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Kaka facing tough times after joining Congress
Colony sans proper power, money spent on highway
Nursing home raided
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STR teachers take to streets, block road
Liquor traders offering ‘heavy’ discounts
SAD tries to keep its flock together
Fazilka girl wins international contest
This village is yet to taste the fruits of freedom
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Kaka facing tough times after joining Congress
Dharamkot (Moga), December 26 Kaka joined the Congress party last week. He organized a good show of strength to impress the PPCC President and former CM Captain Amarinder Singh for staking claim to the Congress ticket from the Dharamkot constituency. But as the days are passing, his support base appears to be shrinking in the area. One of his firm supporters, Inderpreet Singh Bunty, who openly helped Kaka win the SGPC election as an independent candidate, has reportedly shifted his loyalty back to the parent SAD party. He did not even turn up at the public rally organized by Kaka at Lohgarh village, last week. The President of Moga Municipal Council Barjinder Singh Brar whose father Akali stalwart Jathedar Tota Singh has been nominated as the SAD candidate from Dharamkot constituency, has claimed that Bunty has agreed to come back to the party fold at the behest of Sheetal Singh, the local MLA of the area. Brar has also claimed that many sarpanches and panches of the area who helped Kaka in the SGPC elections are helping in his father’s poll campaign. They are the supporters of the panth, not the traitors of the community, he added. On the other hand, resentment is also brewing among the local Congressmen against Kaka after he claimed that the party leadership has promised him a party ticket. After the President of Punjab Mahila Congress Dr Malti Thapar openly announced to contest the election on a Congress ticket from this constituency, a youth leader of the party Harpreet Singh Hero has also staked claim for the ticket. Last night, youth workers of the Congress party carried out a candle march to protest against ticket allotment to the defectors of the SAD and the PPP. They were of the opinion that their defection into the Congress just before the elections was nothing but opportunism and they could never remain loyal to the Congress party. Hero claimed that he had a strong mass following in the area, particularly among the youths and could well take on the Akalis in the election. “I am of the firm view that the party high command will not give the party ticket to Kaka, being a new entrant,” he said. It may be mentioned that there are more than a dozen traditional Congress leaders in the area who are aspiring for the party ticket. “I was waiting for this constituency to be declared as general for the past five years,” said another Congress leader. A few others said that the Akali leaders who have now defected to the Congress, when in power during the Akali regime, had implicated numerous Congress workers and leaders in various false cases to harass them. Now, how could the victims forget the atrocities they had faced at their hands, they asked. |
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Colony sans proper power, money spent on highway
Faridkot, December 26 According to the rules, the Improvement Trust can not spend any money on the National Highway. Its first priority is colonies and buildings developed by the Trust. As the Improvement Trust, the developer of Giani Zail Singh Colony, failed to comply with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) electricity supply instructions and did not install the transformers, so the PSPCL is not releasing any permanent power connection in the colony. So, for the last about one year, residents in the Giani Zail Singh Colony have had only temporary power connections and they have to pay extra for these temporary connections. Moreover, the PSPCL provides the temporary connections maximum for a one year period and the one year period would end in January. Kulwant Singh Brar, executive officer Improvement Trust, Faridkot, said the PSPCL amended the electricity supply manual in March 2011, and it led to the present problem. However, the residents living in the colony alleged that after earning huge profit in the sale of residential plots in this 26-acre colony, instead of raising mandatory and stipulated infrastructure, the Improvement Trust, Faridkot, spent Rs 10.80 crore on laying of DB paving to lift the political career of its senior functionary. In a letter dated January 31, 2011, issued to all the 162 owners of plots and houses in the colony, the Improvement Trust claimed to have provided electricity, water and sewerage But it is not only electricity. The residents are not also getting the water supply connection from the Water Supply Board as the colony is not fulfilling all conditions, alleged residents. Though there are over 100 electricity poles in this newly-constructed colony but only two lamps give light and all other poles are without any bulb, rued the residents. Trying to galvanize the political career of its senior functionary, though the Improvement Trust spent over Rs 10 crore but to no avail as this functionary failed to get the SAD (B) ticket for the coming polls. |
