Bathinda, November 14
Several hectares of agricultural land were inundated in yet another breach in a canal flowing between Adarsh Nagar and Mandir Colony in Bathinda town this evening. The gushing waters overflowing from breached edges of the Behman canal sent alarm bells ringing and panic gripped people.

This was the fourth canal breach in the town in the past five days and the district authorities did not rule out the possibility of sabotage. Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari, who immediately reached the spot, said it was cause for alarm and the matter would be probed.

However, the locals blamed it on the laxity of the authorities saying they had not constructed paved embankments, making it prone to breaches.

The residents rued that the canal has become a nightmare for the people and they were suffering losses. The low-lying areas submerged under water are cultivated lands and farmers had sown the wheat crop recently. The breach, which occurred around 7 pm, was noticed in time by some members of Naujawan Welfare Society, an NGO, who took steps to plug the leak by dumping gunny bags.

Local residents said the breach could be due to non-utilisation of water from the canal by people facing waterlogging. The continuous overflow of canal over the earthen embankments could also cause a breach, said Sukhdev Singh, a resident of the area.

Fortunately, the breached tributary was only 4 km from the canal head and release of water from the main canal has been stopped and the situation is under control.

Bathinda, November 14
Surjit Kaur, a woman in her 60s hailing from Bhokhra village has been visiting the city daily for the past two days to decorate Heritage Village, Jaipalgarh, being built at the local sports stadium for the forthcoming Malwa Heritage Festival. She is one of the 150 odd men and women engaged in the beautification of this heritage village in Bathinda city.

This heritage village is decorated every year before the Heritage Festival being held in the month of November at sports stadium for the last two years consecutively.

Heritage village Jaipalgarh is a man-made village that was constructed in the year 2004 by Malwa Heritage Foundation, Bathinda, in four acres of land. It showcases almost all forms of Punjabi culture and heritage.

The village has houses of potters, weavers, ‘Zaildara di Haveli’ and ‘Chachi Atro da Ghar’, all of which had a traditional touch. ‘Vailian da Verah’, a meeting point of mischievous elements in the village, attracted people’s attention. The village also had a ‘madarasa’, a well and a ‘sath’ where its residents get together. A model of the historic Qila Mubarak was also constructed. Various food stalls serving typical Punjabi delicacies like ‘makki di roti’ and sarson da saag’, were also put up.

Dileep Kaur, a worker at the spot, said her whole group was involved in the job and was truly excited, as today’s concrete houses didn’t leave any scope for the traditional work on walls or verandah. She lamented that the new generation didn’t have any idea about it as the tradition was fading away with time. ``All these art works are a window to peep into the glorious history of Punjab.’’ Harvinder Singh Khalsa, chief organiser, Malwa Heritage Foundation, said, “We wanted to preserve our Punjabi tradition, which is fading away fast after the intrusion of the West.” 

Bathinda, November 14
Colourful cultural programmes and kids competitions marked the children’s day celebrations here today. A wide spectrum of cultural items and competitive events presented by school children made the day special and some social organisations also joined the efforts of the kids.

The day was celebrated with a difference in St Joseph school where teachers reversed the role and performed the functions normally assigned to the students. The morning assembly was convened by the teachers, who recited the morning poems and wrote down the thought for the day. The thrust of the function was to inculcate moral values and the Principal, Sister Ophleia aptly elaborated it in her speech.

A variety of cultural programmes made the day memorable at Dasmesh Public Senior Secondary School where students demonstrated their talent through dances, skits, songs and fancy dress. The Principal, Ravinder Singh, said that the motivation behind these progammes was to tap students’ talent.

Gaiety and fervour marked the day at Arya Samaj Girls School as the atmosphere was filled with fragrance of patriotic songs. The Child Welfare Society that runs three evening schools, a school for deaf and dumb and MGD, arranged a painting competition and distributed sweets.

It was rare spectacle at the function organized by Diamond Welfare Society at Teachers Home near old bus stand with children from different schools participating in fancy dress, solo dance and story-telling competitions. A talent hunt competition (voice of Bathinda) organized at Teachers Home turned out to be a star attraction with budding talents regaling the audience. Sandeep and Yogesh won the first and second prizes respectively. But the main highlight of the day was a colourful function by the tiny tots of Strawberry Fields, which also celebrated its annual day on the occasion.

