B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Dip in mercury cheers up wheat growers in Fazilka
Fazilka, December 27
Although the plummeting mercury accompanied by fog and biting cold for the last five days has thrown normal life out of gear, the weather is proving to be a boon for the wheat growers in Fazilka district.

Dense fog affects search for leopard
Abohar, December 27
Dense fog affected the search for the leopard that had devoured two dogs and killed a blue bull in the jungles around village Gumjal. Deputy Commissioner Dr Basant Garg visited the village and met the locals who were attacked by leopard.

Commuters pedal their way through dense fog in Bathinda. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Cases registered under NDPS Act increase in Ferozepur district
Ferozepur, December 27
If the rise in the number of cases registered under the NDPS Act in this border district during the current year is any indication, it is apparent that the menace of drugs and narcotics is spreading its tentacles in the region at an alarming pace.

CM marks inquiry into alleged vendetta cases
Abohar, December 27
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has ordered an inquiry into the complaint that many residents of village Seetogunno and Sukhchain were falsely implicated in a criminal case at the behest of some ruling politicians by the Wahabwala police on December 17.

NRI couple comes to the rescue of abandoned special children

Faridkot, December 27 At a time when increasing incidents of mentally retarded children being abandoned by their parents are being reported, a US-based NRI couple has joined hands with Red Cross Society in Faridkot to raise a 100-bed special hostel for the mentally retarded, deaf, dumb and visually impaired children. A 100-bed hostel for mentally retarded children being inaugurated in Faridkot on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Dip in mercury cheers up wheat growers in Fazilka
Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, December 27
Although the plummeting mercury accompanied by fog and biting cold for the last five days has thrown normal life out of gear, the weather is proving to be a boon for the wheat growers in Fazilka district.

The weather is considered favourable for the crop and farmers are expecting a high yield of wheat this season as the frost and fog have hit the region at the right time when the grain is in its budding stage.

"The stress of low temperature helps in spreading the wheat plant at the base which in turn increases the growth of the grain resulting in high yield," said Agriculture Development Officer, Fazilka, GS Cheema.

"The cold accompanied by moisture in the form of frost also strengthens the roots of the wheat," said an agriculture expert, Satish Dhingra.

Wheat is a major rabi crop of the state, which alone contributes nearly 70 per cent to the granaries set up by the Central Government.

"Due to the favourable weather, the use of pesticides has also been minimised this season. This has cut down the cost incurred on inputs," said another delighted farmer Keemat Lal of village Shama Khanke. He said if the prevailing temperature, ranging from 8 to 15 degree Celsius, persists for another two weeks, there could be an increase in yield even by up to 20 per cent.

Dense fog affects search for leopard

Abohar, December 27
Dense fog affected the search for the leopard that had devoured two dogs and killed a blue bull in the jungles around village Gumjal. Deputy Commissioner Dr Basant Garg visited the village and met the locals who were attacked by leopard.

He informed that experts from the Chatbir zoo have joined the operations but the fog had reduced visibility. He advised the inhabitants not to pay heed to rumours and remain alert. — OC

Cases registered under NDPS Act increase in Ferozepur district
Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, December 27
If the rise in the number of cases registered under the NDPS Act in this border district during the current year is any indication, it is apparent that the menace of drugs and narcotics is spreading its tentacles in the region at an alarming pace.

As per the information available, 390 cases have been registered under the NDPS Act during this year. Besides, 478 drug peddlers have been nabbed and put behind the bars. Last year, only 131 such cases were reported and 171 persons were arrested on similar charges.

Another alarming fact which has come to the fore is that now the menace is not only confined to farmers and rural folks alone, but has started taking its toll on urban youths and women also.

The use of drugs has assumed such startling proportions that in this border district alone, the police recovered 46.28 kg heroin, 56.2 kg opium, 7034 kg poppy husk, 690 grams of smack besides over 6 lakh intoxicating tablets and injections and other contraband during the year which is estimated to be worth hundreds of crores in the international market.

