B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Wheat godowns bursting at seams due to slow offtake
Faridkot, March 15
Due to the sluggish offtake of wheat by the other states, the Food and Supply Department in Punjab is all set to face problems of storage of wheat this rabi season.

Surgeon sets record
Abohar, March 15
During the mega family welfare camp organised by the Health Department at village Seetogunno-based Community Health Centre (CHC), Dr Lal Chand, senior medical officer, Jandwala Bheemeshah, set a record by conducting 100 operations. As many as 117 persons including 111 women had turned up at the registration counter, Deputy Mass Media officer Anil Dhamu informed.

Nanded Exp to run thrice a week
Abohar, March 15
Former PCC president Virendra Kataria has expressed his thanks to the Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi for increasing the frequency of Shri Nanded Sahib-Sriganganagar weekly express train

Ex-DGP lobbying for advisor’s post in Home Dept
Moga, March 15
After facing defeat in the assembly elections and failing to breathe life into the political legacy of his father Nachattar Singh Gill, who represented the Moga constituency twice, the former DGP of Punjab, Paramdip Singh Gill, is again lobbying to become advisor in the department of home affairs.

Legal aid clinic opened at PURC
Muktsar, March 15
The district and sessions Judge JS Kular today inaugurated a legal aid clinic at the Law College in the Panjab University Regional Centre (PURC) here.

Students killed in mishap
Sriganganagar, March 15
Ram Avtar Jat (20) and his pillion-riding friend Arvind Meghwal were killed while going to appear in the senior secondary examination that began today.

Army to open free computer centres
Fazilka, March 15
The Army formation in Bathinda area has decided to open a free computer centre at the War Memorial in Fazilka sub-division for the welfare of the poor and needy kids in the border belt. Two computer centres would be set up in the Bathinda region. Of these, one would be opened at the War Memorial Complex at Fazilka,” disclosed Brigadier Arul Dennis, after laying wreaths in sanctum sanctorum at the War Memorial Complex in village Asafwala.

Brigadier Arul Dennis saluting the martyrs after laying wreaths at the war memorial in village Asafwala in Fazilka district. A Tribune photograph

Wheat godowns bursting at seams due to slow offtake
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 15
Due to the sluggish offtake of wheat by the other states, the Food and Supply Department in Punjab is all set to face problems of storage of wheat this rabi season.

With estimates of over 110 lakh MT wheat production this season in Punjab and the state already having an opening wheat stock of 70 lakh MT, on an average, only 6-7 lakh MT wheat is being lifted from Punjab stores every month for being sent to the other states. Due to this, the food grain stores in Punjab are already bursting at the seams and the department is set to face a tough time in storing another 110 lakh MT in the coming days after the wheat arrival starts next month, feels DS Grewal, secretary, Food and Supply department.

Due to the slack movement of the wheat from Punjab to other states, for the last three years, Punjab was burdened with 50-52 lakh MT opening stock of wheat at the beginningof procurement. But this time, the opening stock has further increased to over 70 lakh MT due to sluggish offtake, said DS Grewal.

Keeping in view the huge pending stock of wheat and the brimming godowns in the state in the last four years, this year, the food and supply department has the target of constructing or hiring new covered godowns of 50 lakh MT capacity.

While 30 lakh MT capacity new godowns are expected to be completed by the end of this month, due to the increased opening stock of wheat this season, these new godowns are not sufficient to store the old and new stock of wheat.

“So for this huge increase in the opening stock of wheat this year and inadequate number of covered godowns, we have no option but to arrange unscientific wheat storage godowns. These godowns are open plinth godowns in which the wheat bags piled up on the wooden crates are covered with tarpaulin,” said Grewal.

With over 10.92 lakh MT wheat stock of last year in Faridkot and Muktsar districts waiting to be lifted, it would a gargantuan task for the food and supply department to provide storage facilities.

Kulwant Kaur, district food and supply controller, Faridkot, said the department would get new storage godown of 30,000 MT capacity by the end of this month.

“We have demanded from the FCI that first of all, the wheat stored on wooden crates in the mandis be offtaken this season before the onset of the monsoon so that there is no loss to the grain in the absence of proper cover,” said Grewal.

Surgeon sets record
Our Correspondent

Abohar, March 15
During the mega family welfare camp organised by the Health Department at village Seetogunno-based Community Health Centre (CHC), Dr Lal Chand, senior medical officer, Jandwala Bheemeshah, set a record by conducting 100 operations. As many as 117 persons including 111 women had turned up at the registration counter, Deputy Mass Media officer Anil Dhamu informed.

The response speaks volumes about the awareness among the rural folk over planning the size of their families, Seetogunno SMO Dr Rakesh Arora observed.

For the first time, so many surgeries were conducted at the CMC. A team of physicians including Dr Poonam Miglani, Dr Jashandeep, Dr Sunita, Dr Shelly, Dr Sudhir Pathak and Dr Puneet Chuchra examined the visiting persons before recommending surgeries.

Paramedical, National Rural Health Mission, NGO and “Asha” workers involved themselves enthusiastically to ensure that companions of the women undergoing surgeries were also served well at the canteen.

The patients were ferried safely to their respective house until 1 am today. Besides free medicines, cash incentives were also offered to them. 

