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Decks cleared for canal beautification project
Rural docs seek pay parity with PCMS docs
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Air Force man shoots self to death
Wheat Procurement
Motorcycle expedition flagged off
Region reels under water scarcity
malwa diary
Robo Fest: Sarvesh shows scientific temper
Singing star reaches home, gets rousing welcome
Students honour parents
Bank holds doctors’ meet
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Decks cleared for canal beautification project
Bathinda, March 14 According to BDA, the project will cost about Rs 6.5 crore, which includes a project of Rs 3.85 crore that was approved by the state government in 2008 but could not be executed due to some reasons. The original plan where the width of canal (which has now reached to 90 feet due to regular soil erosion) had to be reduced to 45 feet at a stretch of 800 meters on one side and 500 meters on the other side of the Abohar-Bathinda canal bridge has been amended. Now, the length of the strech has been increased to 1400 meters on the one side and 400 meters on the other. To maintain the existing level of water flow, the irrigation department will do the lining of the canal besides raising the retaining wall around the stretch after charging amount for the job. With the reduction of canal width, the excess land would be used to widen the road on the canal’s side. Besides, the BDA will construct a 10-feet wide berm on the canal bank (towards city). It will install benches and lights also. A jogging path is also in the offing and so is an approach road leading to the phase IV and V of the Model Town area, which had been carved out recently. Further, drawing an idea from Saudi Arabia, the BDA will install an oscillating multi-colour LED-lit fountain along the canal bridge connecting Bathinda to Faridkot and Abohar roads. The project would cost about Rs 10 lakh and includes multi-colour lights, digital controller with 32-bit microprocessor and a five-year battery back up calendar
clock. The BDA has allotted the project to a private township development company, which has reportedly owned the responsibility to install, run and maintain the fountain as well the landscaping. Confirming the details, chief administrator of the BDA Ravi Bhagat said, “Almost every deck is clear for the canal beautification project, including arrangement of funds. The work will be started soon and once it gets completed, it will be a unique project in the whole state.” |
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Rural docs seek pay parity with PCMS docs
Bathinda, March 14 Talking to TNS, Dr Parvez claimed that they would meet the Finance Minister to remind him about the assurance he had earlier given to the Punjab Rural Development Department that the salaries of the RMOs would be enhanced whenever the economy of the state is improved. He said the state’s economy was improving in a big way as the state revenue had increased due to imposition of new taxes or by way of adopting other measures after the implementation of report of the Sukhbir-Kalia committee. He further said the association members had met state rural development minister Ranjit Singh Brahampura on Tuesday to apprise him of their demands, including pay at par with PCMS doctors, enhancement in the monthly contract package of the RMOs who have not completed three years in service so far, benefit of reservation to RMOs in 60 per cent PG quota and regularisation of services of the RMOs. He said the minister had assured them that he would write a letter to the Chief Minister regarding reservation in the PG quota. He said the minister had also told them that the state was considering “equal pay equal work” principle for the RMOs, besides enhancement in the monthly contract package of those RMOs who had not completed three years in service as yet. The association members also met the Director, Rural Development, Punjab, on Tuesday and demanded a special incentive from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 per month for the RMOs working in remote, backward and border areas. They said most of the posts of the RMO remain vacant in these areas due to difficult working conditions there. |
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Air Force man shoots self to death
Bathinda, March 14 Giving details, officials of the Kili Nihal Singh Wala police post said the deceased belonged to the 44 WEU unit of the Air Force. He was on patrolling duty when he killed himself with his service rifle at about
3.45 am. Failing to ascertain the cause of death, the police took the body to the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, and after post-mortem examination was conducted the body was sent to the Military Hospital. Acting upon the statement of LAC Mukesh Kumar Tripathi, the police has initiated the inquest proceedings under 174 of the CrPC. Sources said the deceased hailed from West Begal and was transferred here from Assam about two-three months back. |
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State seeks cash credit limit of Rs 13,000 cr
KS Chawla
Ludhiana, March 14 Although the arrangements have been finalised, the biggest challenge before the government is storage of the procured wheat. The state already has around 70 lakh tonnes of wheat procured last year lying in the open. The state is expecting a bumper wheat harvest this year. Experts estimate that the wheat production may touch 150 lakh tonnes this year. The crop condition so far has been good and the experts predict a record production as the weather conditions so far have been very conducive to the growth of wheat. The government is expecting 115 lakh tonnes of wheat this year - about 5 lakh tonnes more than last that was a record procurement. According to official information, government agencies will procure 80 per cent of the marketable surplus and the FCI will procure the rest. The agency-wise procurement allocation is - Pungrain, MARKFED, and Punsup (20 per cent each), Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (11 per cent) and Punjab Agro Corporation (9 per cent). The government has also set up over 1,600 purchase centres across the state.
