Pakki Tibbi (Muktsar), June 6
After battling waterlogging for more than a decade, the farmers of this village now have a reason to smile as the efforts of the state government in collaboration with the Centre have started bearing fruit in tackling the problem that was a huge setback to farming in the area.

Considering the extremity of waterlogging in this village, about seven months back, the authorities concerned had come up with an innovative project of laying sub-surface drains in the low-lying agricultural fields to drain the excess water from the upper layer of the fields, so that the land, which was lying abandoned due to waterlogging, could be used for agricultural purposes.

Witnessing the huge trench digging machines along with other supportive equipment like excavators and bulldozers being used to lay collectors and laterals (pipes) beneath a specific level of soil, hardly anyone was sure about its success. But now, with the fields free from the menace of waterlogging, the success of the project has come as nothing short of a miracle for the villagers.

"I can not explain my happiness in words. After about a 14-year long period, this was the first season when I could see wheat crop in my fields, which were earlier lying barren. All this could take place due to the sub-surface channels, which drained the excess water in the fields and made it produce a bumper crop," shared Avtar Singh, a local farmer, his joy hard to conceal.

Giving more details about the project, the junior engineer (JE) of the drainage department Mohinder Singh said, "A number of laterals wrapped with geo-fabric filters were laid at a distance of 100 feet from one another, which had small holes to collect the extra water in the soil. The water pouring in the pipes goes to the linked broad pipes called collectors, which further discharge it in sump wells, from where it is finally pumped out into a surface drain."

Hailing the project, Balkar Singh, a local, said, "I do not know from where the problem of waterlogging entered our village a couple of years back and turned nearly 300 acres of agricultural land barren. After failing in all their attempts, the villagers had given up the hope that their land would be able to regain its fertility. It is a wonder that after an ample yield of wheat about a month back, the farmers have now sown cotton on the same land."

Showing the paddy seedlings in his field, which was once badly affected by waterlogging, a landholder Harpal Singh said, "This is the same land, where about two years back I had seen water about three-feet above the surface. And now, I have to irrigate it from a neighbouring water channel. When I shared news of this miracle with my relatives settled far off, they were surprised and congratulated me after paying a visit here."

It may be mentioned that Pakki Tibbi was not the only village, where the project was implemented. A number of other villages in Muktsar-the home district of the chief minister Parkash Singh Badal-were taken up under the project. In some villages, the project was completed, while in some, it is still waiting to see the light of the day.

It is learnt that the CM had earlier too taken such an initiative but it suffered a jolt when the SAD (B) lost the assembly polls in 2002. Now, the farmers of all the villages, where the project is yet to be completed, wish it gets completed before the next assembly polls, scheduled in 2012.

Bathinda, June 6
Daddy’s Teddy, Kidzee, a playway school, organised a summer camp for the overall development of kids. As many as 75 children of different age-groups took part in it. The camp was from May 17 to June 6.

Principal Ritu Raonta said the children got training in acting, modelling, dance and art and craft. On the concluding day, a cultural programme was held which included a group dance, staging of a play, a modeling show and an exhibition. — TNS

The leading NGO of the town, Social Welfare Society, after initiating successful projects on TB eradication and eye donation, has successfully launched its new project to preserve water, natural sources and energy.

The members have launched a campaign ‘Jal nahin to hum nahin’ on Sunday in the Kanshi Ram locality, a slum area.

Under the campaign, about two dozen members of society led by its president Raj Kishore Kalra and project in-charge Sanjeev Marshall took out a Prabhat Pheri (morning procession) in the slum area of Kanshi Ram locality to make the people aware of the scarcity of water in the present scenario and provide them with tips as to how contribution by each individual can help preserve it.

The members of the Society along with scores of locality residents toured the streets for about two hours and exhorted the people to save water, energy and grow more trees to save the environment.

They also motivated the residents to fight global warming through public address system as global warming has become a severe threat.

Kalra and Marshall appealed to the residents to come forward to save water and planet earth.

The members identified the open taps in the locality through which hundreds of litres of water is wasted every day.

