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| Tuesday, June 6, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Fighting against cruelty to animals LUDHIANA, This was stated here today by Dr Sandeep K. Jain, president and Mr Ajay Jain, general secretary of the PFA, in an inter view with TNS here today. “It is really sad to note that the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1960 are being violated with impunity with little or no action from the authorities. While the district administration pays little attention to our complaints apparently because it has its hands full with other problems, the police seldom take us seriously. There have been occasions when policemen just laugh us out of the police stations when we go there to lodge complaints...”, the two say. The two office-bearers of the PFA emphasise that they are not so much concerned about the ultimate fate of the animals being transported out of Ludhiana district or other parts of Punjab for slaughter elsewhere in the country as they are about the cruel treatment which is meted out to them before they are put to death. In this connection, they point out that Kila Raipur, near here, has become a conduit point for transporting animals to West Bengal and Bangladesh. Incidentally, most of these animals are old and dry but they are sent from here after they are certified as milch cattle by the veterinarians. The PFA which has its headquarters here has activated following a report about on “animal cruelty” in India brought out by an American non-government organisation called the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The report which is supported by several photographs was made available to TNS here today. The PETA chief, Mr Ingrid Newkirk, recalls in the report that when he was growing up in India, the images of happy cows were everywhere. “The cows who wandered the dusty streets sometimes wore garlands, symbols of respect placed about their necks by Hindus and Jains. Not that life was easy for them. Overworked bullocks pulled carts, through the clamour of city streets, breathing in the stinking diesel fumes, sweating in the searing Indian heat. Sometimes, they collapsed under their burdens, and the drivers beat them with thick wooden sticks to make them rise and stumble on through the chaos. “But there was remnant of Gandhi’s reverence for life. Today, under heavy Western influence, it has vanished. When I returned to India with PETA colleagues this year, I found a thriving trade in beef and leather that means starvation, thirst, beatings, broken bones and cruel slaughter...., and the flesh and skin end up as far away as Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe and America. “The cows of India, with their long, curving horns, live side by side with their people. Despite their tremendous size, they are as gentle and tame as family dogs. I
approached 1,000-pound bulls who could have crushed me with their great heads and hooves, but who, instead, merely gazed at me with curiosity...” “When the cows cease to be “Slaughtering cows is illegal in all but a few Indian states, so the cows are marched over hot, dusty roads for 50 to 100 miles, across state lines, to secret locations where they can be loaded onto trucks and taken to slaughterhouses. To keep them moving, drivers beat the animals across their hip bones, where there is no fat to cushion the blows. “Drivers mercilessly beat them and twist their battered tails to force them to rise. If that does not work, the men torment the cows into moving by rubbing hot chilli peppers and tobacoo into their eyes”. The slaughter takes in modest cruel conditions. “The morning we visited the Deonar slaughterhouse in Bombay, the temperature had risen to 100 degrees by 10 a.m. Flies swarmed and PETA’s Robert Tappan stepped over congealing pools of blood. A dozen cows lay wounded or sick on the ground. One bull had both a broken horn and fractured leg...Some of the downed cows rested their heads on the bodies of their companions, seeking comfort in the frightening, stinking yard. “The cows to be slaughterd are beaten in order to force them from the truck, then all four feet are tied together and they are thrown on their sides on the filthy floor. Because their flesh is sold to Muslim countries, the slaughter is supposed to be ‘halal’, that is, done according to Muslim law, which requires animals to be treated with kindness before the killing.But workers often saw back and forth with dull knives and leave fully conscious animals to bleed slowly to death. “The terrible torment of the cattle is not just India’s problem. They are slaughtered because of the West’s influence. Anyone who buys beef in Pakistan, Malaysia and the Arab states and anyone who buys leather in Europe and North American may be part of the problem”. The PETA report has deeply moved the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who has written to the Chief Ministers to enforce laws for more