J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Sahni compromised Batala residents’ interests: Sekhri
No district status for Batala, only an ADC, Additional District and Sessions Judge for the tehsil
Batala, April 22
A day after Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, through his emissary Vidhan Sabha Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon, granted the post of an Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) to Batala tehsil, the opponents of Batala MLA Jagdeesh Sahni vented their ire against him for compromising the interests of residents.

Crop Diversification
NHMI to send progressive farmers to other states
Hoshiarpur, April 22
To provide advance training in net house technology for the promotion of diversification of traditional agriculture, the National Horticulture Mission of India (NHMI) will send progressive farmers of Punjab to other states of India and foreign countries.

CM asked to promote 34 JEs
Jalandhar, April 22
The AMIE (India) Engineers Association, Punjab, has requested Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon to intervene into the matter of the long-pending promotion of 34 JEs as SDOs and get them promoted at the earliest.

Man axes wife to death, kills self
Kapurthala, April 22
In a shocking incident, a middle-aged man of Rattra village axed his wife to death and later committed suicide by consuming poison late last night. Jarnail Singh reportedly committed the gruesome crime in an inebriated condition when his wife Prakash Kaur was asleep. After killing his wife, he consumed some poisonous substance and ran towards the nearby fields.

Man forces wife to end life
Nakodar, April 22
The police arrested Chander Dheer for abetment of suicide after his wife committed suicide at her residence here in Gurunanak Pura Mohalla. Victim’s father Joginder Singh of Lahorian Gate Kapurthala in his complaint alleged that Chander used to torture his daughter Sonia for dowry, said Surinderpal Singh, SHO, Nakodar police station.

FCI starts wheat procurement
Nawanshahr, April 22
Following a strong protest by the farmers and arhtiyas of Mukandpur and Hakimpur mandis in the district, senior FCI officials were forced to start wheat procurement today. The farmers and arhtiyas blocked traffic to protest against the non-procurement of wheat.

Sahni compromised Batala residents’ interests: Sekhri
No district status for Batala, only an ADC, Additional District and Sessions Judge for the tehsil
Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Batala, April 22
A day after Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, through his emissary Vidhan Sabha Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon, granted the post of an Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) to Batala tehsil, the opponents of Batala MLA Jagdeesh Sahni vented their ire against him for compromising the interests of residents.

It is pertinent to mention here that for the last 82 days Sahni and his supporters, including members of the Bar Association and other social and religious organisations, had been sitting on a chain hunger fast at the MLA’s office demanding the upgradation of Batala tehsil to a full fledged district.

The BJP MLA had called for a bandh today in this industrial hub, but after assurances given yesterday by Kahlon and Cabinet minister Balbir Singh Bath to Sahni, the call for the complete bandh was taken back. Sahni was given the assurance that an ADC and an Additional District and Sessions Judge will be posted at Batala. Kahlon added that since Batala fulfilled all the conditions of a district, a mini-secretariat would also be constructed in the town.

Former legislator Ashwani Sekhri claimed that Sahni had actually befooled the common man. He said in 1988 when he (Sekhri) was sitting MLA from Batala, the Punjab Government had posted an ADC, but when the Akali-BJP combine came to power, the post was withdrawn. He added that the post of an Additional District and Sessions Judge could only be given with the consent of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Chief Minister had no locus standi to announce such a post.

Sekhri said Sahni was just seeking to hog the limelight for his political survival. “Sahni should immediately quit his Assembly seat as he has bartered away Batala’s interests.”

Sahni has not found much support from even his own party men after yesterday’s decision. Qadian MLA and senior Akali leader L.S Lodhinangal said holding protests and rallys and calling for a bandh was the handiwork of opposition parties and ruling party legislators should not get involved into all these issues. “Sahni has ditched the residents by falling into Kahlon’s trap. Now the residents can never dream of getting their tehsil converted into a district owing to Sahni’s ineptitude in dealing with the Punjab Government.”

Some may call it a moral victory for the Batala MLA, others may term the deal as a hollow one, but residents, particularly shopkeepers and businessmen, heaved a sigh of relief on learning that they will not have to close their establishments today.

Crop Diversification
NHMI to send progressive farmers to other states
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, April 22
To provide advance training in net house technology for the promotion of diversification of traditional agriculture, the National Horticulture Mission of India (NHMI) will send progressive farmers of Punjab to other states of India and foreign countries.

