The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Congress, Akalis play politics over floods Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Lambi (Muktsar), September 20 Devastating floods are ravaging over a dozen villages of the Lambi Assembly constituency, damaging the crops and demolishing a large number of kutcha houses. Every spell of rain is bringing more fear and anxiety for the residents but this drastic situation seems to be a time ripe for the politicians to play politics, keeping in view the forthcoming Assembly elections. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Raninder Singh, son of former CM Captain Amarinder Singh, were on separate whirlwind tours of Lambi constituency, visiting the flood affected villages today. But for the residents of these flood-affected villages, these visits failed to either give them relief or boost their sagging morale. The speeches of both these leaders were loaded with politically sarcastic comments—-blaming each other for corruption and favouritism. Badal blamed the Congress-led government at the Centre for its insensitive attitude towards Punjab whenever the natural calamities strike the state. “The Central Government is making huge collection of taxes from Punjab and providing meagre relief in this hour of crisis,” was the summary of public speeches delivered by the CM. On the other hand, Raninder Singh blamed the Punjab Government for the worsening of the flood situation in the area. “Lambi is known as a VVIP constituency and there is a huge flow of government funds. But after visiting the villages of the area, I came to know that all these funds were not meant for development but to take care of some politically connected Akalis and their influential relatives,” he said during his visit to Fatuhi Khera, Fatehpur Mania, Tappa Khera, Deon Khera, Kutiawali and other flood-affected villages. To assuage the farmers, Badal announced to defer the realisation of agricultural loans of the co-operative societies in the wake of the extensive damage caused to the crops and houses due to the flash floods at Bhai Ka Kera village today. On the other hand, accusing the state government for its faulty flood drainage system in the area to give favour to some Akali leaders, Raninder Singh countered Badal saying, “Once the Congress comes to power, there would be an inquiry into the construction of drains in the area.” In this exchange of political allegations, while the residents of flood affected villages, Tappa Khera, Fatehpur Mania, Kutiawali, Khema Khera, Dabawali Malkoo, Sham Khera, Saranwan Bodla and Pucca Tibbi, do not have the feeling of relief, the drainage department in Muktsar is also undergoing huge stress and pressure due to political interference in their dewatering operation as all influential farmers are making a waterway to the low-lying areas where the poor Dalit labourers live. Made of mud or hay stack or tin roof, which can’t withstand the harsh weather, the kutcha houses of these Dalits have already fallen flat. As 100 per cent crops in these village have perished, so daily wagers there have no work to do, thus facing hard times, said Laxman Singh Sewewala, general secretary, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union.
	Consumer forum slaps Rs 1 lakh fine on finance company Anirudh Gupta Ferozepur, September 20 The Consumer Forum has directed the Magma Leasing Limited to pay Rs 1,00,000 as compensation for allegedly adopting unfair trade practices to Sham Singh of village Maste Ke. Sham Singh had complained that the said company did not issue him a no-objection certificate (NOC) even after the repayment of the entire loan amount which he had taken to buy a car. Sanjay Garg, president of the Forum, said that Sham had taken a loan of Rs 1,36,400 from the finance company for the purchase of a Maruti car on July 22, 2006. At that time, the company obtained eight undated cheques of Rs 22,800 each from the complainant as security for the loan amount besides two advance instalments towards the repayment of the loan. Garg said that the employee of the finance company used to collect the loan instalments from the complainant who never delayed the payment, adding that despite payment of entire loan, the company refused to issue him an NOC and further demanded Rs 9595.15 as penalty for delayed payment. Holding that the demand of penal charges on delayed payment in such an event is a grossly unfair trade practice, the Forum directed the finance company to issue an NOC to the complainant and return his undated cheques and also to pay the compensation.
