B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Labour pangs force farmers to go for direct sowing of paddy seeds
Faridkot, June 13
It is not the awareness about a looming water crisis in the area but the acute shortage of migrant labour, that has finally forced a large number of paddy growers in the region to opt for direct seeding of rice (DSR) this season.

Village waterworks handed over to pvt contractors
Muktsar, June 13
After the failure of local residents and committees formed by the water supply and sanitation department to run water works in villages, the officials of the department here have now started giving it on contract basis to private players to provide water to the village inhabitants regularly.

Teenager booked for sexual abuse
Fazilka, June 13
A minor boy, Amandeep Singh (13), the son of the head of a religious place, has been booked for allegedly sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl studying in class III in a local school by the city police, Fazilka.

4 held under NDPS Act
Muktsar, June 13
The district police today claimed to have caught four narcotics smugglers and seized 4.2-kg opium and 600 grams of sedative powder from their possession.

Woman jumps into canal, ends life
Abohar, June 13
One Gauran Bai, aged about 65, ended her life by jumping into a canal near Azeemgarh here. Her son Het Ram reported to the police that she was upset ever since doctors told her that “my arm will have to be amputated due to an accident”.

Labour pangs force farmers to go for direct sowing of paddy seeds
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, June 13
It is not the awareness about a looming water crisis in the area but the acute shortage of migrant labour, that has finally forced a large number of paddy growers in the region to opt for direct seeding of rice (DSR) this season.

As the process of planting seedlings in the standing water by hand is costing the farmers up to Rs 2,500 per acre this season ( in comparison to Rs 1,700 per acre last year), more and more farmers, particularly the marginal and small farmers, chose the DSR in the area.

With the depleting water table, while the agriculture department and the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) are advising farmers to go for the DSR to save water for the last five years, it is the shortage of labour from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and the skyrocketing rates of planting seedlings that has forced more and more farmers to go for the DSR.

Traditionally, paddy is first sprouted in a nursery. Then the sprouted seedlings are transplanted into standing water. But with the DSR, rice seed is sown and sprouted directly on the field, thus eliminating the laborious process of planting seedlings in the standing water by hand. The DSR not only reduces the water requirement for paddy but also saves on manual labour for planting seedlings.

SS Johal, former vice-chancellor, PAU, said the DSR saves over 75 per cent of water. But the farmers in Punjab were less enthusiastic about it, may be because it needs a completely different method of cultivation over conventional practices.

"The area under DSR in Faridkot registered nearly a 100 per cent rise this year. About 1900 acres in Faridkot are under the DSR," said Amandeep Keshav, project director, Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA).

Most farmers who had used DSR last year admit that it saves water but there is a little impact on yield due to the problem of weeds. "Weeds are one of the main reasons why rice is traditionally sprouted in nurseries and transplanted. Standing water prevents germination of competing plants," said Gurmeet Singh Brar of village Bir Sikhan Wala who had 35 acres under DSR last year.

On the other hand, DSR, especially if using weedicdes, is more labour-efficient than the conventional rice planting. "Given the emerging issue of serious labour-shortage in Punjab, techniques like direct seeding could become much more popular," said Keshav.

Village waterworks handed over to pvt contractors
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, June 13
After the failure of local residents and committees formed by the water supply and sanitation department to run water works in villages, the officials of the department here have now started giving it on contract basis to private players to provide water to the village inhabitants regularly.

Presently, consumers are not willing to pay the water bills due to irregular supply and the committees are also unable to pay the power bills, which are in lakhs.

Yadwinder Singh Dhillon, Executive Engineer, Division-I, Muktsar, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, said, "In almost 57 villages, the village water and sanitation committees (VWSC) formed by the department under the leadership of village sarpanches have failed to run water works smoothly. A majority have complaints that they do not get the supply of water regularly and refused to pay the bills, which further led to the non-payment of power bills."

"As a pilot project, we have now given the water works of a few villages to private contractors with consent of the VWSCs and all are running successfully. Now, the power bills are also being paid and the debt amount is being cleared," added Dhillon.

He said the scheme has been initially started in Mallan, Sangu Dhaun, Kothe Kesar Singh, Wattu and Khunan Kalan where earlier power bills in lakhs were pending. The water works of Sadarwala, Budhimal and Lohara villages have been given on contract basis to private players.

He said there were some villages where the power department has disconnected the connections of water works including Assa Buttar, Rupana and Tarkhanwala due to non-payment of power bills for a long period and the residents are forced to drink groundwater, which is not fit for human consumption.

"Now, the private persons having some experience in this field have been given contract. They give a fixed amount to the VWSCs and collect the water bills from the consumers," added Dhillon.

He said earlier, the project was started in a few villages of Faridkot district, when he was posted there and proved successful. "I have even submitted a detailed report in this regard to the senior officials in Chandigarh seeking its implementation all over the state," said Dhillon.

Asked why the department doesn't run the waterworks on its own, Dhillon replied, "We have a shortage of staff because no new recruitment has been done since 1996."

The officials of the department said the problem had occurred due to the non-consensus among members of the committee on various issues and embezzlement of money collected through water bills by its members in some villages.

As per this project, private players have to run water works under a signed agreement and supply water to the consumers. For this purpose, they have to pay nearly 10 per cent of the total collected amount of the water bills to the VWSCs, pay electricity bills and maintain the department's infrastructure on a routine basis.

Teenager booked for sexual abuse
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, June 13
A minor boy, Amandeep Singh (13), the son of the head of a religious place, has been booked for allegedly sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl studying in class III in a local school by the city police, Fazilka.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ram Parkash said that Amandeep lured the girl who had come to the religious place located in a thickly populated area and took her to a secluded room on the first floor. When he molested the girl, she raised an alarm and escaped.

In the meantime, the residents of the area gathered at the spot, nabbed the boy and handed him over to the police.

“The boy has been booked under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012,” said the DSP.

4 held under NDPS Act

Muktsar, June 13
The district police today claimed to have caught four narcotics smugglers and seized 4.2-kg opium and 600 grams of sedative powder from their possession.

The police said a pedestrian was frisked at Malout village and was found carrying 4-kg opium in a bag. He was identified as Udey Lal, a resident of Chittorgarh district in Rajasthan and was arrested.

Similarly, one Bachittar Singh, a resident of Buttar Bakhua village, was caught carrying 200 grams of opium in the area falling under the jurisdiction of Gidderbaha police station. The police also caught two more persons while carrying nearly 600 grams of sedative powder in a Skoda Octavia car on Rupana-Barkandi road. The accused were identified as Dharminder Singh and Ram Kumar, both residents of Kothe Maha Singh in Bathinda district.

The police said separate cases were registered against them under various sections of the NDPS Act. — TNS

Woman jumps into canal, ends life

Abohar, June 13
One Gauran Bai, aged about 65, ended her life by jumping into a canal near Azeemgarh here. Her son Het Ram reported to the police that she was upset ever since doctors told her that “my arm will have to be amputated due to an accident”.

She left the house saying she was going to meet her daughter but later, onlookers said she had jumped into the canal. He body was located in the tail-end of the canal, at Gumjal village. — OC