Bathinda, July 31
Strongly opposing the forcible acquisition of farmers’ lands for the private parties by the government, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) Ajmer Singh Lakhowal (who is also the chairman of Punjab Mandi Board) today asked the Punjab Government to postpone the acquisition of agriculture lands till the Parliament passed a Bill with regard to acquisition of land, as after the passing of this Bill the farmers would get six times of the existing market price of their lands.

In the light of the on-going agitation by the farmers against the acquisition of their lands for setting up a thermal plant in Mansa (near Gobindpura), Lakhowal asked the state government not to forcibly acquire the farmers’ land for the private parties.

He said the government should hold talks with the farmers to settle the issue. He also said that at a meeting, held between the BKU and the Chief Minister recently, it had been decided that the government would not acquire land for private parties.

He said his union had not gone to Gobindpura to take part in the farmers’ agitation as it believed in democratic measures and could not become aggressive even as it strongly opposed the forcible acquisition there.

Lakhowal was here in connection with a meeting of his union held on the premises of local Gurdwara Hazi Rattan Sahib today. On the occasion, Lakhowal asked the union leaders to enroll maximum number of members of the union. He also honoured 10 members of the union for taking tractor-trolleys to Delhi on March 9 to participate in a rally and demonstration by the union.

Whether the BKU (Lakhowal) would take part in the SGPC elections, Lakhowal said no decision had been taken in this regard so far. When asked there are reports that the SAD would offer them five SGPC seats, Lakhowal declined to comment.

He said the government had already decided to give Rs 2 lakh each to the families of those farmers, who had committed suicides, but it had not received the lists of such farmers from five agencies so far. He also demanded reservation for all farmers under other backward classes (OBCs) category, in place of caste-based reservation.

He also asked the Union government to open export of the cotton and wheat so that farmers could get remunerative prices.

Lakhowal admitted that about 20 per cent guest houses of the Punjab Mandi Board were still in the possession of police department and the civil administration. He said he had written to the authorities concerned several times to get these vacated, but to no avail so far.

Bathinda, July 31
In the run up to Assembly elections, the Bathinda city has virtually been turning into the ‘protest capital’ of Punjab as several state-level associations and unions have been organising protests in different forms for the past several months here to put pressure on the ruling Badal family to accept their demands.

The protests are being organised here as the city is considered to be political turf of the Badal family with Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the daughter-in-law of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and wife of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, being the Member of Parliament (MP) from Bathinda.

The residents of the city have now become habitual to see protest marches, demonstrations, rallies, burning of effigies of the government, slogans being raised against the government, observation of hunger strikes and fast unto death by different unions and associations.

Since most of the effigies are burnt at the main bus stand chowk, a traffic policeman said the people of the area had now started calling the place as ‘Ram Bagh’ (cremation ground).

During the past some months, the city has witnessed a large number of state-level protests and demonstrations organised by several associations and unions like the Berojgar Adhyapak Front, the AIE Teachers Front, the AIE Teachers Union, the Inclusive Education Volunteers Association (IEVA), the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU), the Mid-day Meal Workers Union, the Anganwari Workers Union, the Rural Health Pharmacists Association, the EGS (Education Guarantee Scheme) Volunteers Union, the Private ETT Students Union, the Rural Veterinary Officers Association, the Block Assistants/Coordinators Front, Punjab, the Unemployed Linemen Union and many more.

The city has also witnessed several local-level protests by the Lal Jhanda Bhatha Mazdoor Union (AICCTU) Punjab, the NREGA Staff Union, the Class IV Employees Union (Education Department) and the Technical Services Union to name the few. Besides, several protests were also held by political parties, including Lok Janshakti Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Meanwhile, the AIE (Alternative Innovative Education) Teachers Front, Punjab, on Thursday had ended its 89-day-old long protest outside the Mini-secretariat here after an assurance by the Education Minister and the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister that the AIE teachers having ETT and B.Ed qualifications would be adjusted on contract basis.

The indefinite dharna by the Rural Health Pharmacists Association, Punjab, outside the Mini-secretariat here entered its 11th day today. The protesters are seeking regularisation of their services on the pattern of Rural Medical Officers.

Bathinda, July 31
Under the banner of the Unemployed Teacher Front, Punjab, members and activists of five unemployed teacher organisations, including those of B.Ed and ETT, took out a protest march through the bazaars here today and burnt copies of the results of the teacher eligibility test (TET). They also raised slogans against the government.

Earlier, they gathered at the Teachers Home here and marched up to the Arya Samaj Chowk protesting against the TET. They announced that they would launch a statewide struggle against the TET.

Spokesman of the Front Harjeet Jeeda said their main demands were cancellation of the TET, independent inquiry into the holding of TET and exemplary punishment for those guilty of the TET scam.

Meanwhile, Parwinder Singh, a member of the state committee of the Unemployed ETT Teachers Union, said a Malwa zone committee of the ETT teachers comprising six districts, namely Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar, Mansa, Ferozepur and Moga, had been formed today.

