Moga, May 8
The Animal Husbandry Department has initiated a massive drive to vaccinate buffaloes and cows for Hemorrhagic Septicemia (HS), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and the calves for Brucellosis as a precautionary measure in the Moga district.

Revealing this to The Tribune, Dr PC Mittal, Deputy Director of the Animal Husbandry department, said three lakh cattle would be vaccinated for HS, 3.36 lakh cattle for FMD and 10,000 calves, 4-9 months old, for the Brucellosis disease.

He said the veterinary officials of the department had already covered as many as 44 villages situated along the Sutlej because it is a flood-prone area for HS vaccination.

“We already have three lakh doses of HS vaccine and the process to vaccinate the cattle would be completed within a week by May 15 before the farmers get busy in sowing paddy,” he said.

Adding that there were no reports of outbreak of HS disease in the recent years in Moga district, he said precautionary steps were essential as the clinical signs often progress rapidly from dullness and fever to death within hours in the susceptible animals.

It may be mentioned that HS is caused by specific serotypes of ‘pasteurella multocida’, a primary 'pasteurellosis' reproducible in susceptible animals with the specific organism alone.

He said the disease develops so quickly that only a few animals could be treated on time. Young animals mainly get affected in endemic regions and outbreaks were particularly common during the rainy season when the organism could spread readily.

With regard to the FMD, he said the department covers 90 per cent of the total population of cattle because some people do not allow the veterinary officers/workers to vaccinate their animals due to certain superstitions prevailing in the society. “However, we keep a total record of the animals vaccinated and also of those which have not been vaccinated by our staff,” he said.

Dr Mittal further said the Animal Husbandry Department has also geared up to prevent the spread of Brucellosis disease, which is commonly known as ‘contagious abortion’ and ‘bangs disease’. As many as 10,000 calves buffaloes and cows, falling within the age group of 4-9 months, would be vaccinated of this disease, he added.

He said the department would provide the Brucellosis vaccine dose free of cost to the farmers. Dr Mittal further added that the testing facility for the disease was also now available in the Moga district. 

Sriganganagar, May 8
Summoning of warring factions by the Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh at Amritsar has paved the way for restoring order in the supreme educational institutions in the state run by the leaders of the Sikh community here.

Rajasthan SAD president Surjit Singh Kang, who is also the lone nominee to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee from the state, has submitted his resignation as chief of the Khalsa College Managing Committee. This resulted in hundreds of phone calls from NRIs, who were equally concerned about the image of the institutions.

While confirming the development, Gurbachan Singh Wasan, president of the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, said an ad hoc committee would be formed in consultation with SP Rupinder Singh, who too had taken keen interest to end the stalemate. The faction led by Maninder Singh Mann had earlier tendered their resignation letters to facilitate formation of an adhoc committee.

The warring factions had indulged in mug slugging for a long time and arrest of a staff member in connection with the incidents of looting a car owned by the president of a dental college near Abohar had given severe blow to the image of the dominant faction.

Heads of a dozen gurdwaras had urged Jathedar Gurbachan Singh during his visit to Raisinghnagar to intervene without delay.

Sriganganagar, May 8
A couple including their two young sons and a friend were killed in a road mishap as the car by which they were traveling collided head-on with a truck on the national highway here, today. The couple had no other child.

While confirming the mishap, Harish Sharma, in-charge of the police post at village Ganeshgarh, 22 kilometres from here, on the Sriganganagar-Suratgarh road (NH 15), said Krishan Lal Nayak (45), his wife Nanu Devi (40) along with their sons Jeet Kumar (18) and Raj Kumar (22) were on their way to the hospital from village Hunnatpura to Sriganganagar.

A family friend Nazeer Khan, who had arranged the car, also accompanied them. The car collided head-on with an empty truck from Punjab that had left Sriganganagar a few minutes back. The cops on duty rushed and dragged out the victims from the badly mangled car but all the five passengers were found dead. The driver of the car Parkash has been admitted to the district hospital. The collision resulted in blockade of the vehicular traffic.

DSP (Rural) Deeksha Kamra and city DSP Ashok Meena along with Lalgarh Jatan SHO Salawat Khan reached the site to monitor proceedings.

Salawat Khan said the condition of the car driver was stated to be stable. The truck driver and his assistant escaped leaving behind the vehicle.

A case has been registered. Village Hunnatpura sarpanch Lekh Raj said the victims belonged to the BPL families and were daily wage earners. Their parents depended upon them. The state government would be requested to give compensation to the parents, he said. 

