The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Sutlej carries woes for farmers in border villages n Strong current in the Sutlej downstream of Harike n Farmers with land holdings across the river at the receiving end n Ferrying of harvesting machines to the fields becomes risky venture Anirudh Gupta Ferozepur, April 23 Onset of the procurement season notwithstanding, farmers of certain border villages situated along the Sutlej are unable to harvest their crops as they are finding it difficult to transport their tractors, combine harvesters and other machines to their fields due to strong current in the Sutlej, downstream of Harike, these days. Secretary of the Border Area Sangharsh Samiti, Karan Singh Dhaliwal said farmers belonging to DT Mal Enclave besides Gazniwala, Gatii Matar, Gandhu Khilchia and other villages had to transport harvesting machines to their fields across the river on boats in absence of any bridge in the area. He said, however, due to the release of excess water in the river, the farmers were facing problem in ferrying combines to their fields to harvest their crops. They were scared that the tractor or other heavy machine might sink, Dhaliwal added. When contacted, Balwinder Singh, executive engineer, Harike division, said due to an ongoing repair of one of the gates of the Ferozepur feeder at Harike, the pond level has to be kept low, due to which around 5,000 cusecs of excess water had to be released downstream. He added that the gate would be repaired soon, following which the situation would become normal. Officials of the drainage department said the problem increased due to the closure of the Rajasthan feeder canal, as per the notified closure period of the Rajasthan government. So, there was no other choice but to release water from Hussaniwala. Swaran Singh, a farmer, said farmers belonging to villages along the border were facing plethora of problems in farming. He said even the owners of harvesting machines, who generally charge Rs 700 per acre in other areas, demand almost double the amount i.e. around Rs 1,500 per acre from the farmers having land holdings across the Sutlej, due to the risk involved in transporting the machines across the river. Dhaliwal said there was a dire need to construct a bridge near DT Mal in this area. He said during his visit here last year, the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had assured the Sangharsh Samiti that he would look into all the problems being confronted by the border farmers. “The minister had promised that the bridge would be built. But due to procedural wrangles, the matter is still hanging in balance,” he said. Jagdev Singh said they were already facing an acute financial crisis as the previous crop had got damaged due to floods in the Sutlej. He added that if the matter was not resolved soon, they would be losers again and land into the debt trap. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner S Karuna Raju said he had sought a report from the drainage officials in this regard.
	Moga Improvement Trust violates land use Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service Moga, April 23 Having failed to auction most of the shops in the recently-constructed modern shopping complex situated at the main square of this town, the local Improvement Trust authorities allegedly violated the land use and auctioned its open space for public parking while the original parking of the complex constructed in the basement has been given on lease to set up a market. Admitting the same, Executive Officer of the Improvement Trust KS Brar said the open parking had been auctioned for `500 per day while the original basement parking has been auctioned at `2,950 per day to set up a market. When asked if the Trust has violated the building by-laws and norms, the EO said the shopping complex was lying vacant for the past couple of years as most of the shops and booths could not be auctioned. The space was auctioned to earn profits, he added. Brar said the open space and basement was auctioned after inserting advertisements in the print media. However, he could not explain if any resolution to change the building bylaws and norms was passed by the Trust. As per the building plan and norms framed by the Trust, the basement was to be used as parking for vehicles while the space in front of the shops/booths on the ground floor was to be kept open. The market is located just outside the main bus stand of the town. The Punjab Infrastructure Management Company has auctioned its parking for `90,000 per month but the illegal auction of parking by the Trust in its building has directly hit the business prospects of the infrastructure management company. The move of the Trust authorities has also created a great resentment among the employees of the roadways and shopkeepers running petty shops in the bus stand. They have threatened to launch a protest against the district administration if the ‘illegal’ parking was not stopped with an immediate effect. Chairman of the Improvement Trust Yogesh Goel said he was not aware of the open space being used for parking of vehicles for commercial gains. “It is a violation of the building plan and I will direct the EO to stop it immediately,” Goel added.
