After cruel weather, farmers face callous admn
Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 31
Paddy farmers, who had to suffer yield loss due to hailstorm and heavy rain that lashed the region around three weeks ago, are now forced to sell their produce at prices much lower than that notified by the government.

This was reportedly due to ‘sudden closure’ of purchase by official procurement agencies.

Besides suffering yield losses, farmers are also spending more on the reaping process as the paddy had to be manually collected by labourers once it fell on the ground.

A survey of the area revealed that farmers whose crops were hit by heavy rains and hailstorm were still busy in collecting their produce.

The crop standing in around 9,000 acre at Malikpur, Jandali Kalan, Phalewal, Rohira, Chhanna, Akbarpur Chhanna, Baurhai, Nathumajra and Momnabad villages was badly affected.

As the grains have fallen on the ground, these need to be collected manually by sweeping. Obviously, the process requires more man power.

Despite putting in their best, the farmers were at the receiving end as government agencies have stopped procurement.

Mr Nahar Singh and Mr Palwinder Singh, sarpanch and panch of the Jandali village, respectively, said the procurement agencies at the local grain market suddenly stopped purchasing paddy on Friday.

The farmers were asked to sell their produce to private traders, who were offering between Rs 400 and 550 as against the government price of Rs 590. All their attempts to impress upon the authorities to continue the procurement had failed, they said.

Mr Kulwant Singh, a farmer, alleged that officials of a procurement agency rejected his produce on flimsy grounds. Now, he would have to wait for the restart of procurement to sell his produce, he said.The authorities should restart the process as soon as possible keeping in mind the plight of rain-hit farmers, he said.

He said the farmers had to suffer huge losses this season. Besides bearing steep fall in the yield, they had to spend around Rs 3,500 per acre on extra man power they had to employ for collecting fallen grains.

As against the usual yield of 43 quintal per hectare in the area they could not get more than 24 quintal per acre this year, he added.

Harpreet Singh Kala, a student of local Shanti Tara College and resident of Jandali village, also narrated a similar story.

Resenting the government decision to close procurement, office-bearers of the Zamhoori Kisan Sabha, Punjab, Mr Baldev Singh Latala and Mr Mohinder Singh Seelon, have urged the authorities to restart procurement at the earliest.

Seminar on beekeeping
Our Correspondent

Doraha, October 31
A seminar on beekeeping was organised at Kashmir Complex here yesterday. Dr M.S. Gill, MP inaugurated the seminar and was the chief guest. More than 2,000 beekeepers and farmers, besides honey exporters, packers, traders, and equipment manufacturers attended the seminar. Beekeeping exporters from agricultural universities of northern states and from the Government and other agencies participated.

Mr Tej Parkash Singh, former Transport Minister, Punjab, Mr Jagjit Singh Kapoor, Chairman, National Bee Board and Mr Parveen Gupta, General Manager, APEDA, were present.

Seminar for lawyers on bounced cheques
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 31
A seminar was organised to enrich lawyers about the procedure of dealing with bounced cheque cases by a local study circle here yesterday. Mr Avinash Gupta, a senior lawyer apprised the lawyers about the latest laws in this regard.

Mr Rohit Thapar, convener of the study circle, said such seminars would be held in the future.

HEALTH

Smog and your health

Protection from pollution : Smog contains ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and tiny particles of almost everything from asbestos to soot that can settle deep in the lungs and cause trouble. “Smog is just like a soup that contains a lot of stuff and people inhale everything that’s in it, i.e. a whole bunch of toxic chemicals.”

Exposure to a high concentration of any one of these chemicals can cause shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, bronchitis, pneumonia, headaches, inability to concentrate, chest pain and in some cases even lung cancer.

Smog hurts :

*In some cases lungs become supersensitive, reacting to smog exposure along with inflammation, bronchial spasms, cough, asthma attack or increased production of mucus.