humane treatment to animals. He also asked them to associate non-government organisations to achieve the basic minimum care for animals. “Till recently,” he says in his letter to the Chief Ministers, “this kind of inhuman treatment of animals was prevalent in Europe and elsewhere cruelty to animals while being transported for slaughter and the mode of slaughter had received very adverse comments in the media and society at large. However, the governments in most of these countries as well as civil society organisations got together and were able to insist upon and enforce laws ensure that animals are treated much better. I have no doubt that with your cooperation, we will be able to achieve a basic minimum care for our animals”, he says. |
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PAU facing rough weather due to LUDHIANA, It is reliably learnt that the budgetary deficit for the year 2000-2001 is close to Rs 16 crore which is almost double the deficit for the year 1998-1999. Of the total deficit of this year, Rs 14.18 crore would be on account of non-planned committed agriculture and Rs 181.3 lakh for the veterinary schemes. The deficit in the research projects of the university this year alone amounts to Rs10.8238 crore. Sources in the university complain that with the growing budget deficit, especially in the wake of the large parts of the budget going as the salaries, the authorities are left with little money to fund the university's research projects. It is learnt that this year the provision for the salaries and allowances has increased to 82.74 per cent as compared to 80 per cent in the last year. The remaining 16.42 per cent is for the contingency and 0.84 per cent for travelling allowances of the university employees. It is learnt that various projects in the university (587) are grouped under 10 categories, with around 170 schemes under non-planned committed agriculture and 132 under the ICAR projects/ad hoc schemes. There are a number of schemes under the categories of planned agriculture, non-planned veterinary schemes, planned veterinary schemes, centrally-sponsored schemes under the UGC and miscellaneous and revolving funds schemes. Under all these categories there are a total number of 438 research schemes (the rest being under the category of teaching, extension and general administration and others) and a budget of Rs 59.52 crore has been allocated for these. This year the state government has approved a budget of Rs 63.63 crore for non-planned committed agriculture as compared to the estimates of Rs 77.81 crore and Rs 5.8 crore for veterinary schemes as compared to the estimated Rs 7.61 crore— thus the growing deficit. Several university officials, when contacted by TNS, flayed the state government for making cuts in the grants to the university by ignoring its vast contribution to the research in agriculture and related areas. The university came into existence in 1962 when the country was facing an acute shortage of foodgrains and was dependent on the import of the foodgrains. The setting up of the university was the outcome of the realisation on the part of the government to improve agriculture productivity in the country. In a short time of about 37 years, PAU has made unparallel research in agriculture and related areas and earned worldwide recognition. In early fifties, the Punjab agriculture was of traditional nature and farming was more a way of life than an industry. The farmer's approach was to avert risks rather than to increase productivity and consequently the production levels were low. During the early sixties various development activities were initiated for the increasing agricultural production. As a result of these efforts the production increased, but mainly due to the expansion of the cultivated area. It was in this background that research in agriculture and related areas was initiated at the PAU
(To be concluded). |
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Authorities blamed
for spread of gastroenteritis LUDHIANA, Meanwhile, 18 more cases were reported today. However, the medical authorities said the disease has been controlled and the inflow of patients was decreasing with each passing day. The Civil Hospital sources confirmed that 706 cases were reported till now. Six of them are undergoing treatment in the hospital. All of them were said to be out of danger. Moulder and Steel Workers Union and Hosiery Workers Union conducted a joint
probe The Fauji Colony is inhabited by the migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The labourers are unorganised and they have no representative voice in the civic body. The local municipal councillor was said to be inaccessible. She has not visited the area during the past, but came only after the outbreak of the epidemic. The unions alleged, since the inhabitants belonged to labour class, the district administration and the corporation also did not bother to take care of civic amenities.
