B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Stubble burning goes unchecked in Faridkot
Faridkot, May 12
Some days ago, many fire tenders and their crew were called from the adjoining districts to tackle the blaze which broke out in a field adjoining the ammunition depot in the Cantonment area of Faridkot. As the smoke started spreading towards the cantonment area, it set the alarm bells ringing. The Army and the civil authorities sprang into action and the fire was brought under control before it could reach the ammunition depot.

Residents decry unscheduled power cuts in Fazilka
Fazilka, May 12
There is a great resentment among the residents of the town as people in the rural areas over the imposition of frequent power cuts. Power supply remained shut from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday and from 8 am to 2 pm today causing inconvenience to a large numbers of people.

Expired food items on sale, health staff yet to take note
Moga, May 12
There have been persistent complaints by the local residents that expired food items, particularly juices and soft drinks, are openly being sold by the shopkeepers and vendors in the city but the officials of the municipal corporation and the health department have failed to take note of it.

Barnala gets dist judicial complex
Barnala, May 12
The acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Jasbir Singh, today inaugurated the new building of the district judicial complex and the Alternative Disputes Resolution Centre (ADRC) here.

Visit to Antarctica acquaints her with climate change
Faridkot, May 12
After being a part of the 14-day global expedition to Antarctica, the southernmost continent on the planet, 25-year-old Sonal Asgotraa, an IT professional from Faridkot, is on cloud nine having played with penguins and after sighting the leopard seals. But she is also worried having witnessed the effects of climate change on the world.




Sonal Asgotraa with a penguin in Antarctica.

Stubble burning goes unchecked in Faridkot
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 12
Some days ago, many fire tenders and their crew were called from the adjoining districts to tackle the blaze which broke out in a field adjoining the ammunition depot in the Cantonment area of Faridkot. As the smoke started spreading towards the cantonment area, it set the alarm bells ringing. The Army and the civil authorities sprang into action and the fire was brought under control before it could reach the ammunition depot.

Despite the seriousness of the incident, the police is yet to take any action against the farmer who burnt the wheat stubble.

Though stubble burning has been banned, the violation of the law goes on unabated with openly. Three days ago, a farmer’s tractor in Faridkot was damaged after the blaze from the burning stubble reached his fields. Police authorities claim they are investigating the case.

In another incident, after a farmer set his field on fire to burn the wheat stubble, the flames burnt the beehives boxes of a beekeeper in Bargari village of the district. The beekeeper suffered losses but even more painful for him was watching the bees with burnt wings making a futile attempt to fly.

Though the District Magistrate has promulgated Section 144 of the CrPC to ban the stubble burning, the farmers do not seem to care, thanks to the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections, as it is a situation in which the state government is no mood to annoy the farmers.

At the time of paddy harvesting six months ago, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released the satellite images of Punjab, showing the agricultural fields on fire.

“For effective implementation of a law, awareness among the people is must. So, we pressed into service a mobile van to educate the farmers in the rural areas so that they do not burn the stubble,” said Ravi Bhagat, Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot.

Residents decry unscheduled power cuts in Fazilka
Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, May 12
There is a great resentment among the residents of the town as people in the rural areas over the imposition of frequent power cuts. Power supply remained shut from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday and from 8 am to 2 pm today causing inconvenience to a large numbers of people.

The worst affected are the industrialists and traders. “If unscheduled power cuts continue, we will have to resort to agitation,” warned Beopar Mandal president Ashok Gulbadhar.

The daylong power cuts are being imposed twice and thrice a week for two months regularly on the pretext of laying the double circuit from 220 KV power station Ghubaya to Fazilka by the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd.

The Powercom officials had assured the residents about two months back that they will have to bear the power disruption for a month only and the work would be completed before the commencement of the summer season. But due to the slow process of laying the cables, the deadline for completing the project has expired.

It is stated that the transmission network has exposed the decades old system in Fazilka as the old circuit and connector are no more able to bear the ever rising demand for power.

“Double circuit is being laid to improve the transmission system and minimise transmission losses. The double circuit has almost been laid and the work is about to be completed soon,” said executive engineer, Powercom, Ramesh Kamboj. 

Expired food items on sale, health staff yet to take note
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, May 12
There have been persistent complaints by the local residents that expired food items, particularly juices and soft drinks, are openly being sold by the shopkeepers and vendors in the city but the officials of the municipal corporation and the health department have failed to take note of it.

