Bathinda, December 18
With three biomass power plants set up in this part of Malwa region — known as cotton belt of the state —the cotton growers are a happy lot as they are earning a handsome amount for their agro-waste.

The cotton stalk (agro residue), which was earlier hardly of any use to them is now being sold to biomass plants, which use it as fuel for generating electricity.

Thanks to the close competition among those running the biomass plants, farmers are getting payments on time. At some places, the residue is being booked in advance.

To allure farmers, the plant authorities have set up cluster-wise purchase centres across Bathinda, Muktsar, Faridkot and Ferozepur districts. Each centre caters to about 10 surrounding villages.

Besides, trading in cotton stalk has emerged as a fresh business. The cotton stalk is procured from farmers, stored and then sold to the bio-mass plants at a higher price.

They are hiring large chunks of lands in different villages on lease to store the agro-waste.

During a random survey, The Tribune observed that the normal price for a quintal of cotton stalk was fixed at 
Rs 70. It means an average trolley-load of 35 quintals helps a farmer earn Rs 2,450. Further, chipped stalk is being purchased at about Rs 120 per quintal.

“One might be surprised to learn that selling the crop is a hectic process but selling the residue is comparatively a quicker and effortless job. We go to a purchase centre, get the trolley weighed, unload it, collect a slip and receive the cash the very next day,” claimed Gurdas Singh, a farmer from Dhunike village.

Acknowledging his views, one Parkash Singh of Ghudda village said, “While selling cotton crop, we face harassment as we have to wait for a couple of days in mandis. We sometimes even stage dharnas and block roads to build pressure upon the government for smooth and speedy purchase but selling residue is a more smooth process.” Cotton stalk was earlier used as fuel by households in rural areas.

An elated farmer said, “Gone are those hassles. Availing of subsidies, we have installed bio-gas plants at our home, from which we get free cooking gas. In addition, we sell stalk at handsome rates.”

According to information available, there are three biomass power plants in the area, all in the private sector.

The plant located at Channu village (Muktsar) has a capacity for 15 MW power generation while the other two situated at villages Gulabewala (Muktsar) and Gadda Dob (Ferozepur) have a capacity for 7.5 MW and 8 MW generation.

Dinesh Bhardwaj, manager of the Malwa Power Private Limited, Gulabewala, said, “As the plants require hundreds of tonnes of agro-residue everyday, we are purchasing it to the best of our capacity. We open a purchase centre wherever there stalk. is available. We collect as much stalk as possible.”

Bathinda, December 18
The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) has extended its support to the agitating doctors of the Bathinda Civil Hospital and the Women and Children’s Hospital here in a case related to alleged misbehaviour with an Emergency Medical Officer (EMO).

The incident had taken place with the EMO, Shekher Mangal, in the wee hours on 
Wednesday. Talking to TNS today, president of the PCMSA Dr Hardeep Singh said if the administration did not provide justice to the agitating doctors and initiate quick action against the person who ‘misbehaved’ with the EMO, the association would intensify its agitation and stage state-level stir.

Meanwhile, under the leadership of a joint action committee of doctors, para-medical staff and Class IV employees, the doctors and employees today observed a two-hour strike in the Civil Hospital and the Women and Children Hospital, which is situated on the Civil Hospital premises. They also held a demonstration and staged a dharna outside the emergency wing of the Civil Hospital here in support of their demands.

The protesters demanded registration of a case against the person who had ‘misbehaved’ with the EMO; stoppage of unnecessary interference of outsiders and influential persons in the emergency wing, the OPDs, the registration wing and laboratories; and full security to the hospital staff by the administration.

Dr Gurmail Singh, leader of the protesting doctors, said the joint action committee had decided that if the matter was not resolved immediately, they would not perform several emergency duties like medico-legal work, post-mortem and VIP duties from Monday.

However, the doctors would continue treatment of patients in the emergency wing, he added.

Dr Gurmail Singh also said the entire staff of both the hospitals would take mass casual leave (CL) on Wednesday to compel the district administration and the state government to accept their demands and give them a free hand while doing their work.

On the other hand, a meeting of the office-bearers of various organisations of the Dalit communities was held under the presidentship of Fateh Singh Mann here today. In the meeting, the representatives of the Bathinda Ambulance Union also took part. The participants said if Dr Mangal did not drop his alleged adamant attitude and tendered an apology, they would be compelled to launch an agitation.