Sriganganagar, May 8
A tourist from France has been arrested for hitting a minor boy while driving a motorcycle. The tourist, identified as Sibsten Gills Hershler (45), was on his way to Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh). As he was heading towards Rawatsar, his motorcycle allegedly hit a minor boy identified as Bhiya Ram Nayak, injuring him seriously. 

Pallu SHO Buta Singh said a case under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC has been registered. DSP Pawan Kumar Meena visited the police station where the tourist has been locked. The French Embassy at New Delhi and relatives of the tourist had been informed about the incident. — OC

Bathinda, May 8
To find out inborn talent, undiscovered potential and learning style, especially among children, a dermatoglyphic multiple intelligence test (DMIT) centre was opened in the city on Friday. It is the first such centre of the ThumbRule Dermatoglyphics in this region and the fifth in the state.

The DMIT can be conducted on those above two years of age. The test helps in identifying the potential for extra-curricular activities like dance and skating among those between two years and 12 years. It helps those between 13 and 21 years in choosing the course subjects and career suitable for them. For those above 21 years, the test is done for the purposes of guidance and career selection.

During the DMIT, the finger prints of a candidate are scanned and sent to Mumbai for initial testing. The report of the DMIT comes from Singapore, which reveals the multiple intelligences, learning sensitivity, intrinsic potential, learning style, planning capabilities etc of the candidate.

MD (North) Karan Behl said they had opened 40 such centres in the country — Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Goa, Chennai and Hyderabad to name a few.

A partner in the local centre, Pankaj Beri, said the DMIT was just a 20-minute process.

Bathinda, May 8
Residents of the local Thermal Colony are going through a harrowing experience these days as a gang of petrol thieves is reportedly active in the colony.

It is learnt that the miscreants target two-wheelers, especially motorcycles, and strike between 2 am and 4 am. They cut the fuel pipe of the vehicles and drain the fuel tank. A theft-check device installed on a vehicle is rendered useless as these elements damage it to succeed in their designs.

Many a times, victims have reported the matter to the security staff of the colony as well as the thermal police. But hardly any action has been taken so far to check the menace.

A resident of C-Block in the colony, Vijay Kumar, alleged that the miscreants had damaged the plastic cover of his TVS scooty to steal petrol from its tank.

Showing a sliced fuel pipe of his motorcycle, one Harwinder Sidhu rued that petrol worth Rs 300 was stolen from his bike and when he lodged a telephonic complaint in this regard with the Thermal Police, it did nothing except for giving him an assurance.

Ashok Kumar, whose motorcycle was targeted twice, said, “As the security staff has failed to respond to our complaints, we have decided to lay a trap to nab the miscreants on our own.”

Security in-charge of the Thermal Colony, SE (headquarters), TK Gupta feigned ignorance about the problem claiming that none of the colony residents had ever lodged a complaint with him.

On the other hand, Thermal Police Station SHO Kuldeep Singh said, “Immediately after the matter came to our notice, we started night patrolling in the colony. If the problem still persists, we will make an alternate arrangement to ensure that the accused is nabbed soon.”

Bathinda, May 8
Amod Gupta, Dean and Head, Department of Ophthalmology, PGI, Chandigarh, today said the need of the hour was to develop medicare facilities in small towns and undeveloped areas.

While addressing a function organised in connection with the inauguration of the Uro Vision, a centre for urology and eye care here, Gupta said patients going to big cities for treatment faced a lot of harassment and had to pay through their nose.

“The trend of making quick money, which is witnessed in a section of the medical professionals, is not good,” he said, adding that eminent physicians coming from big cities to small cities was a good beginning for the health sector.

The centre was opened by Sameer Grover, a urologist, and Shveta Grover, an ophthalmologist.  

BS Aulakh, Head, Department of Urology, DMC, Ludhiana, said the interest of the patient must be a paramount consideration for medical professionals. The considerations like earning a name, fame and money interfere with professional ethics.

A large number of medical professionals of Bathinda and its surrounding areas attended the function.

Bathinda, May 8
A 30-year-old Veer Pal Kaur reportedly committed suicide by consuming poisonous substance at the residential quarters of the Central Jail here late on Friday evening. Her husband head constable Bal Bahadur Singh is posted at the Ropar jail.

According to the police statement of the deceased’s father Malkeet Singh, Veerpal was in depression for some time as she was not able to conceive. Though the couple had adopted a girl about six years ago, Veerpal could not overcome the stress of not bearing a child of her own.

On finding her ill after she had consumed poison, her daughter raised an alarm.

She was rushed to the Civil Hospital by the neighbours but the doctors there referred her to a private hospital.

However, doctors at the private hospital declared her brought dead.

The Civil Lines police has initiated the proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC and launched a probe into the matter.