	Reviving culture Common hearths refuelled in Fazilka Our Correspondent Fazilka, April 23 A local NGO commemorated the Earth Day yesterday by setting up 13 Sanjha Chulhas (common hearth) across the town. The project has been initiated by the Graduate Welfare Association, Fazilka, (GWAF), the NGO, in association with the local Shri Guru Gobind Singh Youth Club. The aim is to revive the culture of a well-knitted society, as nearly a dozen women can cook food together on one Sanjha Chulha while sharing their joys and sorrows. “The project serves more than one purpose. Besides conserving fuel, using eco-friendly carbon neutral biomass fuel, slashing the cooking cost, a Sanjha Chulha helps strengthen the community bonds,” said the project in-charge Lachhman Dost. The ovens have been set up in Nai Abadi, Dhingra Colony, Teacher Colony, Chandora Basti, Zora Singh Mann Nagar on late Sunday evening. Eminent social personalities of the town, including Pritam Kaur, Lila Devi, Renuka and Capt MS Bedi, inaugurated the common hearths. “Cooking together would strengthen the bond between the women of different communities,” said Rekha Rani, Neetu Rani, Amandeep, Gurpreet Kaur, Seema Rani, Gurpreet Kaur, Maya Rani and Kiran Kamboj. “It would also keep the taste of Punjabi traditional food alive as our elders used to cook the meal on hearth in the streets during those old golden days,” commented Pritam Kaur and Renuka, a retired school principal and a sports personality, respectively.
	Arunachal Guv visits alma mater, turns nostalgic Anirudh Gupta Ferozepur, April 23 Lauding the indomitable spirit of “Chardikala”, the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, General (retd) Joginder Jaswant Singh, today said Punjab, the land of gurus and saints, had produced exemplary leaders whose sagas of sacrifice had always been the guiding force behind all the success he had achieved so far. “No one can subdue the never-say-die character of Punjab which has been traumatised by the invasions from the north-west many times, but has always returned to become culturally strong and vibrant,” he said while referring to the Sikh generals Hari Singh Nalwa and Zorawar Singh, besides the gallant sons of the soil like Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh who sacrificed their lives for the cause of their motherland. General Singh was here to preside over the annual convocation of the RSD College, his alma mater before he joined the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla. In a trip down the memory lane, General JJ Singh said he used to commute between the college and his home in cantonment on a bicycle. Then, his father was posted at OC Station Workshop. "I always used to wear kurta pyjama in the college," recalled General Singh as he turned nostalgic. On the occasion, Commissioner Raminder Singh, SSP HS Mann, president of the college SC Sanwala and principal Dr Bhushan Kaumar were also present. General Singh awarded degrees to over 200 graduates in various stream. He also honoured the students who had excelled in various fields. Later, while talking to mediapersons, JJ Singh said Arunachal Pradesh recently came up as one of the most favoured tourist destination in the world. “The Lonely Planet, a travel magazine, has mentioned the state as the fourth most enchanting tourist destination in the world,” he added while talking about the efforts being made to upgrade the infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh to meet the requirements of the increased influx of tourists. “Progress is being made at a pace which can be absorbed without losing its own cultural identity,” he said. The General (retd) however, evaded the questions when asked to comment on the recent controversy involving the Army following the utterances by the current Army chief.
	Youth booked for abducting 14-yr-old girl Tribune News Service Moga, April 23 A 14-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped by a youth in Moga on Saturday. As per the details available, the girl, a class X student and a resident of Mohalla Khehrian Wala, went to her school on Saturday but did not return home. The parents of the girl searched for her but in vain. Later, they informed the local police about it. During preliminary findings, it came to light that she could have been kidnapped by a youth named Rohit Kumar, a resident of the Gill road, Moga. The father of the girl had alleged that the youth induced his daughter and took her to an undisclosed location. He feared that his daughter could be forced to marry the youth. The police had on Sunday registered a criminal case under Sections 363 and 366-A of the IPC against Rohit and launched a hunt to recover the girl. “We will nab the culprit soon and recover the girl,” said a police officer investigating the case.