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Army drive to restore ecological balance
Dispute over shifting of Guru Granth Sahib
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Licences of 14 pesticide dealers cancelled
Rs 12.39 crore for Kapurthala ‘Nirman’
Doctors, paramedics protest against privatisation move
I-Tax Dept to set up Help Centres
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Army drive to restore ecological balance
Sofi Pind (Jalandhar), March 10 The four ambitious projects, on which the Headquarters 91 Sub-Area officials have been working for the past fortnight, include conversion of 70 acres of sewage-filled marshy land into a picnic spot near Sofi Pind village, seven acre of rubble heaps into a beautified walking track near Lal Diggi and setting up of distinctive bird habitats with observatories and landscaping along the entire stretch of the Mall Road. The ideas for the projects, too, have been conceived by an Armyman. Lieutenant Colonel Suresh Patil, who retired from Grenadiers Regiment about 25 years back, along with his wife Ms Lata Patil, (both run an NGO “Green Thumb” in Pune) have been working here for the past fortnight identifying the wastelands that could be restored through various scientific techniques. Explaining the major project in Sofi Pind today, Lieutenant Colonel Patil said the after he came here, he found the land in a “pathetic condition”. “A deep trench had developed in the area, as people had been digging out soil for various purposes from the site. Just adjacent to the trench were two open drains through which sewage water had been coming in from the surrounding areas that were inhabited. Residents had complained that they were fed up with the foul smell, flies and mosquitoes giving them sleepless nights,” he said. “The speciality of the area is that it’s a natural habitat for a variety of birds, including herons, mynas, kingfishers, wagtails, horntails and shrikes. We have decided not to disturb this habitat. We will convert the trench into a lagoon where boating can also be possible in the monsoons. The lagoon will have islands in between and a walking path on the outskirts,” he added. The site already seemed to be taking a proper shape, as a kutcha pathway had been set up by covering the marshy land with soil and the planting of bottle brush saplings. Islands, too, had been built and full-size date palms had also been planted. The Armyman-turned-ecologist said that roots of the trees had been impregnated with certain hormones to ensure that they could quickly recover and acclimatise with new soil environment. He also showed how gazebo huts were being developed for creating shades for the visitors. Brigadier S.S. Patil, Sub Area Commander, said that he had met Lieutenant-Colonel Patil in Pune and seen his work. “So, I suggested him to come to Jalandhar and initiate similar projects.” About their other projects, Brigadier Patil said that the Mall Road would undergo a complete visual improvement with the plantation of flowering plants, shrubs, creepers and trees. Colonel Manmohan Singh Bharaj, Colonel Quarter Master, added that water harvesting techniques were also being planned at various sites in the cantonment. For developing the lagoon, he said jawans, school children and college students were being encouraged to participate. |
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Dispute over shifting of Guru Granth Sahib
Phagwara, March 10 According to information, in 2002, a gurdwara, named after Mata Sahib Kaur, was built on a piece of land. The authorities claimed that the official land had been encroached upon for the construction of the gurdwara and, as such, they allocated an alternative site in the Urban Estate, a colony run by PUDA. The building, however, is yet to come up. Today, some of the gurdwara’s management committee members shifted Guru Granth Sahib, “Nishan Sahib” and “Chandoa” to the new site, saying that they were vacating the encroached land and duly installing the holy “bir” at the officially-allocated plot.