Abohar, December 18
Former Finance Minister Manpreet Badal will unfold a new agenda for Punjab by holding a rally on January 14 on the occasion of Maghi Mela at Muktsar to meet the aspirations of people.

Disclosing it here today, Manpreet Badal said he along with his members of his team would take two major decisions in the coming days.

The decision pertaining to whether his team members should contest the SGPC elections or not would be taken immediately after the Maghi conference was over.

The second decision in connection with the formation of a new party would be taken after the Jago Punjab Yatra concludes on March 23.

"We will evaluate the response of the people to the Yatra. We will take their aspirations into consideration. We will examine what the people want us to do for Punjab. After doing all these things, the decision to form a new party will be taken. We can't leave the people midway," said Manpreet.

The former FM, who addressed two rallies in the region— one at Khuiansarwar and the second at Ghandi ground of the town— was accompanied by his father and former MP Gurdas Badal, Abhitej Singh Sandhu, grandson of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Suresh Phutela, a leader of the trading community, Surinder Saluja, a Hindu leader, who stood by Parkash Singh Badal and his family members through thick and thin.

When asked about the details of his new agenda, to be unfolded at the Maghi conference, Manpreet said he would make it public on that occasion only. But it would be a concrete agenda for the Punjab and its people, he added.

Meanwhile, addressing these rallies, Manpreet urged the people to give him a chance to restore the economic glory of Punjab and to make Punjabis live with dignity after removing the stigma of debt from the state. He claimed that people belonging to all walks of life had started joining his Yatra.

He said whatever he had been doing for Punjab was his duty as while taking the oath of office as a minister four years ago, he pledged that he would work with honesty, loyalty and dedication. He said he was forced to leave the government as he failed to compromise on his principles. 

Abohar, December 18
Even as office-bearers of all Bar Associations of Punjab have been planning to meet in the first week of January to work out strategies to oppose the proposed move of Punjab government to shift all the cases pertaining to Domestic Violence Act from sub-divisional courts to district courts, Sunil Jakhar, Congress MLA, condemned the Punjab government for denying justice to people at their doorstep.

"On the one hand, various agencies of the state and central governments have been claiming that people should be given justice at their doorsteps, and on the other, this move of the Punjab government is contrary to it as it will meant harassment to the litigants as they will have to go to district courts by spending a lot of money to get justice," pointed out Jakhar. He said that for the residents of Abohar sub-division, this move had turned out to be a double blow as first, district status was being denied to Abohar and now the state government was trying to snatch other facilities from its residents.

Rajnit Singh Phore, secretary, Bar Association, Abohar, said the Bar members would be holding three days of continuous strike from December 20 to December 22 to lodge protest against the move of Punjab government to shift domestic violence cases from sub- divisional courts to district courts. He said the Bar Association had already submitted a memorandum in this connection to the Deputy CM and the Home Secretary, Punjab. A concrete decision would be taken at a meeting of the office-bearers of all the Bar Associations of Punjab. 

Moga
Lawyers practising in the district court at Moga unanimously elected the executive body of the District Bar Association here today. Those elected to the new body are: Gurdish Singh Khosa, President, Ashok Kumar Goyal, General Secretary, Vishal Jain, Vice-President, Gurjit Singh Handa, Finance Secretary and Gurpreet Kaur Mallke, Joint Secretary. They would assume charge on January 4, next year.

The outgoing president Nasib Singh Bawa said that nominations in this regard were filed by the candidates on December 15 and withdrawals were made on December 17. Two more office-bearers would be nominated by the elected body in the first week of January, said Jagdish Khosa, the newly-elected president of the Bar Association. — TNS

Ferozepur, December 18
About ten inmates of the local Central Jail, who allegedly denied timely medical aid to Bansa Singh, who died in the morning of December 16, will be facing action for creating indiscipline and manhandling the doctor, deployed for providing medical care to them.

Jagjit Singh, DIG, Jails, Punjab, who conducted an inquiry into the incident, said a section of the inmates started creating indiscipline when Bansa Singh died on the floor while going to the toilet. Instead of allowing the doctor to examine Bansa and administer medicines accordingly, the inmates started manhandling him by declaring that Bansa had died.

He said though these inmates, who had been identified, had sought apology from the jail authorities and the doctor concerned for their action, action would be taken against them. The action could be registration of a criminal case against them or cancellation of their parole facility or cancellation of the facility of meeting with kith and kin for a fixed period. These inmates could be transferred to other jails, he said.