“We would arrange to plug the taps shortly to stop wastage of water,” said general secretary Ajay Thakral and press secretary of the Society Pawan Julaha.

Julaha further said that the members of the Society would visit one locality every Sunday and would take out ‘prabhat pheri’ there to motivate the residents to save water and energy.

Abohar, June 6
The lecturers who had been promoted to fill up the vacancies of headmasters/principals in the government schools on December 23, last year and February 16 this year in the categories of vocational teachers and general have not so far been paid salaries by the education department. As per details, the finance department had ruled that no salary can be drawn against the post that remains vacant for six months. The heads of the departments concerned are required to seek fresh permission and funds for such posts.

As many as 183 vocational teachers were promoted as heads of the schools last year and 725 posts were filled by promoting lecturers of other subjects this year. The department had to give up its dilly-delaying tactics as petitions had been filed by some of the affected employees in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

However, the education department was not prompt in seeking permission and funds for reviving the posts that had been left vacant for more than three years allegedly due to political pressures mounted by some of the vested interests, well-placed sources said.

Moga, June 6
Dr Shyam Lal Thapar Foundation Moga has organised a month-long free medical camp recently at Shanti Devi Thapar Hospital in Moga in the memory of Dr Shyam Lal Thapar, freedom fighter, in his birth centenary year.

The multi-specialty hospital, fully air-conditioned, having 350 beds, has almost been completed and has begun with the OPD service. Located on Amritsar-Barnala bypass in the town, it would be the biggest hospital in the south-west Punjab to serve the rural masses.

The chairman of the foundation, former health minister Dr Malti Thapar said that in this camp, consultation in all specialties is being provided free of cost and hospital stay in the general wards of the patients is also free.

Besides deliveries, operations of general surgery, orthopaedics, eye and ENT would also be performed free of cost. All the investigation like lab test, X-ray, ECG is being done at concessional rates with discounts varying between 20-50 per cent.

Zira (Ferozepur), June 6
In an unusual move, about 30 families, claiming themselves to be victims of false criminal cases pertaining to dowry demand, today held a meeting in this town to work out a strategy to oppose this trend tooth and nail.

In the meeting, which was held in local Swami Satya Parkash Shivala Mandir under the aegis of Sawtantar Ajad Welfare Organisation, Punjab, the victims also decided to move applications to police authorities against the complainants (women) for taking action against them (complainant) for getting false cases registered against them (victims).

“We will move applications against the women, who have lodged false criminal cases in connection with their harassment by their husbands and other kin due to dowry demand, to the police authorities so that they could be taken to task as per law of land. A provision for this action existed in the Indian Penal Code,” said Surinder Singh, spokesman of the organisation.

He added that the organisation had opened up its branch offices in various towns of Punjab and started a helpline number for the victims of false criminal cases registered against them by women.

He said that organisation had come to know that most of the cases of dowry demand were false and get registered by women to settle personal scores with their husbands and their kin, as tool of black mailing and to grab the property of their husbands.

The main mission of the organisation was to get criminal cases registered against such women for moving false complaints against their husbands and their kin.

After registration of such criminal cases against the women, the organisation would also ensure that they must go to jail after getting punishment from the courts of law.

“Our slogan is ‘We respect she’ and we are not biased against the women. This is reflected from the fact that some of the women, who are victims of false criminal cases of dowry and domestic violence, are members of our organisation,” pointed out Amandeep Singh, president of the organisation adding that organisation was striving hard to bring misuse of certain provision of law by women to an end.

The members said that their main demand was that before registering a criminal case in connection with the harassment of women due to demand of dowry under section 498-A of IPC, the police authorities must hold a fair inquiry into the allegations levelled against the boy and his kin.

They added that elderly parents of the boy, who had attained the age of 60 years, must not be booked for the offence made out under section 498-A. The police must also investigate that what was the motive of the women, who got false criminal case of dowry demand against her husband and his kin.