However, this move enraged certain devotees. They alleged that the shifting of the holy book was a sacrilege, as “maryada was not followed in the process”. They brought back the holy “bir” from the new site and reinstalled it at the previous place. The devotees allegedly raised slogans against those who had shifted the
“bir”. They allegedly attacked the apartment of a management committee member, Mr Balbir Singh Minhas. Mr Minhas, who teaches in a college, was in the college at the time of the incident, his wife claimed. The local administration had a tough time controlling the situation. ASP Sukhchain Singh Gill, when contacted, claimed that the matter had been amicably resolved. “The gurdwara will continue to be at its old place till the new building comes up,” he said. However, SDM Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal could not be contacted for his comments. Interestingly, the majority of the persons protesting against the shifting of the gurdwara were migrants living in the area, and some Sikhs, including an Akali leader, Mr Gurjit Singh Khalsa, had joined the migrants in the protest. |
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Licences of 14 pesticide dealers cancelled
Jalandhar, March 10 Meanwhile, show-cause notices have been issued to four (pesticide) dealers for allegedly not supplying quality seed to farmers during the past about one month. The action against the “erring” dealers has been taken as part of the ongoing effort of the district administration to provide quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides to farmers of Jalandhar district. Mr Ashok Gupta, Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner, who reviewed the agricultural situation of Jalandhar district at a district-level meeting here today, said that out of the total of 150 seed samples taken during the past about one month, as many as 18 had failed. “We have taken a strict action against those dealers who had sold inferior-quality seeds to farmers. Their licences have been cancelled to teach them a lesson. We also want to convey a message to the dealers that the district administration would not tolerate anything that harmed the interests of the farmers,” said Mr Gupta. He further said that 272 samples of fertilizers, 216 samples of pesticides had also been taken by the Agriculture Department during the past about one month to ensure the supply of quality farm inputs to farmers. “There is no shortage of fertilizers in the district,” he added. Meanwhile, Mr Suttantar Kumar, Chief Agriculture Officer, Farmers’ Training Institute, organised farmers’ training camps at district, block and village levels so that the farmers could be imparted training in the latest techniques that could be used for increasing crop production. “More than 10000 farmers have been provided with the latest know-how, and subsidy of up to 25 per cent is being offered to the farmers by the department for the purchase of farm equipment. We have already issued 210 tonnes of gypsum to the farmers on a huge subsidy of 50 per cent,” said Mr Suttantar Kumar. |
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Rs 12.39 crore for Kapurthala ‘Nirman’
Kapurthala, March 10 Out of Rs 12.39 crore, a total of Rs 8.34 crore had been allocated to rural areas, while Rs 4.05 crore would be spent for urban areas of the district, Mr Kumar added. To speed up the implementation, he spelt out a date-bound programme to officers. The distribution of cheques would be done on March 11 and 12, while the actual implementation work would start on March 14 in the entire district, he said. The Deputy Commissioner also directed all SDMs to send a report by the 20th of this month regarding the starting of works and problems, if any, being faced by them while executing the works. He also appealed to political leaders of the district to report the deficiencies, if any, in the implementation of the programme. Giving the break up of the total allocation, he said Kapurthala had been allocated Rs 1.87 crore and Nadala, Dhilwan, Phagwara and Sultanpur Lodhi Rs 1.42 crore, Rs 1.39 crore, Rs 2.03 crore and Rs 1.63 crore, respectively. |
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Doctors, paramedics protest against privatisation move
Jalandhar/Phagwara, March 10 The dharna was organised under the banner of the Joint Action Committee. Addressing the gathering, Dr M.B. Bali, PCMS Association’s senior vice-president, alleged that through privatisation, these dispensaries would take the shape of “shops and all the serving doctors, pharmacists and Class IV employees would be sent to other stations”. “Under the new system, a doctor will be retained on contract basis,” Dr Bali said. A similar protest rally was also organised on the Civil Hospital premises in Phagwara today by members of the PCMS Association, along with paramedical staff. They even abstained from duty for two hours in support of their demands. The rally was addressed by various PCMS Association leaders, including Dr Davinder Chhabra, and leader of the paramedical staff union, Mr Jhilmal Singh Bhinder. The leaders criticised the state government’s move to recruit 1,340 doctors on contract basis. |
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I-Tax Dept to set up Help Centres
Phagwara, March 10 Mr Jayant Didi, Additional Commissioner, Income Tax, said this today while addressing a “Meet the People” programme organised here. He added that the department would set up “Help Centres” in all its 514 offices across the country. The centres, he said, would start functioning from June 1, 2006. Mr Didi added that these Help Centres would be set up outside the Income Tax offices. The centres, he said, would have computers along with Internet facilities and all types of literature, besides tax forms. Addressing a gathering of more than 200 people from Phagwara, Nakodar, Phillaur and other adjoining areas, the Additional Commissioner said the department was paying more attention to tax evasions, money exchanges, transport and dhabas. |
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Ban on recycled plastic
Jalandhar, March 10 |
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