The DIG said he had also inquired about six deaths of inmates, which had taken place since November 16, 2010. Out of these, three inmates, who were above 70 years of age, had died in PGI, Chandigarh after getting treatment at medical college, Faridkot and local Civil Hospital. Two had died in the local Civil Hospital and only Bansa Singh had died inside the jail premises.

Moga, December 18
The additional district and sessions judge Raj Shekhar Attri has rejected the plea of the police to cancel the FIR registered against Rajesh Hastir, former SHO of the Kot-ise-Khan police station who was allegedly accused of helping two smugglers to run away by taking bribe.

Terming the inquiry report of the SP (Crime), Chandigarh submitted before the court in this regard as 'callous, biased and arbitrary', the judge has written, "The case is sent back to the SSP, Moga with a direction to complete the investigation, procure the sanction of the competent authority under section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and to submit report under section 173 of CrPC with law."

It may be mentioned that an FIR was registered against the SHO at the Kot-ise-Khan police station on November 17, 2009. The very next day, he was terminated from service by the then DGP. However, after the re-investigation, when the report of SP (Crime) came in his favour, he was taken back in service.

Hastir was allegedly accused of taking a bribe of Rs 5.5 lakh from two drug smugglers, Chuhar Singh and Karaj Singh, both residents of Daulewala village for helping them flee on September 5, 2009 when he stopped a truck during a 'naka' from which 32 bags of poppy husk were recovered by him.

The DSP, in his inquiry, also found that Hastir recovered 40 bags of poppy husk instead of 32 from the truck.

Bathinda, December 18
Police has initiated inquest proceedings to ascertain the cause of yesterday’s incident, in which a 10-year-old girl had died and seven others, including her mother and four siblings, fell ill in a slum area of Kheta Singh Basti here.

Though on the basis of symptoms, doctors at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, suspect it to be a case of poisonous intake, they opted not to confirm it before a thorough examination.

Terming it to be a complicated case, doctors conducted the post-mortem examination of the body and collected viscera samples for laboratory tests.

Meanwhile, the other children and the woman were discharged after doctors found their condition to be stable.

When asked, the bereaved mother of the 10-year-old girl said she along with some others had brought ‘saag’ and some vegetables from a field located near Sivian village on Thursday.

On return, they stole some guavas and kinnows from a nearby farm, which she and her children consumed in the evening.

They were all well till they got up on Friday morning. But a few hours later, they started feeling giddy and vomited. She mentioned that two children in her neighbourhood, who had also consumed the fruit, were also complaining of the same problem.

“Initially, we took the incident lightly presuming it to be a case of cold and went to a doctor in the locality, who gave us medicines. But our condition kept deteriorating,” she recounted.

The incident had alarmed the administration. Bathinda DC Gurkirat Kirpal Singh visited the hospital and enquired about the health of the patients. Suspecting foul play, he directed the SDM, Bathinda, to personally visit the locality and ensure that no affected child was left in the hutments.

“After receiving the SDM’s report that all the children and the woman, who had fallen sick, belonged to two hutments, we dropped the idea of a magisterial enquiry planned earlier,” said the DC.

The SHO, Thermal police station, said, “During the preliminary investigation, it was found that they had consumed some fruits having a severe dose of pesticides which led to the incident. Still, we have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC to confirm the facts.”

Bathinda, December 18
The Rama police has booked three persons for raping and intimidating a 16-year-old girl of Chak Hira Singh Wala in Bathinda district.

According to details available, the father of the victim lodged a complaint with the police that his daughter had been kidnapped from the village on Thursday when she left home to deliver him tea in the fields.

Acting upon his complaint, the police booked some persons on the charge of kidnapping under Sections 363, 366-A and 120-B of the IPC and launched an investigation.

However, the family members themselves recovered the girl from Dabwali in Haryana and brought her to the Rama Mandi police station on Friday.

In her statement, the victim accused Kuldeep Singh and Shivji Singh of village Shekhu in Bathinda of abducting her on the false promise of facilitating her marriage with Gurjant Singh alias Janta of Phulo Mehre Wali in Haryana, whom she knew for the past couple of months.

She accused Gurjant Singh of raping her and the other two of intimidating her by threatening her life.

Recording her statement, the police sent the girl for medical examination and after receiving the medico-legal report, booked the trio under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC. The accused are at large. — TNS