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Lodhi Qila goes to rack and ruin LUDHIANA, The once-strong citadel, basically a military fort, that withstood many an invader has crumbled under the onslaught of the elements in the last five centuries. The process has been considerably hastened due to the lack of any protection offered by the Ludhianvis. The Archaeological Survey of India has also not helped matters by denying 'A Protected Monument' status to the fort even though a Supreme Court order calls for bringing all over 100-year-old historically important buildings into this category. While the residents weakened the structure by digging up burrows to make space for construction of houses and shops, the State Conservation Department, the District Administration, and the Municipal Corporation have been turning their back to its conservation. The neglect has been so complete that not even a comprehensive record of the fort's history, ostensibly after which the city got its name, is available. According to titbits of information found here and there, the fort was got constructed by Sultan Sikander Lodhi in the last decade of the 15th century. Spread in 5.6 acres of land, the fort was built on a mound on the banks of the Sutlej which earlier used to flow near it but has today changed its path. It seems the fate of the fort changed with the path of the river as the land vacated by it was captured by people to construct their dwellings. As the pressure of the population grew, the dwellers encroaching spree also grew rapidly. Sultan Lodhi later deputed his two Generals, Yusuf Khan and Nihang Khan, to stay in the fort. The possession of the fort was necessary as it faced the main entry path to his kingdom. The path later developed as the Grand Trunk Road and the strategic importance of the fort also increased grew with it. The fort provided a position of strength to Lodhi and later to other Muslim rulers following him. Acknowledging its importance, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the most powerful Sikh ruler, built a much stronger citadel on the other side of the Sutlej river. In the early 19th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh took advantage of the weak Muslim rule in Delhi and took control of the fort without much resistance. From its confines, the Sikh ruler, helped by the strong architecture of the fort, repulsed many an attack by the British. However, with the fall of his rule, the fort quietly passed into the hands of the British forces. The fort was well-maintained not only during the British rule but even for a few decades after Independence when the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army was stationed here. But after its departure, the vacant fort fell into disuse. Not only did it begin crumbling from here and there due to the absence of maintenance and upkeep, but a number of people also began encroaching upon its premises. As a result, at several places, the structure of the fort has so completely vanished that one is forced to wonder whether a fort used to stand here or not. Only ruins of the outer wall, two massive entrance gates opening to a meandering path leading to the inside of the fort and a few dilapidated barracks is what remains of the fort today. Shere-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh had got dug up a large and mysterious tunnel that connected the Lodhi Fort with his residential palace at Phillaur town across the Sutlej river. Today only the entrance of the tunnel is visible while the path has been blocked by debris and other waste material. There is no board or sign in the fort informing the visitor about the history of the place. The fort was all these years known as the Government Institute of Textile and Dyeing Technology which has now been recently
shifted. However, what will be done with the place has not been announced so far. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K.Sandhu, said the District Administration had in the past taken up the matter with the Archaeological Survey of India to declare it a historical monument. However, the department had not acknowledged it, saying that the fort did not complete the yardstick required for declaring it a protected monument. He said he would look into the matter of the optimum use of the fort. |
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Six injured in wall collapse LUDHIANA, The admitted persons, which include three children, are reportedly out of danger. According to the residents of the area, the family was in one room of the house when the wall, whose foundation was seemingly soaked with water, thus weakening its grip, crumbled without any warning.The residents said the family was fortunate not to have received lethal injuries after being buried under the debris. Meanwhile, normal life remained affected in several parts of the city even after 36 hours of the heavy downpour. While the water that had accumulated in several low-lying areas of the city had started receding, still it posed difficulty in the path of smooth traffic movement. Several areas of the city, especially around the main roads, still bore signs of the gale. A number of trees were still blocking the paths after being uprooted by the storm. At the Ferozepore road a number of newly planted saplings had been literally torn apart while tree guards were flown away. The areas which bore the brunt of water accumulation were Dasmesh Nagar, Janakpuri, Dholewal Chowk, Kitchlu Nagar, Shivaji Nagar and other low-lying areas. The residents of these colonies have in a communication to the district administration and the Municipal Corporation appealed to them to spray insecticides and other infection killing medicines on the accumulated water so that they do not become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, germs and all kinds of bacteria. They have also urged the authorities to take measures of flushing out the water from these areas. The residents have also urged them to take preventive measures in future in these affected areas so that water does not collects at these places at will. |