Moga, June 6
Anant Deep Singh, a former judge posted at Moga who was removed from service by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana on December 8 last year, has now been booked by the Patiala police under section 406 and 498A of the IPC on charges of demand for dowry and harassment. The allegations have been levelled by none other than his wife.

Navpreet Kaur, the harassed young woman, fell in love with Anant Deep when she was doing her Masters in English from the Punjabi University, Patiala. He was doing his degree in Law. Both got married on April 8, 2004.

Navpreet is the daughter of Prof. Kulwant Kaur, a former player of the Indian women’s hockey team who steered the country to a gold medal win in the World Cup and was conferred the Arjuna award. She is now the principal of Government Barjindra College in Faridkot and her husband has recently retired from the post of principal, Government College, Muktsar.

Navpreet said that she helped and motivated Anant Deep to appear in the state civil services (judicial) examination in 2006 and he got selected in the first attempt. Since then, their relations were normal but when he began his training, suddenly ‘cracks’ began to develop in their relationship.

When Anant Deep was posted here, his wife made a written complaint to the Chief Justice of the High Court levelling allegations that he used to harass him. She suspected he had extra-marital relations with another woman judge. Both the judges were in their probation period.

The full bench of the High Court denied extension to these two judicial officials along with one other judge on December 8, 2009 just a couple of weeks before their probation period was likely to be over.

Later, Navpreet filed a complaint before the Patiala police and the Punjab State Human Rights Commission. The Patiala police, after conducting an inquiry through the women’s cell, had booked the former judge under section 406 and 498A of the IPC. However, he was yet to be arrested, said a senior officer of the Patiala police. The complaint with the PSHRC is still pending and is under investigation.

Kulwant Kaur, while talking to The Tribune, said that she tried her best to resolve the misunderstanding between her daughter and son-in-law but he kept harassing her due to which they were forced to lodge complaints against him. “My daughter has a four-year-old child and things could have been resolved but all my efforts were in vain,” she added.

On the other hand, Anant Deep, while talking to The Tribune, denied all the allegations and said that his wife and her family had ruined his career by lodging complaints against him. “I wanted to settle all the disputes and had withdrawn the divorce case filed against her but she and her parents kept filing complaints against me and have now lodged an FIR against me.” 

Phagwara, June 6
Transplantation of paddy with machines has been made easy this year. Paddy transplanting machines were introduced in a big way last year in the state facing a huge shortage of migrant labour required to transplant paddy manually.

However, at most places farmers had rejected the machines as they faced problems in growing paddy nurseries in a scientific manner, a requirement to transplant paddy with a machine. Farmers also faced problems in handling the machines.

This year at most of the places the Multipurpose Agricultural Cooperative Societies have taken the initiative to grow paddy saplings at common nurseries set up in this regard.

The brain behind this is Harinder Singh Dhaliwal, a progressive farmer, who runs an agri-clinic in Sadhuwala village,near Talwandi Bhai.

In Faridkot and Bathinda, societies have set up common paddy nurseries in 20 villages and in Muktsar six villages. One machine covers about 200 acres during the sowing season.

The societies will provide paddy saplings to people interested in the transplantation of paddy with machines. One nursery, where paddy saplings of different varieties have been grown by a society, has been set up in Ghandam village, near here.

“ We will be supplying paddy saplings for 100 acres”, said Balwinder Singh, secretary of the society. The paddy saplings are grown on polythene sheets. The machine should have no difficulty in picking them up for transplantation in the field.

“ There was no alternative to tackling the labour shortage problem except to transplant paddy with machines. And for doing so one needs paddy saplings grown at a nursery in a scientific manner”, said Harinder Singh.

“Machines failed to transplant paddy at most places because nurseries were not set up in a scientific manner”, he added. While machines transplant up to 35 saplings in 1 sq metre, manual labour transplants about 25 saplings.

“ There is always a better yield in fields where the machines are used”, asserted Harinder Singh. He said with the introduction of the concept of common nurseries, most farmers would be saved the trouble of setting up their own paddy sapling nurseries.

“Farmers will be able to buy saplings of different varieties as per their requirement from common nurseries,” he added.