Bathinda, November 24
Even after five months the plan of developing a traffic park in Bathinda city was initiated, the project is yet to take wings since the district administration had failed to zero in on a piece of land for developing the project. As per the reports received from the District Transport Department in July, when the plan was mooted, the administration had begun looking for a place.

Earlier, we were looking for three acres for the project but were unable to finalise. Later, we received a communication according to which we were asked to look for only one acre of land. As per the change in the plan, now, only the tests for driving licences for personal and commercial vehicles will be conducted at the traffic park. —Latif Ahmed, District Transport Officer

Bathinda, November 24
Despite tall claims to clean the city, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan takes a back seat in Bathinda as heaps of garbage could be seen all over the city roads today. Heaps of garbage were seen in the places, including Amreek Singh Road, GT Road, Power House Road and the Mini-Secretariat Road.

“Heaps of garbage are piling up but there is nobody to pick the same and stray cattle and dogs are spreading the trash all over the roads,” said Kulwinder Singh, residing at the backside of the bus stand.

He said though the workers of the private company which has been given the contract used to pick up the garbage from specific garbage collection points during the working days but the same work is not executed during holidays.

A section of residents while talking to TNS lamented that the services provided by the private company are not up to the mark as most of the times the heaps of garbage is not cleared by its workers.

“Not only the garbage but the dustbins provided by the company also to remain filled up to the brim and is hardly emptied on regular basis,” said Harwinder Singh, a resident of GT Road. He pointed out that the bin is not cleared by the workers which usually overflows and then people throws the garbage outside the bin. He said though the company regularly collects the monthly fees from the public in lieu of collecting the garbage but there is irregularity in collecting the garbage.

Municipal Corporation officials said the task of collecting the garbage from different garbage points is assigned to the private company which loads the trash in trucks and is then taken to the open site of the Solid Waste Management Treatment Plant on Mansa Road.

“Though the plant is yet to be setup, the garbage is dumped into the deep pit dug up by the company officials and they bury in the same. The garbage is covered with the layers of soil on everyday basis,” the officials said.

They pointed out that the setting up of the plant would help disposing the garbage collected from Bathinda and surrounding districts.

The president of Safai Workers Union, Veer Bhan, said despite being a holiday declared to all the government servants, the Safai Workers have cleaned the city areas after half day. He alleged that the irregularity of the private company has lead to the piling up of the garbage dumps in the city.

Bathinda, November 24
Farmers had begun the sowing wheat after selling their paddy produce. But now, with the shortage of urea in the cooperative societies had left them in lurch again while the Agriculture Department had failed to ensure the necessary stock of urea in cooperative societies for farmers.

Sources said that farmers had every year complained about the black-marketing of urea and exploitation of farmers at private sellers in the open market. However, this year again, the Agriculture Department has failed to ensure the needed urea for farmers.

Each bag of urea costs up to Rs 250 while farmers need around two and a half bags per acre for good quantity of wheat production. A number of farmers being members of cooperative societies are facing financial problem after clearing their dues of society and left with no more money to purchase urea from private market. Earlier, the member farmers use to get urea or necessities from society on loan from these cooperative societies.

Shingara Mann, district president, The BKU Ekta Ugraha, said, “Farmers are not getting urea from the cooperative societies following different reasons, including the apathy of the Agriculture Department that had failed to provide the stock list to the state government. The need of urea is too much but there is not even a single bag available to farmers while the same would be sold in black within days in the open market. A number of farmers who were members of the cooperative societies had got a double blow as they are facing financial difficulty after paying their dues in cooperative societies. Now, these farmers would have to take the loan from private money lenders.”

Since the country’s climate is, mostly, semi-arid, a balanced use of fertiliser can increase the yield from 30 to 50 per cent of different crops in different regions. One kg of fertiliser nutrient produces about 8 kg of cereals (wheat, maize and rice), 2.5 kg of cotton and 114 kg of stripped sugarcane.

According to the Economic Survey 2012-13, almost 100 per cent soil are deficient in nitrogen; 80 to 90 per cent are deficient in phosphorus and 30 per cent in potassium. Widespread deficiency of micronutrients is also appearing in different areas. Soil fertility is continuously depleting due to mining of essential plant nutrients from the soils under intensive cultivation. Accordingly, there is a greater need of nitrogen for the sake of higher productivity. There is a shortage of phosphorus components in many soils in different areas.

Generally, two types of fertilisers are in use—urea, to remove the deficiency of nitrogen and DAP for the deficiency of phosphate. However, there is also a minor use of potassic fertilisers. The farmers mostly use nitrogenous fertilisers without paying due attention to the use of phosphatic and potassic fertilisers. The unfavourable ratio of these two is also responsible for decrease in wheat production in certain areas.