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Need to check soil erosion at earliest SOIL erosion in nature is a beneficial process without which the world would have perished long ago. The same process, accelerated by human mismanagement, has become one of the most vicious and destructive forces ever released by man.“What is usually known as geological erosion or denudation is a universal phenomenon which through thousands of years has carved the earth into its present shape. Denudation is an early and important process in soil formation, whereby the original rock material is continuously broken down and sorted out by wind and water until it becomes suitable for colonisation by plants. Plants, by binding effects of their roots, protection they afford against rain and wind and fertility they impart to the soil bring denudation almost to a standstill. Everybody must have compared the rugged and irregular shape of bare mountain peaks where denudation is still active with smooth and harmonious curves of slopes that have been protected by a mantle of vegetation. Nevertheless, some slight denudation is always occurring. As each superficial film of plant covered soil becomes exhausted it is removed by rain or wind, to be deposited mainly in rivers and sea, and a corresponding thin layer of new soil forms by slow weathering of the underlying rock. The earth is continuously discarding its old worn-out skin and renwing its living sheath of soil from the dead rock beneath. In this way an equilibrium is reached between denudation and soil formation so that, unless the equillibrium is disturbed, a mature soil preserves more or less constant depth and character indefinitely. The depth is sometimes only a few inches, occasionally several feet, but within it lies the whole capacity of the earth to produce life. Below that thin layer comprising the delicate organisms known as soil, is a planet as lifeless as moon. The equilibrium between denudation and soil formation is easily disturbed by the activities of man. Cultivation, deforestation or the destruction of the natural vegetation by grazing or other means may accelerate denudation to such an extent that soil, which would normally be washed or blown away in a century, disappears within one year or even within a day. But no human ingenuity can accelerate the soil renewing process from lifeless rock to the acceleration of denudation. This man-accelerated denudation is what is now known as soil erosion. Erosion is the modern symptom of maladjustment between human society and its environment. It is a warning that nature is revolting against the sudden incursion of an exotic civilisation into her ordered domains. Men are permitted to dominate nature on precisely the same condition as trees and plants, namely on condition that they improve the soil and leave it little better for their posterity than they found it. Agriculture has resulted, almost invariably, in a catastrophic decrease in soil fertility. The illusion that fertility can always be restored by applying huge amounts of artifical fertilisers has been shattered by the recognition that fertility is not merely a matter of plant-food supply (for even exhausted soils usually contain ample reserves of plant food), but is also closely connected with soil stability. An exhausted soil is an unstable soil; nature has no further use for it and removes it bodily. The process is the same as denudation, but whereas under normal conditions a fraction of an inch of soil may become exhausted and be removed in a century, under human control the entire depth of soil may become exhausted and be eroded in a few years. At present about 10 million ha of the world’s arable land (0.7 per cent) is lost every year through soil degradation. The world is now losing some 23 billion tons of top soil per year and productivity of about one-thirds of the world’s arable land has been severely impaired due to accelerated erosion. In India water erosion is the major problem causing loss of top soil in about 148 million ha (98 per cent of total degraded land). Wind erosion is dominant in the western region, covering 13.5 million ha. It causes loss of top soil in 1.9 per cent, terrain deformation in 1.2 per cent and overblowing and shifting of sand dunes in 0.5 per cent of the affected area. In submontane Punjab runoff is one of the major modes of escape of rain water received in the area. Studies in the area have indicated that runoff during the monsoon period varies between 24 and 36 per cent, whereas annual loss of rainwater varies between 26 and 42 per cent. As far as individual storms are concerned, the runoff varies from none to as high as 80 per cent. This variability is attributed to differences in crop cover, prevailing moisture conditions, rain and soil characteristics. The peak runoff rates recorded in the area are sufficient to cause flash floods. The runoff carries along with it upper fertile soil rich in applied nutrients, thereby decreasing productivity of the soil. The most important effect of soil erosion is the loss of top soil thus converting otherwise productive soils into shallow soils which is one of the major factors of low and unstable crop yields in the rain-fed semi-arid to sub-humid tropics of India. There are vast areas of degraded common grazing lands, uncultivable waste lands and degraded forests that pose a serious threat to adjoining productive crop land. The off-site effects of water erosion include siltation of reservoirs. There are evidences to show that the capacity of several reservoirs has decreased at a much faster rate than envisaged at the planning stage. This adversely affects the capacity to sustain the gains in productivity over the past decades. The frequency of floods and droughts, considered as natural disasters, is increasing and their management becoming more difficult. Chemicals in the form of fertilisers, weedicides, insecticides etc. used in agricultural fields get lost in running water and ultimately find their destination in various water bodies, thus posing a threat to the existing flora and fauna native to these aquatic bodies.