He said Balkaran Singh from Bathinda had been made convener of the committee while Swaranjit Singh Bhagta (Faridkot), Rajbir Kaur (Muktsar), Mandip Singh (Mansa), Inderjit Singh (Ferozepur) and Rajesh Kumar (Moga) were the other members of the committee.

Parwinder said they had demanded a CBI inquiry into the TET scam to bring the culprits on record.

Bathinda, July 31
Dr GS Nagpal, managing director of the Nagpal Group of Institutions, today inaugurated Nagpal Charitable Hospital and Drug De-addiction Centre at Katar Singh Wala village, about 10 km from here.

According to Dr TS Nagpal, chairman, Punjab Public College of Nursing, Katar Singh Wala, patients suffering from various diseases, including cancer and the ones related to heart, liver and kidney, would be treated at this 100-bed charitable hospital equipped with modern equipment,.

In the drug de-addiction centre, addicts would be given free treatment. Medical and psychological techniques would be used to treat them, he added. — TNS

Bathinda, July 31
The first academic session has begun in the newly established degree college of the Punjabi University at Jaito in the Faridkot district.

Principal of the college Dr Suman Lata said there was enthusiasm among the students of the area and most seats in the Arts, B.Com and B.Sc (non-medical) had been filled. However, more students could be admitted as the university was liberal on the matter. She said all four laboratories have been constructed and 10 members of the faculty have joined. Three more teachers are expected to join shortly, she added. — TNS

Fazilka, July 31
A 30-feet wide breach took place in the Ladhuka minor in the Fazilka sub-division in the area of village Jamalke. As per the sources, the flow of water had increased near pillar number 162 and it overflew the banks resulting in the breach of the canal. Rajinder Kumar, former sarpanch of village Jamalke, informed that over 100 acres of standing crop of paddy and green fodder was inundated following the breach on Saturday.

He further said a breach occurred two weeks back also and the standing crop was inundated. Rajinder Kumar alleged that sub-standard material was used in the construction of the canal embankment. Moreover, cleanliness of the canal is also not carried out properly, he added.

He said the matter of sub-standard material was also brought to the notice of the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal during his visit to the area on June 19. The Deputy CM had assured to look into the matter but to no avail. The department has not yet assessed the loss.

On the other hand, SDO, Canal, Bakhshish Singh Cheema said the flow of water has been stopped from the headwork. The canal would be made operational within a day. He expressed ignorance about the use of sub-standard material during the construction of the canal. However, he clarified that some farmers had plugged water outlets at 16 different places on the canal a few days back.

Hence, the water overflowed the banks of the canal resulting in the breach. The SDO said some farmers used to plug the water outlets during the rainy season so that excess water may not enter their fields. He warned of initiating action against such farmers.

Ferozepur, July 31
While the residents of Ferozpur are disillusioned with the state government over the move to carve out a separate district in form of Fazilka, the residents of Guruharsahai are feeling elated as their long pending demand for getting sub- division status has been met.

The move was necessitated after three sub-divisions of the erstwhile Ferozpur district — Abohar, Fazilka and Jalalabad — were transferred to the newly carved Fazilka district.

To do a balancing act, Guruharsahai has been made a sub-division, which in addition to the existing Ferozpur and Zira sub-divisions, will remain a part of Ferozpur district.

The Gurharsahai residents, who have benefited in the bargain, think that the decision to accord sub- division status to this grain bowl of the district was long overdue. “We had to rush to Jalalabad for all kinds of official work. However, things will improve now,” said a resident Ashok Sikri, expressing the hope that a new era of growth and development will be ushered in this town and trade will improve.

Guruharsahai, earlier famous as ‘Lakhi Jungle’ used to be a waste tract of land between the territories occupied by the Brars and Dogars who used to constantly quarrel over its possession.

About two centuries ago, Guru Jiwan Mal, who belonged to the Sodhi family (seventh in the line of descendants of Guru Ram Dass), was permitted to establish a number of villages in this plain.

Jiwan Mal had fixed his boundaries by marking down the tracts of the hooves of his horses as he made a long circuit along the boundary. Since that time, the area was named after his eldest son Guru Har Rai.

“It is a historic town which aptly deserved the status of a sub-division,” said Ravi Sharma, whose forefather Pandit Shyam Padha had played a pivotal role in the creation of this town. Sharma said that now, the residents want that the lower court, which is at present in Jalalabad, should be shifted here. “We also want that the government should post officials here at the earliest so that the development work can begin soon,” he urged.

Guruharsahai is famous for “Pothimala” or the sacred book and rosary which belonged to Guru Nanak Dev, which is held in reverence by the people of the area. Every year, a fair is held at “Pothimala” during which thousands gather here to pay respects to the sacred book, rosary and the Sikh Gurus.

Rana Sodhi, MLA, who represents this constituency, welcomed the decision of the state government. Sodhi said he had been demanding sub-division status for Guruharsahai for a long time.

Meanwhile, Vardev Singh Mann, a member of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), while thanking Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for the decision to make Guruharsahai a sub-division, said the move shows that the SAD-BJP government does not just believe in making hollow claims like the Congress. “It has delivered what was promised to the people here,” he added.