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Nursing home raided
Bathinda, December 26 District Health Officer Dr RS Randhawa, who accompanied the team along with three drug inspectors, said this evening that the raid had been conducted after the matter came to the notice of the state health authorities in this regard. Dr Randhawa said during the raid, no blood collection bag had been recovered. Besides, nothing had come to their notice that someone had been bled there. Despite this, they had brought the indoor register of the nursing home with them. The nursing home owner had also been told to provide the remaining record in seven days, he added. |
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STR teachers take to streets, block road
Gill Patti (Bathinda), De 26 Demanding permanent jobs in government schools and not to be released from the service on March 31 2012, the teachers had climbed a water tank here. After their demand for meeting chief minister on Monday could did not fulfil and their meeting with the Director General of School Education (DGSE) remained inconclusive, the teachers took to the road and blocked the traffic. According to sources, health conditions of three of the protesting teachers were serious. SHO, Nehianwala, Angrez Singh told TNS that the teachers would meet the higher officials of the education department in Chandigarh on Tuesday. "The blockade has been lifted in the evening. We were told that some of the members of the union were unwell and we suggested they be taken to the Civil Hospital but we were told it wasn't required," he said. |
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Liquor traders offering ‘heavy’ discounts
Muktsar, December 26 Huge billboards offering heavy discounts on almost every brand of liquor have come up along the highways to attract the Bacchus lovers and local leaders, who "usually distribute" it among the masses to get the maximum votes. Not only the country liquor and the Indian-made-foreign liquor, but gin, rum, vodka and beer are also available at the discounted prices. Disclosing the reason behind the development, a salesman at a liquor shop located in village Bhalaiana, said requesting anonymity, "To garner publicity for any political function, liquor is the best tool. So, the potential candidates have been offering liquor to the public. Keeping this in mind, we have also offered discounts after displaying a fresh price list on the hoardings." "It helps us to attract the maximum number of customers, as the local leaders easily come to know about the cheaper prices," said the vendor, adding that the competition between the liquor traders had begun. Requesting not to be named, another liquor trader said, "The sale has increased as compared to the last month. It seems the elections are a major reason behind this upsurge." Unaware of the guidelines of the model code of conduct, which prohibits any such activity, he added, "Normally, during these days, immediately after the announcement of tyhe elections, the candidates start hoarding a huge stock of liquor to distribute it among the potential voters." When contacted, GS Tiwana, Assistant Commissioner Excise and Taxation, feigned ignorance about the rampant violation of the rules but assured of taking immediate action. "Not only offering liquor at cheaper prices, but the installation of hoardings for its promotion is also an illegal act. We will send our squad if anybody is found guilty. He will be dealt with strictly," Tiwana assured. |
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SAD tries to keep its flock together
Faridkot, December 26 A week after Kushaldeep Dhillon, vice-president PPP and former SAD MLA joined Congress, the SAD in Faridkot expelled two of its local senior leaders, Gurshivinder Singh, Faridkot district rural president and Rajivinder Singh, district general secretary for their act of participating in a meeting at Dhillon’s residence two days back. By expelling two senior leaders and terming their act as indiscipline, though the SAD Faridkot president Mantar Singh Brar intended to warn the party supporters and leaders but the Akalis in Faridkot seems to be in jitters as Kushaldeep Dhillon is trying to win over more and more Akali workers and local leaders in the area. Expelling two party leaders for attending Dhillon's meeting failed to deter many other Akalis in Faridkot. Many more Akali workers and leaders attended a similar meeting at Dhillon's residence today, all of them expressing their inclination to jump on to Dhillon bandwagon. Accusing SAD (B) of neglecting Dhillon , not understanding workers ‘ feelings and also citing "better political future in Congress party", Gurshivinder Singh said most of the Akali workers in Faridkot were personally very close to Dhillon. So, if their leader was being neglected in his party, what better can we expect, he asked. Kushaldeep Dhillon said the SAD (B) was trying desperately to prevent many of his old-time supporters from deserting the party to join Congress. At the next Congress rally in Faridkot, the SAD (B) will receive a severe setback when many senior party leaders will desert the party to join Congress, claimed Dhillon. However, rebutting Dhillon's claim, SAD (B) Faridkot president Mantar Singh Brar said there was no such move, except for some stray cases. |