Information available suggests that Ferozepur, being a border district, has of late become one of the biggest transit points as well as consumer of narcotics, drugs and controlled psychotropic substances.

Before the dark days of insurgency in Punjab, the drugs used to be openly smuggled through the porous Indo-Pakistan border. Drug carriers, popularly called "snakes", used to operate in the border belt. However, after the border was sealed with cobra fencing, though the cross-border smuggling of drugs reduced considerably, but regular instances of attempts being made to push drugs inside India is reported frequently.

While talking to The Tribune, a drug peddler said the owner of the factory where he worked, used to give him a dose of drug per hour in lieu of overtime everyday.

Intelligence officials said this was not an isolated case as several factory owners, contractors and businessmen have been exploiting their workers by providing them with drugs in order to get better output from them. Some politicians also reportedly provide drugs to their workers, especially during the elections, which only worsens the situation.

The officials said every time they nab a drug addict, people with influence try to secure his release. They said it was high time that more stringent measures are initiated against the kingpins of the trade failing which it would become difficult to prevent the younger generations from falling prey to this evil.

Meanwhile, an alarmed police force has launched a virtual war against drugs, but still a lot needs to be done in terms of spreading awareness.

SSP Varinder Pal Singh said apart from tightening the noose around the drug peddlers, the police has also been actively involved in community-based effort with the support of some NGOs to root out this evil. Several drug de-addiction camps have been organised by the police in various sub-divisions of the district so far.

CM marks inquiry into alleged vendetta cases
Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 27
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has ordered an inquiry into the complaint that many residents of village Seetogunno and Sukhchain were falsely implicated in a criminal case at the behest of some ruling politicians by the Wahabwala police on December 17.

The CM marked the case to the IG, Bathinda Zone, who has entrusted the inquiry to the Balluana DSP Gurpreet Singh Dhindsa. Notably, the CIA staff in-charge Navdeep Singh Bhatti and other ranks had stated that they had a marginal escape as some persons allegedly led by Vijay Kumar alias "Raisahibfired at them in a farmhouse near Seetogunno village. They were also thrashed by an irate mob and had to be admitted to the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital.

The police had conducted a raid reportedly to nab "Raisahib" as his name figured when the Shergarh police in neighbouring Hanumangarh district on November 24 foiled a bid to smuggle 40 quintals of poppy husk to Punjab in a truck. The truck driver Nirmal Singh of Seetogunno Road (Abohar) had produced a goods receipt issued at Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh) to substantiate that the truck was loaded with cauliflower.

NRI couple comes to the rescue of abandoned special children
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, December 27
At a time when increasing incidents of mentally retarded children being abandoned by their parents are being reported, a US-based NRI couple has joined hands with Red Cross Society in Faridkot to raise a 100-bed special hostel for the mentally retarded, deaf, dumb and visually impaired children.

The NRI couple has already donated Rs 80 lakh for the construction of the hostel. The hostel that has all amenities was inaugurated today.

To express their concern for these neglected children, most of whom belong to poor families, Jugal Kishore and his wife Bimla Devi, the NRI couple, reached Faridkot to participate in the inaugural ceremony. Faridkot MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan and MLA Deep Malhotra were also present.

Over 150 disabled children are enrolled with Faridkot Red Cross Society but due to shortage of residential arrangements for over 70 children, a temporary arrangement was made for them at the Old Age Home.

While some of the children in the boarding school are orphans, in many other cases, the parents never came forward to take care of the children after leaving them in the special school for the deaf, dumb and the mentally retarded in Faridkot.

"With this first-ever modern hostel for disabled children, we are hopeful of making a new beginning in Faridkot," said Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat. The total cost of construction of the hostel, spread over 10,000 square yards, is estimated to be around Rs 1.75 crore.

"Nature has been harsh to these children. Worsening the situation further is the apathy shown by their parents and relatives who have left them to fend for themselves. Society should collectively be more sensitive towards these children as they need special care," said Kamla Behal, a former district education officer who took up the initiative to rope in the NRI couple to help for the cause.