Ferozepur, July 31
The state government has embarked on a proposal to honour those government officials and NGOs, who have discharged their duties well, disclosed the Deputy Commisioner, while presiding over a seminar held by the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA) to discuss the parameters of instituting such awards.

Divisional Deputy Director (Rural Development and Panchayats) JP Singh, Jatinder Singh, SP (Detective), Maninder Kaur, District Mass media officer, Kiran Vinayak, ETO, Balram, assistant registrar, Cooperative Societies, Amrik Singh Sidhu, DDPO besides representatives from NGOs also spoke on the occasion.

Gian, Regional Project Coordinator, MGSIPA, said a three-member committee has been formed to identify the parameters on the basis of which deserving officials and social workers would be selected for the awards. — OC

Abohar, July 31
Representatives of different NGOs remembered Shaheed Udham Singh at a function organised by the Punjabi Sabhyachar Manch at Sawan Public School here on Saturday.

Former SDM BL Sikka was joined by Mahila Propkarini Sabha chairperson Jamuna Devi Chawla, Manch president Gurcharan Singh Gill, educationist Savita Ahuja and many social activists besides hundreds of students and teachers in offering flower petals at the portrait of the great revolutionary.

Sikka said a book depicting the life of such revolutionaries should be made a part of the curriculum. — OC

Barnala, July 31
A few days after The Tribune highlighted the outbreak of jaundice in ward number two, the district administration has launched a cleanliness drive.

The Tribune in its edition on July 26 had highlighted that over four dozen people living in ward number two of Barnala are reportedly suffering from jaundice due to lack of cleanliness.

The ward number two lies just opposite to a civil dispensary near Patwar Khana here. Deputy Commissioner, Barnala, Paramjeet Singh, who held a meeting with the Municipal Council, Improvement Trust and Water Supply and Sewerage Board authorities on Friday to launch the speedy cleanliness drive, revealed to the TNS, “We have launched a speedy drive for cleanliness in the affected ward and also in the entire town. The drive would continue till August 25. As part of the drive, we have posted 20-30 Safai Karamcharis in every ward.” “I am personally monitoring the cleanliness campaign in the wards,” he added.

Meanwhile, Civil Surgeon, Barnala, Dr A. Gaaba informed that the number of suspected patients of jaundice is decreasing.

“We had sent the samples of 100 suspected cases to the government laboratory in Patiala and have received the results for some of them. Of the 20 samples we had sent in the first batch to Patiala, a majority of the patients are suffering from Hepatitis B and C infection. Now, we are subjecting the patients to tests for Hepatitis A and E.”

The matter surfaced after the residents of ward number two had complained that more than four dozen residents of the ward had suffered jaundice infection due to lack of cleanliness in the ward and mixing of water in the supply pipes with the sewerage system, which was broken at many places.

Local MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon, who after getting the news about the spread of jaundice, had rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation, had blamed the civil administration for the lack of cleanliness in the wards resulting in the outbreak of disease.

Fazilka, July 31
There is resentment amongst the students as a large number of posts of lecturers in MR Government College are lying vacant since long.

Significantly, during the admission period in the government college, the authorities had to admit over 1000 students in BA (I) against the sanctioned seats of 480 as there is no other government college nearby.

The poor students have to opt for the government college as government charges Rs 3500 annually as tuition fee while the private colleges charge over Rs 18000 annually. As per the official sources, there are only five permanent lecturers against the sanctioned posts of 31. The posts of remaining faculties are filled temporarily from the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) funds on contract basis.

The post of principal has also been lying vacant for long. In most of the cases during the past, a principal, who is likely to retire shortly, is posted for sometime and after his retirement, the posts again falls vacant. Similarly, there are only four clerks and a superintendent against the requirement of 20 clerks according to the present strength of the students to over 2000.

All India Students Federation general secretary Kulwinder Dhaban alleged that the gap year students, who had applied for admission in BA (I) year after a gap of one year or more after passing the matriculation, are being denied admission on the one pretext or the other.

Student organisation leaders Sukhdev Dharmuwala, Ashoka Sandhar, Kulwinder Ghubaya and Joginder Singh have demanded that the vacant posts of the lecturers should be filled immediately to ensure proper studies of the students.

Senior lecturers Des Raj said the new dates for admission of gap year students have been informed to them.

He further said the higher authorities have been apprised of the vacant post of the lecturers many times.

Sriganganagar, July 31
The workers of Rajasthani Bhasha Manyata Sangharsh Samiti, Rajasthani Motyar Parishad, Rajasthani Mahila Parishad and Matribhasha Chhatar Morcha wore black badges, held protest in different educational institutions, while observing ‘Black Day’ to protest denial to Rajasthani as one of the optional languages for the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET).

The Motyar Parishad district president Anil Jandu said Punjabi, Gujarati, Sindhi, Hindi, English, Sanskrit and Urdu were included in the list but Rajasthani was denied its due place. The US-based Library of Congress had listed Rajasthani as one of 13 prosperous regional languages.

The Kendriya Sahitya Akademi had recognised Rajasthani as language in 1974 and books published thereof were awarded each year, he added. — OC