Bathinda, November 14
Subodh belongs to Bihar, but works in Bathinda. He sends part of his salary home every month. Nothing unusual about it as one could find many migrants here. But there is one thing that sets him apart from others. He is only 13-year-old and washes dishes at a tea-stall situated on Mall Road.

“My father has died recently. That’s why I am working here,” he said adding that his salary is Rs 900. Most importantly, he works nine hours every day, without any leaves.

Rajan works in a dhaba, along side Bathinda railway station, which is India’s largest railway junction. He takes orders from customers and picks up the leftovers with his little hands. When asked what his aim was in life, he was speechless.

Children at another dhaba in the city too appeared to be malnourished and frightened to reveal their names. The youngest of them started crying, when asked his name.

Around 19 per cent of the world’s children live in India. According to the 2001 Census, around 440 million in the country are below 18 years of age. It means that there is a huge population that needs to be cared and loved.

India is home to one of the richest men in the world but it is also home to poorest children in the world. According to a report, ‘Study on Child Abuse in India, 2007,’ conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, there are around 1,104 lakh child labourers in India, which is highest in the world.

Employing a child, aged below 14 years is punishable under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. But after October 10, 2006, it has been made illegal to employ them at food joints, roadside dhabas and as domestic servants. Those employing children are liable to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 and imprisonment for one year.

The Technical Advisory Committee on Child Labour, while recommending this ban, had said that these children are subjected to physical violence, psychological traumas and at times even sexual abuse. It said that invariably such incidents go unnoticed and unreported as they take place in the close confines of the households or dhabas or restaurants.

But one can rob the innocence, if someone is 14 years and 1 day old. This is the irony of the Act. There is no provision for the protection of those who are between 14-18 years.

Bathinda’s labour department had issued 35 challans against people using child labour in the last one year. Out of these, 30 were against hotel or dhaba owners. But there is no facility for the rehabilitation of these kids. They are uneducated and provide cheap labour. That’s why, they are employed. Most of them are from UP and Bihar.

Children’s Day celebrations are not for Rajans and Subodhs. From their appearance, they are childlike, but are forced to behave with a lot of maturity.

Bathinda, November 14
A faculty development workshop focusing on the 'teaching of English' was today organised at the campus of ICFAI in Bathinda. Lecturers and teachers from various colleges and schools of Bathinda, Ferozpur, Abohar, Malout, Talwandi Sabo, Kotkapura and Rampura participated in the workshop. Emphasising on the innovative methods of teaching, Professor, Regional Centre, Punjabi University P S Romana and Principal, DAV college J S Anand enlighten the teachers of the up coming methodologies and standards. Center head, ICFAI National College, Puja Sharma also presented mementos to the participants. —TNS

Ferozepur, November 14
Power supply to streetlights in Ferozepur was restored today by the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) as the municipal committee deposited an amount of Rs 10 lakhs as partial payment and promised to clear all pending arrears soon.

Jagdish Chander Wadhwa, executive officer of the municipal committee said the supply of power to streetlights has been restored as the committee has deposited a token amount of Rs 10 lakh today.

Wadhwa said the arrears would be cleared as soon as some funds are made available to the committee.

But the overall condition of the municipal committee and the apathy of the government has invited public wrath. The infighting amidst the municipal councillors has made the fiscal condition of the MC precarious as the total liabilities of the committee stand at a staggering Rs 5 crore.

Sources said the actual debt include dues amounting to over Rs 2 crores towards the PSEB. On account of these long pending arrears, the PSEB had yesterday snapped the power connection of streetlights that saw the city roads go dark and commuters had to bear the brunt.

Councillor P. C. Kumar said the condition of the MC was so bad that they themselves have recommended several times that the committee should be dissolved and some administrator should be appointed here by the government.

He said apart from the huge liabilities of the MC, the overall condition of water supply, sewerage, and cleanliness was deplorable.

All political leaders representing this area were responsible for this condition as they have always played the politics of divide and rule in their own interests, and none of them bothered about people’s welfare, he said.

The condition in the city is so bad that even a slight drizzle inundates the town, particularly the interiors and the low-lying areas.

The bumpy roads dotted with potholes become a cesspool and the faulty sewerage system further augments public woes.

Even the Circular Road, the most important road in the city, is in a bad shape. The potholes were filled up temporarily during the CM’s visit last month, but things are back to square one now.

Leading radiologist of the town, Dr Vikas Arora said the condition of roads, availability of potable water and cleanliness in the town, which should have been a matter of prime concern, seem to be nowhere on the agenda of the administration.