Ramesh Kuku, a local leader of the wholesale food products dealers association, while admitting that perishable food products are being sold by the shopkeepers beyond their shelf life, revealed that he himself was cheated by a shopkeeper in the old grain market.

Kuku said he bought packets of juice for his grandson from a local shopkeeper but after returning home, he noticed that the products were past their expiry date and the date of manufacturing and expiry had been erased from the labels.

"Most regular customers go by the trust they have in the shopkeepers earned over a period of time. But if they start cheating them, I think the law enforcing agencies should take action against them," he said.

General Secretary of the District Bar Association, Sukhwinder Singh Ramuwalia, said it amounts to violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011. "It is the duty of the district administration and the health department to routinely check the shops and hotels to protect the lives of the people," he said.

Investigations made by The Tribune revealed that there were many agents in Ludhiana who pick up expired products at a nominal price from the wholesale dealers and sell them to the shopkeepers in the small cities and towns to earn a profit. The labels are either erased or even changed to befool the consumers.

A shopkeeper, Rajinder Singh, admitted that sometimes they fail to looking at expiry dates during the rush hours. Another shopkeeper said that on some occasions the staff working on shops misses to see the expiry dates while handing over the products to customers. While some said that they always checked the expiry dates.

Barnala gets dist judicial complex

Barnala, May 12
The acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Jasbir Singh, today inaugurated the new building of the district judicial complex and the Alternative Disputes Resolution Centre (ADRC) here.

Both the buildings have been constructed at a cost of Rs 23.85 crore.

Fifteen courts will function on the four floors of the building in the judicial complex. Several judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, including Justice SK Mittal, Justice SS Saron, Justice RK Jain, Justice Rajesh Bindal, Justice AN Jindal and district and sessions judge MS Chauhan, deputy commissioner Indu Malhotra, SSP Snehdeep Sharma and president of the District Bar Association Shivdarshan Sharma were also present. — TNS

Visit to Antarctica acquaints her with climate change
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 12
After being a part of the 14-day global expedition to Antarctica, the southernmost continent on the planet, 25-year-old Sonal Asgotraa, an IT professional from Faridkot, is on cloud nine having played with penguins and after sighting the leopard seals. But she is also worried having witnessed the effects of climate change on the world.

Watching the radically receding glaciers, retreated ice cover and broken icebergs was both worrisome and appalling,” said Sonal, days after her return from the Antarctica expedition.

Sonal was one of the 66 members from across the world who undertook the annual expedition, ‘Journey to Antarctica ’, which began on February 28. This annual expedition is part of an initiative launched by the British explorer, Robert Swan, under a programme called Mission 2041, which takes a select team on the expedition every year.

Robert Swan was the first person in history to walk to both the North and South Poles. Sonal was among the 78 team members handpicked from 28 different countries. She was the only girl representing the Indian corporate sector.

Antarctica is a metaphor of abstraction and mystery as much as it is for journeys of exploration, courage and tenacity. “My love for adventure and dream to explore the ends of the earth brought me from Faridkot to this enchanting continent,” said Sonal, the daughter of a schoolteacher.

Bringing together young environmental leaders from around the world, the expedition focuses on promoting environmental stewardship and creating future youth leaders on sustainability, said Sonal.

“Profoundly silent and frozen in time, the continent re-defined my perspective of the earth as I knew it. Cruising under the ever sunlit skies, walking past penguins and Antarctica wildlife that were completely oblivious to our presence, every moment was more surreal than the last,” quipped an exhilarating Sonal.

"We began our journey at Ushuaia, the southern-most city in the world. After a safety training and acclimatisation procedure, the group boarded the Sea Spirit and headed out to sea towards Antarctica. Two days later, we landed in Antarctica, spending 11 days learning about the continent, various environmental issues faced by the ecosystem and climate change. We worked with experts in geology, carbon credits and green technology,” Sonal recollects.

Any sort of environment exploitation is protected through the Antarctica Treaty which can undergo revision or potential amendment only in 2041. “Antarctica is extremely fragile and pristine. It is painful to think that countries would want to exploit it in future or even consider doing so," worries Sonal.

Talking about her incredible journey, Sonal says, “I have come back with a new perspective towards life and a strengthened conviction to make efforts towards preserving our planet." She plans to start a youth empowerment programme that would be dedicated to building environmental consciousness.