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Motorcycle expedition flagged off
Bathinda, March 14 Through the interaction, they would motivate the youth to join the Army, promote spirit of adventure and spread the message of peace and harmony and the need for nation building. The expedition will return on March 21 on the Raising Day of the battalion. |
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Region reels under water scarcity
Abohar/Sriganganagar, March 14 Several towns of Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh are in grip of acute water crisis although peak summer has yet to come. Women throng tube wells and other sources to fetch drinking water. The water crisis has created panic among farmers who were anticipating a poor Rabi crop in case the government failed to arrange adequate supply of water in the irrigation canals. Bhupinder Asija of Rawatsar said only 30,000 liters of drinking water was being supplied for 34,000 people in the town of ancient temples. Anil Jandu of Hanumangarh town pointed out that the local authorities have failed to check leakage of drinking water near civil hospital even when the town was thirsty. Manoj Goswami in Suratgarh said women were a harried lot as they have to trek long distances to fetch drinking water. Adverse weather conditions coupled with scarcity of water is likely to defeat the hopes of better Rabi crops not only in the twin districts of Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh but also neighbouring area of Abohar sub-division, experts said. Concerned over the grim situation, the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha on Sunday held an emergency meeting in Abohar. The farmers who had turned up from different villages located at the tail end of sub-canals including Daulatpura, Kallarkhera, Usmankhera, Jandwala Hanvanta and Gumjal regretted that the Punjab irrigation department had decided to suspend water supply in the region by March 17 even when wheat crop urgently required water. The Sabha decided to organise demonstration at the canal colony on March 18. Rajasthan Kisan Sangh (RKS) spokesman Captain (retd) Subhash Sehgal told The Tribune that water was being supplied in Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh region only for drinking purpose and that too on rotation basis. Wheat, barley and green fodder crops would be badly affected if fields were not irrigated twice before Baisakhi. Dr V S Nain, deputy director of Rajasthan agriculture department, said that the average temperature in the region, known as food bowl of the state, was fluctuating between 13 and 32 degrees Celsius whereas it could be friendly only at 12-28 degrees. RKS district president Satya Narain Godara said scarcity of canal water had confined sowing of Rabi crops to 6.84 lakh hectare whereas the government had fixed the target at 10.86 lakh hectares. Regretfully drain water was being pumped out from Punjab in the Suratgarh branch canal besides sewerage water near village Bhirusari, Badopal and Jakhranwali for past six days. Sadulshehar SDM Narinder Singh Purohit said officials including SHOs have been asked to ensure that all water reservoirs are filled to capacity when water is released through sub canals. |
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NRI funds renovation of Canadian art gallery
NRI Dr Prem Singhmar, born and groomed in a dusty village Dharampura near Abohar, and his wife Dr Saroj have done another pride for the region by contributing 1.2 million dollars in renovation of Edmonton Art Gallery known as a “New Vision” for Alberta's capital in Canada. Earlier, they had funded the Chair in Classical Indian Polity and Society. The Chair created in 2006 by a $1.5 million endowment from the Singhmar family, is the first at a Canadian university to be devoted to the study of ancient India. Both are doctors, practised in India, and moved to the Edmonton area in 1985. Initially, the couple drew on his family's farming roots. Eventually, they ventured into real estate, finally, into building and developing. The gallery will enhance the beauty of the city, and its reputation. We feel very fortunate to be a part of it, said Singhmar. Randal Stout, a visionary whose evocative design aesthetic consistently challenges architectural conventions, has designed the new Alberta Art Gallery. It has an 85,000 square foot innovative gallery that will facilitate national and international exhibitions. When former Art Gallery of Alberta executive director Tony Luppino and board chairman Allan Scott approached Singhmar and his wife Saroj with an opportunity to have the education centre in the newly-renovated gallery named in their honour, it didn't take them long to say Yes!. “We believe that immigrants not only should give but should be seen to be giving,” says Singhmar. “That does two things; the larger community feels we are part of the community, and our own community feels important, so it sends a quality message to both sides." Notably, the Singhmar couple had been honoured by Queen Elizabeth-II with golden jubilee award and is also the recipient of Alberta award. — Raj Sadosh
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Robo Fest: Sarvesh shows scientific temper
Ferozepur, March 14 The workshop was inaugurated by Dr T S Sidhu, director of the institute, who in his address lauded the effort of the faculty members including Rajni HoD ( ECE) for organising the event. On the occasion, Sarvesh Kumar Pandey presented a talk on robotics and also displayed a robot. Sidhu said that Pandey had earlier participated in Asia-level Robotic competition at IIT Bombay, where he bagged second position. He had also made Robotic Fire Extinguisher and was the adjudged winner at IIT-Kanpur in 2009. After conducting first workshop in Robotics at IET-Sitapur in 2010, Pandey and his team (HARDCORE) made 20 Robots in three days. His new innovative sensor, Life Saving Mercuric Tilt Sensor System (LSMTS) was selected by scientist at I.I.T-Kanpur among 1276 students at Asia level, revealed Sidhu in his address. |
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Singing star reaches home, gets rousing welcome
Sriganganagar/Abohar, March 14 The cavalcade had to halt at many places on the way as students insisted for autographs besides offering bouquets. Happiest of all was his music teacher Mange Lal Anjan besides father Kailash Khatri. Emotions ran high as they blessed the lad. Sumit was accorded a warm welcome as he stepped in Bhagwan Mahavir Jain Secondary School to collect matriculation pass
certificate. Senior office bearers of a dozen NGOs said Sumit has brought unprecedented laurel this small town. Teacher Neeru Bajaj and Sanjay Jai remembered how he had excelled in extra curricular activities here. Principal Mukesh Kayath handed over matriculation certificate to him stating that Sumit had emerged as “Pride of Rajasthan”. |
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Students honour parents
Ferozepur, March 14 Parents were also garlanded on the stage by their wards. Vikas Dev highlighted the contribution of parents in shaping the character of their children. Dev cited certain examples wherein outstanding gestures were shown by the children towards their parents and at the same time, he also mentioned about the unique sacrifices made by the parents towards their children. |
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