Last year in Bathinda, the area under wheat crop was 2.55 lakh hectares whereas this year, it would cover about 2.52 lakh hectares. Against the need of 42,000 metric tonnes only 16,000 metric tonnes of urea is available.

Chief Agriculture Officer, Rajinder Singh Brar, said, “The urea is available with us and enough in our district. The societies also have it and the farmers will not face 
any problem. Stringent action would be taken against those found guilty of selling the urea in black or giving additional equipments or other necessaties forcefully to farmers.”

Farmers are not getting urea from the cooperative societies following different reasons, including the apathy of the Agriculture Department that had failed to provide the stock list to the state government. The need of urea is too much but there is not even a single bag available to farmers while the same would be sold in black within days in the open market. A number of farmers who were members of the cooperative societies had got a double blow as they are facing financial difficulty after paying their dues in cooperative societies. Now, these farmers would have to take the loan from private money lenders. —Shingara Mann, District President, BKU Ekta Ugraha

Bathinda, November 24
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janta Party(BJP) today failed to put up a united face in a joint press conference called to announce that the SAD-BJP will fight the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) elections jointly.

Bring to the fore the miscommunication between district unit of the SAD and the BJP, at the same time at one side Sarup Chand Singla was announcing that SAD-BJP alliance is intact, while on another side the BJP core committee was going at circuit house to discuss the BMC elections, in which alliance with SAD was also discussed.

Reports claimed that the BJP, city president, Parminder Goyal, announced this joint conference without taking into confidence the party high command. As even members of the core committee were ignored about the joint press conference before the invitation was given to the media.

Sources claimed in the core committee meeting, BJP state secretary, who is also the in charge of Bathinda, Sandeep Rinwa, was annoyed over the joint press conference and asked the Parminder Goyal as who has taken the decision of holding joint conference over seat formula without taking the consent of core committee. Due to which decision was taken in meeting that no BJP leader will attend the press conference. But Parminder Goyal on his own has sent the Birender Kumar to the venue of joint press conference.

In the press conference Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Sarup Chand Singla reached with his former municipal councillor supporters. While no Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) turned up for the press conference.

Lone BJP leader that reached at the venue was newly appointed media in charge of Bathinda Birender Kumar. When he asked about the BJP, Bathinda, president, Parminder Goyal, he replied that he is busy in party core committee in the city.

This press conference was to be addressed by the leaders of both the parties, but today, it was mostly addressed by Sarup Chand Singla only, while lone BJP leader was seen sitting as a mute spectator.

Sarup Chand Singla said that the SAD-BJP alliance is intact and they will be fighting the BMC election on same old formula in which SAD will contest 28 and thr BJP will contest 22 wards and the post of Mayor will also be with the SAD.

He said they will be fighting these elections on the development plank as thr state government has done a lot for the city in last eight years. Even in last tenure of the BMC lots of development has been witnessed in the city.

It is pertinent to mention that BJP city president Parminder Goyal had earlier, told that his party will be announcing the BMC elections formula in this joint conference today. Even in the invitation send out to the media, it was written a joint press conference which will be addressed by Sarup Chand Singla and Parminder Goyal.

Parminder Goyal said its SAD own version that they will have Mayor post in their kitty, but the decision of the Mayor post will be taken by the party high command. Notably, a few days ago Parminder Goyal had announced that the BJP is ready to go alone in in the BCM elections and also had stake claim of the Mayoral post.

Bathinda, November 24
Expressing concern over the consumption of medicinal drugs, tobacco products and alcohol at public places, city NGOs have demanded stringent action against the violators.

Terming all banned drugs and intoxicants a slow poison, the NGOs shot off letters to the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding strict action against those who consume drugs and sell these.

Sahara Jan Sewa president Vijay Goyal said they also brought the problem to the notice of Bathinda SSP Gurpreet Bhullar. He said empty vials and tablet packets in the city parks and around tea stalls are a testimony to the fact that youngsters are consuming intoxicants and medicinal drugs.

The problem is rampant in front of Three Cinemas on GT Road, public toilets and in the grain market. There are fixed points in the city where drug addicts consume medicinal drugs. The city police are also aware of such points but nothing has been done in this regard.

“These points are situated close to the tea vends near the railway station, bus stand, Three Cinemas, Rose Garden Chowk, Gol Diggi, grain market, vegetable market, the office of the Municipal Corporation,” said Vijay Goyal.