Ironically, the MC is sans any Executive Officer (EO) of its own for the past some time, as EO Faridkot has been given the additional charge of this place for the last three months.

Even no Deputy Director (Local Government) has been posted here after the retirement of the last incumbent, Darshan Singh Grewal.

Another councillor, Chander Mohan Handa, said Executive Officers have been transferred many times during the last five years, and now no officer wants to get posted here as they often become a scapegoat due to the infighting in MC.

Handa said even some tubewells were out of order which has affected the supply of drinking water to residents.

Ferozepur, November 14
Member of Parliament Zora Singh Mann, while talking to media persons here today, said the Hussaniwala-Lahore border, if reopened for trade and transit, would give tremendous boost to the economy of Malwa belt, thereby benefiting lakhs of people including traders and businessmen.

Mann said he had taken up the issue many times in parliament and the same had been discussed with the Prime Minister also, but due to the uncertain political scenario in Pakistan, no tangible result could be achieved till date.

Mann was here to inaugurate the basketball stadium, constructed on the premises of the Police Lines, for which the grant was provided from the MPLAD funds.

DIG Ishwar Chander, SSP Dinesh Pratap, SP Headquarters Harjinder Singh, Bahadur Singh and Paramjit Singh, both DSPs, besides residents of the Police Lines, were present on the occasion.

While talking to media, Mann said in nine assembly segments under this parliamentary constituency, almost 100 km of roads had been widened and resurfaced at an estimated cost of Rs 84 crore.

He said the SAD-BJP government was committed to the development of the state for which no stone shall be left unturned.

Mann further said the work on Abohar-Fazilka rail line was also going on and the same would be completed soon.

The MP condemned the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for meting out step-motherly treatment to Punjab farmers as no compensation had been announced for farmers, who committed suicide due to financial crunch, whereas the same had been provided for those belonging to states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Faridkot, November 14
Ramandeep Kaur Brar of Dasmesh Public School and Navneet Kaur of Baba Farid Public School, were declared the winner and runners-up in the district painting competition held as part of celebrations for Children’s Day here today.

R K Meena, deputy commissioner, distributed the prizes among the winners. At a function organised at Baba Farid Cultural Centre, Meena, Rs 10,800 was distributed among nine handicapped children.

Navraj Brar of Dasmesh Public School and Navneet Kaur, of Baba Farid Public School, were adjudged first and second in the 9-12 age-group.

In the special group competition for children in 5-10 year age-group, Vijay Kumar and Anchal Goel, both from Umang Red Cross Special School for mentally retarded children, came first and second, respectively.

Shamsher Singh, from Umeed Red Cross Special School for Deaf and Dumb and Saurabh Girdhar of Umang, were adjudged the winner and runners-up in a special competition for children in the 11-18 year age-group.

Kulbir Kaur of New Model School came first in paper reading contest while the Delhi Public School International topped in folk group song.

Bathinda, November 14
In a bizarre incident, two sisters, Shma Rani (30) and Shabnam (25) allegedly attempted to commit suicide following the alleged suicide by their brother, Shekhar Kansal (26) at their house in Harpal Nagar, late in the evening, here today.

Sources said Shekhar was believed to be mentally depressed after the death of his mother about a month back. He reportedly consumed some poisonous substance to end his life.

His relatives said Shekhar was to get married on November 26.

Sources said that soon after receiving the information regarding the death of their brother, both the sisters cut their veins and jumped from the terrace of their house despite attempts made to prevent them from taking the extreme step.

Shekhar was rushed to the civil hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. The girls were rushed to the hospital where doctors confirmed fractures and head injuries.

Fazilka, November 14
The sub-divisional level science fair was held at Hedgewar Stadium of the Sarv Hitkari Senior Secondary School, here today. Around 250 students from 32 elementary and senior secondary schools of Fazilka participated in the fair and displayed scientific models with different themes.

MLA Surjit Kumar Jyani, who was the chief guest at the programme, lauded the efforts of the school children in preparing models with important themes.

Harbans Singh Chahal, District Education Officer (Secondary), Ferozepur, presided over the programme. He said science fair encourages students to take up the study of science and its implications in development.

