-year-old girl tried to snatch her purse containing cash and jewellery.

The girl, however, could not lay her hands on it and was held by the security personnel there.

Till the time the doli was sent off, the girl and her sister were reportedly locked up inside a room at the palace. Officials at Chaheru police station said the girls managed to sneak away before any action could be taken.

Amritsar February 20
Youth Akali Dal patron and MLA from Majitha Bikram Singh Majithia today appealed to the Christian community to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state and at the same time cautioned the people against those who were fanning communal fire for their vested interests.

Majithia met leaders of the Christian community and assured them to safeguard their religious rights and liberties. He told mediapersons that FIRs had been registered against those responsible for pasting objectionable posters of Jesus Christ.

He said the government would take stern action as per law against the guilty. He reiterated that no one would be allowed to disturb law and order in the state.

He said the SAD had always given equal honour and respect to all communities and their tenets and beliefs. He said it was under the leadership of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that the decision to celebrate Christmas as state-level functions was taken.

He said that every true Punjabi respected Jesus Christ from the core of his heart and cautioned the Christian community to be aware of the mischievous elements who were out to disturb the peace and harmony in Punjab.

Phillaur: On a call given by various Christian organisations, hundreds of Christians held noisy demonstration and demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for the disrespect shown to Jesus Christ in different posters pasted in Jalandhar in connection with the celebrations of Ram Navmi.

Protesters led by Father Sizler, councillor Ranjit Masih and Daniel Masih took a round of Phillaur town and submitted a memorandum to the authorities. Meanwhile, a complete bandh was observed in Phillaur today.

Hoshiarpur: Activists of various Christian organisations of Hoshiarpur, led by Lawrance Chaudhary, President Christian Front, Punjab, burnt the effigy of persons responsible for the ill-representation of a picture of Jesus Christ on a hoarding of a Ram Navmi poster at Jalandhar. They raised slogans against the state government for not taking action against the persons responsible for publication of the said hoarding. Reports of protests were also received from the Dasuya and Tanda towns.

Jalandhar, February 20
As many as 1,544 cases were settled and Rs 5,11,18,573 was given as compensation to the aggrieved parties at a Lok Adalat held here today. A total of 2,214 cases had come up for hearing at the adalat which comprised 10 benches.

Under the guidance of Officiating Chairman of Punjab Legal Services Authority Justice Mehtab Singh Gill, tri-monthly Lok Adalats were held at Jalandhar, Nakodar and Phillaur for early resolution of the cases. While 10 benches were constituted at Jalandhar, Phillaur and Nakodar had two each. Social workers and lawyers were involved to ensure early and proper settlement of cases. Cases of motor accident claims, Hindu Marriage Act and traffic challans figured in the adalats.

District and Sessions Judge B.K. Mehta said that about 1,87,005 cases had been resolved in 207 Lok Adalats held hitherto. He said the Punjab Legal Services Authority was organising special court on March 6.

Nawanshahr: A Lok Adalat was organised in the Judicial Courts Complex here on Saturday. As many as five benches headed by A.K. Mehta, N.S. Gill (Additional District and Sessions Judge), Poonam Ratti (Civil Judge, Senior Division), R.K. Sharma and Vijay Kumar (Additional Civil Judge, Senior Division) were set up. As many as 261 cases were presented before the different benches, out of which 181 cases were decided. A sum of Rs 62,25,080 was realised.

Batala, February 20
Amardeep Singh Cheema, national vice-chairman of the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), said here yesterday that 20,000 volunteers were being recruited by the NYKS under the national youth corps.

Cheema, while addressing a delegate convention of more than 1,600 youth clubs of Gurdaspur district, stated that the Central government was spending more than Rs 148 crore on this scheme. Cheema said Gurdaspur has been made a pilot district and Batala a pilot block for various youth welfare schemes and 17 vocational training centres were already in various stages of implementation stages for empowerment of rural youth.

AICC member M.M. Singh Cheema, former Education Minister Lakhmir Singh Randhawa and former Commissioner P.C. Pyasa also addressed the gathering. — OC