Sonu Maheshwari of the Naujawan Welfare Society said a park in Nai Basti, dilapidating building of the Indian Railways, Rose Garden and the public toilets near Dhobi Bazar are proving to be a heaven for the drug addicts.

“Many tea vendors in the city have allowed the addicts to sit inside their shops where they consume cough syrup, medicinal and other drugs. After consuming drugs they have tea with sugar in excess to get a kick,” Maheshwari said.

He pointed out that more than a dozen empty vials of cough syrups were recovered by a safai karamchari in front of Three Cinemas and outside a tea shop situated close to Improvement Trust Market. The tea shop is always visited by drug addicts.

In view of the rampant sale of tea, cigarettes and biri, a man has recently started selling chicken at an adjacent shop where he illegally allows people to consume liquor.

“We are not only upset over the consumption of liquor and smoking but also at the poor condition of boundary walls. After consuming liquor, they urinate at boundary wall,” said Avinash Kumar, a shopkeeper.

Expressing similar views, residents of Nai Basti, Aggarwal Colony, Bhagu Road too demanded the removal of the tea and cigarette vends to get rid of the nuisance created by the drug addicts.

Bathinda SSP Gurpreet Bhullar said the issue had been brought to his notice by the city residents and some NGOs.

“We are bound to take action against such drug addicts and those selling drugs. I have directed Kotwali SHO Mahesh Saini to register cases against drug addicts,” he said.

He added that Saini had visited a few tea vends in the afternoon on GT Road, railway station and the bus stand.

“I have also directed police patrolling teams to arrest all those consuming liquor at public places and even those who sit inside their cars and consume liquor. Such people not only harm their own health but also jeopardise lives of the other motorists due to their rash driving,” SSP Bhullar said. 

Bathinda, November 24
The Police today claimed to have arrested a father-son duo for smuggling drugs and recovered 25 bags of poppy husk weighing 7.50 quintal from their procession. The accused have been identified as Jagtar Singh (45) and his son Sukhchian Singh (19) of Ladhowal village in Ludhiana district.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said under the drive against drug smuggling, the police today got a big success when SI Jagdish Kumar, along with a police party, was present at Jassi Baghwali village. They received an information that Jagtar and Sukhchain were involved in drug smuggling and were coming towards Bathinda after purchasing poppy husk from Rajasthan.

Acting swifting on the tip off, the CIA staff, along with the police, arrested both the accused and recovered the poppy husk.

The SSP said a case under Section 25/61/85 of the NDPS Act had been registered against the accused. He said the accused used to buy poppy husk at a rate of Rs 55,000 per bag and sold it for Rs 1.05 lakh. He said the main person behind them was Gurcharan Singh, alias Lala, of Ludhiana, who supported them financially and was still absconding. 

Bathinda, November 24
On the invitation of the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India’ (RSSDI), Dr Vitull K Gupta, consultant physician, Kishori Ram Hospital & Diabetes Care Centre and the chairman, Association of Physicians of India (Malwa branch), delivered a guest lecture on vitamin D and type 2 diabetes “ during the 42nd annual conclave of the body at Bangalore on November 21 this year.

Dr Vitull said vitamin D deficiency was now emerging as a major global health problem affecting 1 billion people and a series of studies from different parts of India suggested that 50- 90 per cent population of the country suffered from the vitamin D deficiency.

The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is becoming an important public health issue because it is being blamed for 17 varieties of cancer, autoimmune diseases, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, myopathies, birth defects, periodontal disease, heart diseases, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. He said the patients suffering from type 2 diabetes should maintain an adequate level of vitamin D, which is greater than 30 ng/mL. “Vitamin D is inexpensive and if a trial confirmed its benefits in the prevention of diabetes, it would have a major impact on public health,” the doctor said. 

Bathinda, November 24
To sensitise students about causes and treatment of AIDS, government schools in the district have been to told to organise various events and competitions on World AIDS Day on December 1. The schools have been asked to hold the events in collaboration with officials of the Health Department, school management committees and non-government orgnisations.

As per the directions, the schools have been asked to hold seminars on AIDS for which they can invite officials from the Health Department or members of NGOs to deliver lectures.

The schools will also have to organise plays pertaining to the topic.

For the quiz, the schools will have to constitute six teams consisting three members each and the teams should also include at least one Red Ribbon Club member.

The schools will have to take out an awareness rally during which the students will raise slogans related to the prevention, precaution and timely treatment of the disease. The competitions and other events will be organised as a part of the Adolescence Education Programme. The schools will be provided Rs 400 each to organise competitions on World AIDS Day.