Results: Diksha Bajaj and Arjun of Holy Heart School Fazilka got the first prize for their model on water harvesting; Gurdial Singh of Government High School Asafwala Village got the second prize for model of water purifier for theme No. 1; Dipak Kumar of Government Senior Secondary School Fazilka got the first prize for model of straw reaper; Ravinder Kumar and Ashok Kumar of Government High School Shajrana village secured the second prize for vermiculture model under theme No. 2; Vishesh Guria of the Sarv Hitkari School, Fazilka, got the first prize for hydroelectric power plant model; Mandeep Singh of Government High School village, Arniwala, got the second prize for the production and use of solar energy under theme No. 3. Rustam of Government Senior Secondary School, Fazilka, got the first prize for a model of fire signal and Gaurav Kamboj of Government High School Village, Arniwala, got the second prize for model of flood control method under theme No. 4 of disaster management. Kamaldeep and Surjit Singh of Government Senior Secondary School, Fazilka (Boys), got the first prize while Sunil Kumar and Varinder Singh of Government High School, Asafwala and Sabuana got the second prize under theme No. 5 for mathematical modelling.

Gurmail Singh of Government High School, Hasta Kalan village, got the first prize for a model of electromagnetic crane and Sakshi of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Fazilka, and Gurpreet Singh of Government High School, Kamalawla village, shared the second prize for their models of eclipse and communication system under theme No. 6 regarding educational technology.

In the elementary section, Vishesh Guria of Sarv Hitkari School got the first prize for a model of hydroelectric power plant and Sahil Kataria of the Shivalik Public School, Fazilka, got the second prize for soil conservation model.

In chart making competition, Amandeep Kaur of the Holy Heart School got the first prize while Narinderpal Singh of the Sarv Hitkari School got the second prize.

In quiz competition, Navneet Kumar and Priyanka of Government Senior School, Lalowali village, got the first prize, while Ruchika and Chander Kala of Government Senior School of Kheowali Dhab village, stood second. In poster-making competition, Minkul Kapoor of the Holy Heart School got the first prize while Paras Kumar of the Government High School Khui Khera village got the second prize.

The winners received prizes from chief guest  MLA Surjit Kumar Jyani and DEO Harbans Singh Chahal.

Muktsar, November 14
The Punjabi literature, treating contemporary challenges in human society, needs the attention of the print and electronic media to convey its message among the masses in today’s era of transformation.

This consensus came out in response to a query whether literature was making its impact in the form of alternatives to the present multidimensional crises prevailing in Punjab at a symposium held at the Panjab University Regional Centre, here.

“First, it is important to know the relevance and significance of our culture and literature before we ponder upon the debate of how well the cultural and literary forms could tackle contemporary challenges like crisis in agriculture sector, farmers’ suicide, female foeticide, erosion in our education system and other deformities related to the era of globalisation and liberalisation,” renowned literary critic Dr Amarjit Grewal said.

He said farmers, who had once been the torch-bearers of the country’s green revolution, were eroding the present social fabric in Punjab to an extent.

“Destruction of our resources, both human and natural, and the erosion of our value systems because of our growing alienation from our own cultural values is evident today,” he said. Dr Grewal said there was a need to realise the potential of the naturally emerging cultural industry in the form of media, entertainment, design, fashion and the cyber world. “But we continued to be surrounded in our notions that agriculture was the only medium for society to grow in Punjab,” he said.

Significantly, he pointed out that the Jat Sikh (high peasantry class) community had always been suppressing the lower classes belonging to different occupations and this led to an imbalance in the state’s social fabric as well as its economic downfall.

“The landlords never realised the potential of not only the Dalits but also of those related to their occupations like carpenters, ironsmiths and barbers etc..”          

It was also realised on the occasion that the emergence of BSP supremo Mayawati was an achievement, if one looks at the rise of the downtrodden classes in the given poliitcal system.

Guru Nanak College for Girls, Muktsar, principal Tejinder Kaur Dhaliwal said on the occasion that writers like Taslima Nasreen and Arundhati Roy were a ray of hope for all those concerned over the crises in their respective fields.  “Literature could of course play a revolutionary role,” she said.  

Creative people must be target-oriented to achieve their goals, she added.

Faridkot, November 14
A woman today alleged that two property dealers here raped her on Wednesday.

The Faridkot city police station registered a case based on her complaint against the duo, Paramjit Singh and Jagjit Singh.

The victim said the accused entered her house on the pretext of finding her a plot at a nominal cost.

However, upon finding that the victim was alone in the house, the accused allegedly committed the crime.