— By S.S. Kukal |
Colonies flooded, sewage enters houses LUDHIANA, Baba Gaja Jain Colony and Mohindra Enclave were among the worst hit by the floods caused by Sunday’s downpour. The two colonies fall in the Moti Nagar area. Although the two colonies were supposed to be used for residential purposes, subsequently there status was changed into industrial area, as all the plots were used for industrial purposes only. It was a harrowing experience for the industrialists of the locality on Sunday. Most of them said, the water level inside the units was about three feet. It took a few hours for the water to drain out. According to Mr Jiwan Dhawan, a leading industrialist of the area, it was for the first time that water entered into his unit. He blamed the municipal corporation for the problem. He pointed out that the drainage system failed, as the level of the final outlet was higher. This resulted in the water taking reverse course and entering into the houses and industrial units. This happened with almost all the units in the area. Mr Bhushan Abbi, president of the Moti Nagar United Factory Association blamed the poor quality of pipes being used for the sewerage system. He said, these pipes were unable to bear the extra pressure of water and they start cracking. Similar was the case with the supply pipes for drinking water. This resulted in the two getting mixed. Mr Abbi pointed out that the recent gastroenteritis epidemic was caused due to same reasons. He alleged that the pipes being used for the sewerage and drinking water supply were of substandard quality and there was no check on it. The height of mismanagement by the municipal corporation was illustrated in the Baba Gaja Jain Colony. The corporation authorities laid out a road in the area only a month ago. But again they started digging it up to lay out sewerage pipes. It is very difficult to walk on the road, what to speak of driving a car. The industrialists also alleged that the contractors engaged in the repair of the road were reusing the old bricks, which had already outlived their utility. They stated that despite several representations to the authorities no action had been
taken.
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DO not bother about time. It seems that people of Ludhiana have adjusted themselves to a laid-back type of lifestyle, where binding of time schedule and urgency for punctuality don’t matter at all. Whether it is the submission of telephone or electricity bill or the deposition of school fee of their wards, they will only wake up on the last due date and very leisurely send their domestic servants to the serpentine queues before such counters. Carefree residents keep on repeating this “feat” again and again. Parties and other social functions in Ludhiana are famous for their late take-off. Even the hosts don’t have ny urgency. Guests start tricking in well past an hour of the scheduled given tiem. If you ask for the women guests, someone will whisper in your ear that they are getting ready in beauty parlour. On arriving late and during the exchange of greetings with the hosts, they will boast that they had a long list of such engagements. A few decades ago in marriage ceremonies, it was the normal pratice to wait for the baraat to arrive and allow them to have dinner. But nowadays such function have seemingly fallen from grace and nobody, except a few who are to perform the milni, are actually bothered about it. So much so that people from the bride’s side continue merry-making and frolicking and leave the venue as and when they want. It is not the marriage parties alone where late-comers have an upper hand. Birthday functions, kitty parties and celebrations of other kinds have also their share of late comers. By and large most of Ludhiana residents seem to be suffering from “late Latif syndrome”. If you get invitation for a function to be held at 9 p.m., be relaxed and read it by adding two more hours to it. Reaching late will really “enhance your prestige and esteem” in the eyes of other invitees.