*Smog can also make lung cells vulnerable to attack by bacteria and viruses that are always in the air. Smog can kill cells, making the lungs less efficient at doing their job of absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. And some of these chemicals in smog can cause genetic mutations in cells that lead to cancer of the lungs or nasal passages.

*Interaction between the noxious substances in smog and lung cells happen during a chemical process called oxidation. This is the same process that causes butter to turn rancid and iron to rust. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that requires oxygen in order to take place, and there’s plenty of oxygen in the lungs. During oxidation free radicals, which are unstable molecules of harmful chemicals, snatch electrons from the healthy molecules that compose the cells in order to balance themselves. This starts a chain reaction of electron stealing. The end result is serious damage to cells.

*The best way to deal with smog is to avoid it as much as possible. Don’t run along roads that cater to heavy traffic.

*Aerobic exercise makes you breathe deeply, so you pull in pollutants deep into your lungs. And don’t smoke cigarettes. Smoking exposes your lungs to some of the toxins found in smog, plus it makes your lungs more sensitive to smog’s harmful effects. If you can’t avoid smog entirely you may want to protect yourself by taking nutrients that provide protection — Vitamins A, C and E, beta-carotene and selenium.

*Take Vitamin E, which is found in wheat gram, certain vegetables, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. It is known both for its ability to enhance the immune system and act as an anti-oxidant. It gets incorporated into cell membranes, where it shields cells. It helps stop the chain reaction that starts with exposure to smog and so is very effective at limiting the damage to cells.”

Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine have shown just how well Vitamin E does its job in the lungs. They found that nonsmokers face only half the risk of developing lung cancer if they took Vitamin E supplements.

*Drink more water during smog.

*Take 10-20 gm of gur twice daily after meals.

Dr Anil Dheer

SPORTS

Relax visa norms, says Pak badminton coach
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, October 31
“Jis ne Lahore nahin dekhiya, oh jumea hi nahin’ (anyone who has not seen Lahore is yet to be born). With these words, Syed Naqi Mohsin, manager of the visiting Pakistan badminton team, appealed to the Governments of India and Pakistan to simplify visa norms so that people on both sides could visit each other without any problem.

Mr Naqi was addressing a gathering at the local Sutlej Club where a reception was held by the Ludhiana District Badminton Association (LDBA) in honour of the visitors.

A five-member team arrived in India on October 22 to take part in the Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament to be held in Hyderabad and a two-match series in Chandigarh (October 30) and Jalandhar on November 1. The visitors were not scheduled to come to Ludhiana but on the request of the LDBA, they agreed to pay a short visit to the city.

Mr Naqi recalled his association with India when he said he was born in Ambala where his father had served as a school teacher. His family shifted to Pakistan in 1944.

Mr Anurag Verma, Deputy Commissioner and president, Sutlej Club, drew attention towards the normalisation of relations between the two countries.

He took the members of the Pakistan squad around the club and the visitors were impressed with the facilities available to the club members.

The Deputy Commissioner honoured the visiting players and members of the Indian badminton team on the occasion. He also felicitated Mr Gursharan Singh, DSO, Sangrur, and international refree Vijayadeep Singh, former national champion Arun Dhand. Mr Syed felicitated Mr Chand Kapoor, president, LDBA, with a memento.

Mr Prem Chand, SDM, Raikot, Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, secretary, Punjab Basketball Association, Mr S.L. Lotey, District Sports Officer, Ludhiana, Mr Gianinder Singh, senior badminton coach, along with executive committee members of the club were among other who attended the function.

Hockey meet postponed
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, October 31
The second edition of the All-India Guru Gobind Singh Inter-Varsity Hockey Tournament scheduled to be organised from November 5 at the local astro-turf ground of Punjab Agricultural University has been postponed.

According to Mr Amrik Singh Minhas, president of the organising club, Ludhiana Sports Welfare Association, the postponement has been necessitated due to the junior national hockey tournament slated to be held from November 2. The tournament would now be held in the second week of December, he added.