Disclosing this after inspecting a poly house and interacting with a number of progressive farmers at Khanpur Thiara village last evening, Joint Secretary of NHMI, Managing Director, NAFED and National Development Scheme, Dr Sanjiv Chopra appreciated the role of the Horticulture Department, Hoshiarpur, for redeveloping a ruined kinnow orchard at Sikri village.

Dr Sanjiv Chopra visited this district yesterday to review the progress of ongoing works for diversification of agriculture introduced under NHMI by the Union Government in 2005-06 and to know the problems of horticulturists in this regard.

Dr Chopra also inspected the redeveloped kinnow orchard of Ravinder Singh Thiara at Sikri village in Bhunga block. He was very much impressed by the redevelopment of kinnow orchard with the help of the district Horticulture Department.

After inspecting the cooperative society at Lambra village he was very much impressed from its functioning and said if all the cooperative societies start functioning on the pattern of the Lambra Cooperative Society, there would be no poverty in rural areas of the country.

He said a training centre would soon be set up at Lambra village to motivate and train farmers for growing vegetables through poly houses and net houses.

The Joint Secretary also inspected the citrus estate and nursery of fruit plants at Chhouni Kalan village and met a number of horticulturists there.

To meet the demand of good quality of kinnow plants, one Tishu Culture Lab would soon be set up at Chhouni Kalan so that large quantity of good quality nursery of kinnow plants could be prepared and its supply could be made to the horticulturists according to their need.

He asked the officials of the district Horticulture Department to spread awareness among the people in rural areas about the ongoing Centre-sponsored schemes so that maximum number of people could get benefit from them.

Deputy Director, Assistant Director of Horticulture Dr Satvir Singh and Dr Kuldip Singh, respectively, Horticulture Development Officer Dr Naresh Kumar and many other officials of the department accompanying the Joint Secretary.

CM asked to promote 34 JEs
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 22
The AMIE (India) Engineers Association, Punjab, has requested Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon to intervene into the matter of the long-pending promotion of 34 JEs as SDOs and get them promoted at the earliest.

Talking to The Tribune, the state president of the assoication, Surinder Singh Kaler, stated that the Chief Engineer, Canal, had already recommended the promotion of the JEs as SDOs but they were not elevated despite the recommendation.

Kaler said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also assured the association that the JEs would soon be promoted as SDOs when the entire matter was brought to his attention during a sangat darshan at Pathankot last year, but to no avail.

The association also submitted a memorandum to the Principal Secretary, Irrigation Department, to do justice with the 34 JEs as several of their juniors had already been promoted.

Man axes wife to death, kills self
Tribune News Service

Kapurthala, April 22
In a shocking incident, a middle-aged man of Rattra village axed his wife to death and later committed suicide by consuming poison late last night. Jarnail Singh reportedly committed the gruesome crime in an inebriated condition when his wife Prakash Kaur was asleep. After killing his wife, he consumed some poisonous substance and ran towards the nearby fields.

Though the exact cause of the murder could not be ascertained, it was suspected that Jarnail Singh was suspicious about his wife’s character. He committed the crime when other family members were asleep.

Paramjit Singh, SHO, Fattudinga police station, revealed that Jarnail Singh repeatedly attacked Parkash Kaur with an axe that killed her on the spot. Jarnail’s body was found in nearby fields this morning.

The police has handed over the bodies to the family members after post-mortem examinations at the local Civil Hospital this evening.

Man forces wife to end life

Nakodar, April 22
The police arrested Chander Dheer for abetment of suicide after his wife committed suicide at her residence here in Gurunanak Pura Mohalla. Victim’s father Joginder Singh of Lahorian Gate Kapurthala in his complaint alleged that Chander used to torture his daughter Sonia for dowry, said Surinderpal Singh, SHO, Nakodar police station.

He said the girl consumed poison today and breathed last at her residence. The complainant also alleged that Chander was pressurising Sonia to bring Rs 50,000 from her father, the police said. A case under section 306 of IPC has been registered. — OC

FCI starts wheat procurement

Nawanshahr, April 22
Following a strong protest by the farmers and arhtiyas of Mukandpur and Hakimpur mandis in the district, senior FCI officials were forced to start wheat procurement today. The farmers and arhtiyas blocked traffic to protest against the non-procurement of wheat.

The farmers and arhtiyas today met Deputy Commissioner Shruti Singh to apprise her of the problem following which the DC talked to the senior FCI officials.

A team of FCI officials visited Mukandpur and Hakimpur mandis to take stock of the situation. — OC