— R. Vatsyayan |
Thieves take away cash, goods LUDHIANA, June 5 — Thieves entered the house of Mr Manjit Singh at Baba Nanak Singh Nagar on the intervening night of May 31 and June 1 and took away Rs 10,000 cash, two watches and one camera. It is learnt that the thieves had entered into the house by breaking the iron grill of the window. The police registered a case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC today.Liquor seized: The police has seized 14 bottles of illicit liquor in two separate incidents during the past 24 hours. In the first case the police has arrested Gurbinder Singh, alias Gogi, and recovered eight bottles of country-made liquor from him. In another case the police has arrested Pawan Kumar and recovered six bottles of illicit liquor from him. In both the cases the police has booked them under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the IPC. Man injured: A cyclist was injured when a three-wheeler hit him near Chand Cinema Tower. The cyclsit has been admitted to the Civil Hospital and the police has registered a case under Sections 279 and 338 of the IPC. One hurt: Joginder Singh was injured in an attack by four persons on Sunday. It is alleged that the accused — Mohinder Singh, his wife, Harbhajan Kaur, son, Jatinder Singh, and Darshan Singh Nihang — injured him with a knife and blows. The police has registered a case under Sections 323 and 324 of the IPC. Eight booked: The police has booked Jagtar Singh and seven others on the charge of the attempt to take forceful possession of a plot belonging to Mr Dinesh Bansal after breaking the wall of the plot. The police has registered a case under Sections 451, 456 and 427 of the IPC.
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Woman alleges harassment
for dowry LUDHIANA, June 5 Today she stands at crossroads trying to gather the pieces of her shattered life and desperately trying to look ahead. Jyoti, who was married to Gopal Krishan Bansal on November 8,1997, alleges that from day one, she was maltreated and physically harassed by her husband and in-laws for bringing insufficient dowry, and even when a compromise was reached between her family and her in-laws after the case was referred to the Marriage Dispute Cell in February this year, her in-laws attempted to burn her on May 1. She alleges that even after this incident, the demands of her in-laws continued and when finally her brother was unable to fulfill their demands. They turned her out of the house and asked her to come back only after her family was able to meet their demand they also threatened to remarry her husband to some girl of a rich family in case of non-compliance with their demands. In a complaint submitted to the Senior Superintendent of Police on May 31, Jyoti urged him that a case of criminal breach of trust and demand for dowry be registered against her husband and in-laws as even after a compromise had been reached between the two sides at the Marriage Dispute Cell, her harassment had continued. Narrating his sister’s tale of woes, Mukesh Gupta said that his sister was not only subjected to mental torture but was also given frequent and severe beatings, and as a result a child had also been aborted in 1998.” We are not that well-off so we asked Jyoti to bear everything, and also tried to satisfy her in-laws demands for money and other dowry material articles. But there has to be a limit to everything. It was a few months ago that another of my sister was also done to death by her in-laws and after that incident, I decided not to let Jyoti suffer like her and stand up against the oppression by her in-laws. |
Shifting of teachers
flayed LUDHIANA,
He said, Mr Tota Singh has implemented the policy which is “anti-teacher”. Some unions having alliance with communists want this policy to be implemented to destroy the image of the BJP-Akali alliance government, he added. In 1998, the same policy was ordered but was got cancelled by the union. Women teachers having stay of more than 18 years and those nearing retirement will be badly hit, he said. If the Punjab Government wants to implement such policy, it should notify transfer rules for all employees and not only for teachers. Mr Prithpal Singh urged the Punjab Government not to implement this policy and asked the Chief Minister of Punjab to intervene in the matter. |
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