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Fazilka girl wins international contest
Fazilka, December 26 She successfully answered 190 out of a total of 200 questions in a short span of eight minutes in “Intermediate A” category of the UCMAS competition in which 400 students of 42 countries from across the world participated. Overall, 3500 students from different categories appeared in the UCMAS competition. Pankaj Garg and Shashi Garg, proud parents of Anjali, said that she bagged the first prize in state-level UCMAS competition and 8th prize in the national competition. “I got inspiration from my teacher and my mother who herself is a mathematics teacher,” said Anjali. “Anjali has the talent and the skill to solve mathematical questions rapidly,” said Gaurav Doda, director of a local computer centre where Anjali received her coaching. |
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This village is yet to taste the fruits of freedom
Along the Zero Line (Ferozepur), December 26 With the hostile neighbour on the one side and the ravaging Sutlej which separates them from India on the other, this section of hapless farmers is seemingly caught between the proverbial devil and the deep sea. Scores of such villages, like Chandiwala, Kassoke, Kamalewala, Khunder Gatti, exist along the Zero Line on the banks of the Sutlej which zig-zags along the border in the area. The river enters Pakistan several times and then re-enters India, only to meander back finally into The only mode of transportation available for these farmers to go to their fields is the wooden "bera" (indigenously built boat) which also ferries them to the mainland. Even the agricultural equipment, including tractors and combines, have to be transported through these private "beras" for which the farmers have to cough up a substantial amount. During the monsoon, when a swollen Sutlej is in fury, the families remain trapped inside their " kutchha houses as even the "bera" no longer remains an option due to the lurking danger it poses to their safety following rise in the water level. "More often than not, river water inundates our dwellings,” said octogenarian Munsha Singh of Chinniwala Jhugge, adding that for the last three years, his fields have been continuously devastated by the Sutlej. Narrating his tale of woes, he said, "I have seen all the wars closely since 1947. Pakistani forces had occupied our land during the 1971 war, which was resumed back only after 18 months,” he said adding that the leaders only come when elections are round the corner. They make utopian promises only to forget them the next day. "Year after year, the same story is repeated but nothing has changed here on ground," he rued. Munsha is not an isolated case here. Hundreds like him doing farming in the area echo similar sentiments. The villages here even do not have access to basic amenities like education, healthcare, potable water, sewerage or proper roads. "The only government school situated close by is in Chandiwala which is upto Class V and the nearest government dispensary is in Rajoke," said Joginder Singh, another farmer, adding that they have learnt to live with these challenges now. However, one can see motorcycles parked outside every home here in stark contrast to the mud houses. Satellite TV and mobile phones have also made their way to every household, besides some private schools which have also come up in the vicinity. Unemployment is another issue which confronts the people here. Kala Singh, who passed senior secondary from the government school in Ferozepur last year, said he was not sure what to do next. "I am just biding time doing petty household chores as I cannot afford to go to private college for further education," he said, demanding that a government college should be set up for youngsters like him to pursue further education. Harnek Singh and Kartar, who were transporting the tractor to their fields across the Sutlej, said they had borrowed the "bera" from Tindiwala village to ship a tractor. "In return, we will have to pay Rs 2,000," they said showing the damaged condition of the "bera". "We faced a lot of hardship in bringing combine here last time which had almost submerged in the river waters," said Kartar. Meanwhile, Mangal Singh, Sarpanch of Chandiwala, said the gram panchayat has just received a cheque of Rs 4 lakh arranged by Former MP Jagmeet Brar for purchasing a new "bera" as the old one has withered away. |
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Fazilka, December 26
Along the Zero Line (Ferozepur), December 26