Nanded Exp to run thrice a week
Our Correspondent

Abohar, March 15
Former PCC president Virendra Kataria has expressed his thanks to the Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi for increasing the frequency of Shri Nanded Sahib-Sriganganagar weekly express train.

Rail Bhawan officials informed a former Member of the Rajya Sabha, Kataria, today that the train will run thrice a week now to facilitate more devotees.

Kataria had recently apprised the Railway Minister and the Railway Board chairperson during separate meetings that for the last two years, the rake of the important train remains parked at Sriganganagar for three days.

The devotees had to wait for two months to get a berth for pilgrimage to Nanded Sahib, the holy land of Guru Gobind Singh. 

Ex-DGP lobbying for advisor’s post in Home Dept
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, March 15
After facing defeat in the assembly elections and failing to breathe life into the political legacy of his father Nachattar Singh Gill, who represented the Moga constituency twice, the former DGP of Punjab, Paramdip Singh Gill, is again lobbying to become advisor in the department of home affairs.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who held the portfolio of home affairs in the previous government created this 'special post' of advisor for Gill after he retired from service on September 30, 2011, obviously, to promote him in the politics.

The former top cop contested the assembly election on a SAD ticket from the Moga constituency but lost to sitting Congress MLA Joginder Pal Jain by a margin of more than 4000 votes.

No matter, Gill worked hard to become an MLA but his dreams were shattered by the urban electorate of the Moga town despite the fact that he managed to get a lead of more than 3500 votes in the rural areas.

Sources close to Sukhbir Badal revealed that Paramdip Gill is again desperately looking forward to become advisor in the home department. Gill met the junior Badal early this week and expressed his desire for this post to keep him alive in local politics.

Sukhbir Badal reportedly listened to him patiently but did not give any assurance, probably in view of the changed political scenario in Moga district after the induction of Jathedar Tota Singh in the state cabinet.

Jathedar's son Barjinder Singh Brar, also known as Makhan Brar, president of the Moga Municipal Council, was also eying the party ticket from Moga constituency but the SAD relied on Gill who could not prove his worth for the party.

The 71-year-old Jathedar Tota Singh is the senior most leader of the party, now a cabinet minister, and acknowledging this fact, Sukhbir would definitely take this local Akali stalwart into confidence before giving any plum post to anybody from Moga district.

And beyond any doubt, the jathedar would try his level best to further promote his son who is also the senior vice-president of the youth Akali Dal. He also enjoys cordial relations with the junior Badal who often refers to him (Makhan) as a 'fighter'.

However, the friend circle of Gill was confident that the former top cop would again get the advisor's post.

On the other hand, a senior bureaucrat, during an informal chat with this correspondent, claimed that the new DGP Sumedh Saini would never like Gill to sit over his head and dictate terms to the police department. It would be hard to convince Saini who is considered as a tough cop to accommodate Gill on this plum post, he said.

Political observers were of the view that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal would take every step in this regard cautiously to avoid a confrontation within the bureaucracy and the party. 

Legal aid clinic opened at PURC

Muktsar, March 15
The district and sessions Judge JS Kular today inaugurated a legal aid clinic at the Law College in the Panjab University Regional Centre (PURC) here.

He said the legal aid clinic was established with the prime objective of making free legal aid services accessible to the poor, marginalised and weaker section of society.

He further said the clinic would be manned by the advocates, staff and students of the PURC.--TNS

Students killed in mishap

Sriganganagar, March 15
Ram Avtar Jat (20) and his pillion-riding friend Arvind Meghwal were killed while going to appear in the senior secondary examination that began today.

Police said Ram Avtar reportedly lost control over the motorcycle that fell into a sub-canal. — OC

Army to open free computer centres
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, March 15
The Army formation in Bathinda area has decided to open a free computer centre at the War Memorial in Fazilka sub-division for the welfare of the poor and needy kids in the border belt. Two computer centres would be set up in the Bathinda region. Of these, one would be opened at the War Memorial Complex at Fazilka,” disclosed Brigadier Arul Dennis, after laying wreaths in sanctum sanctorum at the War Memorial Complex in village Asafwala.

Brigadier Dennis and Brigadier Rakesh Raina paid tributes to the heroes of the 1971 Indo-Pak war during a programme organised today.

While tracing the war history, Brigadier Dennis said the brave soldiers of the Indian Army had stalled the Pakistan attack bravely in 1971 in this strategic border belt.

While paying rich tributes to the then Commanding Officer Major General RK Suri who led the war from the front, Brigadier Dennis said he exhibited a rare feat of courage in the 1971 war. As per his wishes, the ashes of Suri had been kept in the sanctum sanctorum after his passing away a few years back.

Fazilka ADC Charandev Singh Maan, while speaking on the occasion, said the Fazilka administration has taken up the task of developing the memorial as a tourist spot as a large number of visitors pay obeisance here daily.

The office-bearers and members of Shaheedon Ki Samadhi Committee, Asafawala (Fazilka), Raja Ram Nagpal, BL Sikka, Mohan Lal Paruthi, Umesh Chander Kukkar, Vinod Gupta, Ram Rakha Thakra, Kewal Sachdeva, Sanjeev Nagpal, Rajinder Parsad Aggarwal, Ravi Nagpal, Vijay Chhabra, Dinesh Thakral, Dr Anshu Chawla and others offered floral tributes there.