	‘10 yrs down the line, Punjab will be another Rajasthan’ Megha Mann Tribune News Service Bathinda, September 20 While Punjab is reeling under a major environmental crisis, none of its political parties have ever bothered to make it an agenda in their election manifesto, said Prof SS Dhillon, consultant to the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology (PSCST). A member of several national and state bodies on environmental issues, Prof Dhillon said that despite a huge number of cancer cases, the environmental issues like depleting green canopy and poisonous underground water fail to find mention in the poll manifesto of the political parties. “Environmental degradation begins with population explosion. We descended from the apes thousands of years ago but are yet to shun our passion to reproduce and amass wealth. A WHO reports say that while America is the strongest economy, it is the poorest nation in terms of health. Its people are dying of cardiac problems, cancer and misuse of medicines,” said Dhillon. He added that setting up the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) for green revolution was the first biggest mistake while the second mistake was to introduce hybrid dwarf varieties of paddy plants on Punjab soil. “Bathinda, a region, that had scanty rainfall now has plenty of unmanageable downpour. All this is the effect of global warming. This region was abundant in grams and ‘moth’ (a kind of cereal) that grew without the pesticides. Today, there is not even a single crop that does not need pesticide to grow,” he added. He said that due to the wrong policies of the state government, Punjab farmers have already exhausted water in sub-soil region of the earth and now deep submersible pumps are emptying those aquifers that cannot be recharged even in the next 20 years. “Punjab is not replenishing even a drop of water. Ten years down the line, we would be another Rajasthan. The desert is actually headed towards us,” he warned. Talking about new thermal power plants coming up in the Malwa region, he said they are the major contributors to global warming. The state government should explore unconventional sources of energy, such as canal water. “Enough power can be generated from the water running in our canals, rivers and even smaller units. Nuclear power is great but Indians are poor at management and hence, can’t manage a nuclear plant,” he added.
	Husband’s illicit relation drives woman to end her life Bathinda, September 20 Following murder of a woman in Baba Deep Singh Nagar locality on Monday, another woman from Chak Fateh Singh Wala village on Tuesday ended her life by consuming some poisonous substance following alleged illicit relations of her husband. The deceased has been identified as Rani Kaur, wife of one Swaran Singh of Chak Fate Singh Wala village near Bhuchho. She had a 16-year-old daughter. In his complaint to the police, the father of the deceased, Jeeta Singh, alleged that Rani was upset over her husbands’s illicit relations. A case in this connection has been registered against Swaran Singh under various Sections of the IPC. The post-mortem examination would be conducted on Wednesday. — TNS
	Special girdawri to assess loss of crops, property Praful Chander Nagpal Fazilka, September 20 "The district administration has ordered special girdawri to assess the loss of crops, houses and livestock damaged by the overflowing water of the Eastern Canal and its distributaries during the last one week. The survey teams led by the Fazilka Tehsidar have been sent to assess the loss on the spot in villages where the water has overflown its banks and in flood affected areas also," said Fazilka ADC Charandev Singh Mann. As per information, all the distributaries passing through the area have been overflowing following heavy rainfall causing damage to the standing crops. A 50-feet wide breach has also occurred at the Khui Khera drain in village Shajrana near Dera Baba Bhuman Shah, as a result of which the agricultural fields have been inundated. Zila Pariashad vice-chairman Prem Kularia, a resident of village Khui Khera, said that the standing crop of cotton and paddy in nearly 2500 acres of agricultural land in only three villages of Ramkot, Shajrana and Khui Khera has been submerged by the overflowing water of Khui Khera seepage drain passing through these villages. "The inhabited area has been surrounded by the overflowing water as the agricultural land in these villages has been inundated," claimed the vice-chairman. The brackish water of the seepage drain has been damaging the crops extensively, he claimed. "About 150 persons equipped with plugging material have been kept ready in village Shajrana to mend any possible breach," said Ashok Gulbadhar, a farmer. On the other hand, former minister Hans Raj Josan, after touring the affected villages today, said that had the government made arrangements to streamline the canal system in advance, the huge loss of crops could have been averted. He claimed that a large number of temporary structures in these villages have collapsed and demanded compensation for the crops and damaged houses. Superintendent Engineer (Canal) BS Sandhu said that the flow of water from upstream has been stopped to check the overflowing water in the canals at the tail-end. CM to visit flood-hit villages in Fazilka today Fazilka, September 20 Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal shall visit the flood affected areas of District Fazilka tomorrow. Fazilka ADC Charandev Singh Mann said that as per the official communiqué received here today in the evening, the CM would start his interaction with the flood affected villagers with a visit to Jalalabad sub-division followed by the Fazilka sub-division. The CM along with senior officials shall meet the flood affected villagers in Dhandi Kadim and Chack Khiva villages in Jalalabad sub-division and Ghurka, Mahatam Nagar, Mohar Jamsher and Teja Rohela villages in Fazilka sub-division in the afternoon. — OC