The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Himachal Pradesh Edition

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

Day after, village still under pall of gloom
Chuhad Chak (Moga), December 15
Residents of Purana (old) and Nawa (New) Chuhad Chak remained under a pall of gloom and despair and many of them did not light their hearths. The impact of the ghastly accident was visible on the faces of its residents and a desolate stretch of the railway crossing.

Villagers grieve over the loss of their dear ones at Chuhad Chak village in Moga.
— Tribune photos by Malkiat Singh

Travel agents duping Punjab youth should be taken to task: LBP chief
Pakho Kanchian (Barnala), December 15
To redress the grievances of the families, whose wards are facing problems in foreign countries, a monthly public darbar will be organised at Barnala. Giving the information, Lok Bhalai Party president Balwant Singh Ramowalia said that Punjabis were facing hardships abroad, particularly in Arab countries.

Lok Bhalai Party president Balwant Singh Ramowalia along with the youth rescued from Manila.
— A Tribune photograph

Nostalgic reunion marks CIH function
Bathinda, December 15
Rich tributes were paid to martyrs who had laid down their lives defending the country, as curtain rung down on the three-day sesquicentenary celebrations of the Central India Horse regiment that began on Thursday with an impressive multi-religion memorial service, sanctified by four religious teachers. Lt. General Pradeep Khanna releasing the ‘Special Day Cover’ issued by the Army Postal Service in Bathinda

Lt. General Pradeep Khanna releasing the ‘Special Day Cover’ issued by the Army Postal Service in Bathinda on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh

Cultural extravaganza at annual day
Bathinda, December 15
It was fun, frolic and entertainment all the way with students presenting an exciting cultural programme at the annual day function of Saint Paul’s High School here today. The cultural extravaganza, packed with musical and dance items and plays, enthralled the audience.
A fancy dress display by the children of Saint Paul’s School in Bathinda on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Kulbir Beera

Complaints galore welcome BSNL chief
Fazilka, December 15
A flurry of complaints, including congestion on signal routes, breakdown, frequent disconnections and one-way traffic, came to the fore as BSNL’s general manager G.S.Gill visited Fazilka today to inaugurate the online telephone bill payment counter and the renovated office of the customer service centre.

Film posters causing concern
Abohar, December 15
Some cinema operators are flouting the orders of the district magistrate, which prohibits the pasting of obscene posters on the city walls. Apart from the boundary walls of local Gaushala, the walls of some educational institutions also bear the objectionable posters causing embarrassment to the passersby.

Blue bull hunters still at large in Abohar
Abohar, December 15
Even on day five, there has been no breakthrough in identifying those who had reportedly killed a blue bull (Neel Gai) near the periphery of Asia’s largest wildlife open sanctuary here.

Agri camp organised
Moga, December 15
A camp for educating farmers about new developments and scientific techniques in agriculture was organised on Friday at village Chottiyan Khurd on Ferozepur road. Sucha Singh Langah, agriculture minister, inaugurated the exhibition showcasing the paintings of the President’s award winner Harnek Singh Rode.

Teachers criticise govt policies
Mansa, December 15
Thirteen teachers’ associations have decided to hold a meeting at Jalandhar on December 16 regarding the starting of agitation in support of their demands. The associations had set up the Save Government School Education Manch.

TB awareness camp held in Mansa village
Mansa, December 15
The District TB Control Society here organised an awareness camp at village Alampura Mandran. District TB Officer Nishan Singh suggested to the people that if someone had cough for over three weeks, he should get himself checked at the nearest microscopy centre, free of cost.

One held for forgery
Abohar, December 15
One person was arrested for preparing fake documents for registration of vehicles. Deputy Superintendent of Police Parampal Singh said today that the members of the inter-state gang, recently nabbed by the police here, disclosed that they had been getting fake documents prepared from Jaitu in Faridkot district for resale of stolen vehicles.

Doc robbed by gunmen
Bathinda, December 15
Vijay Gupta, a doctor residing in Civil Lines reported to the police about the theft at his house on Friday night. Police sources said cash worth Rs 1,25,000, watches and gold, all worth nearly Rs 5 lakh were stolen from his residence.

	Valmiki row: Tension defused Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, December 15 An untoward incident was prevented today with the timely intervention of the district administration. There were some tense moments earlier during the day as a statue of Guru Valmiki was reportedly damaged at Valmiki Chowk, here on Friday. The incident came to notice when a regular cleaner of the statue found its face damaged and the glass fixed before it, broken, on Saturday morning. As word spread, the followers of Valmiki based in the city began assembling at the place where the statue is located. At the same time, a large number of cops and senior officials reached the spot to handle the situation. The president of Valmiki Samaj, Bathinda, Hans Raj Bharti, said he came to know of the incident in the morning when some persons complained to him. "We immediately reported the matter to the administration and requested them to handle it. We have submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner listing six demands and he has assured us of immediate action," he added. A large crowd gathered at the site was of the view that a case should be registered against unidentified miscreants for defiling a place of worship with the intention of insulting the beliefs of a section of the population. The administration took pre-emptive steps to defuse the tense situation. The statue was covered with clothes to prevent the media persons from highlighting the issue. Meanwhile, the administration took upon itself the responsibility of installing a new statue of Guru Valmiki over there. DC Rahul Tewari said, "The administration has assured that the idol would be immersed in the Ganga at Haridwar and a new statue would be brought from Jaipur. In fact, a committee has been formed to look into the purchase of a new statue." When contacted, SSP Naunihal Singh said that probe orders had been issued and those guilty would not be spared.
	Cash reward of Rs 1,100 Civil surgeon shows the way in family planning Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, December 15 “I have opted for vasectomy to set an example for the common man. People must understand that if the civil surgeon himself has undergone this minor operation, there is no harm in it and they can opt for this technique of family planning,” Bathinda civil surgeon Maninderjit Singh said this here today. The civil surgeon informed that a camp had been held at Goniana to demonstrate the non-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) technique. The camp had exceeded its target as 370 males underwent vasectomy in seven days. The civil surgeon also said that the government has fixed a cash reward of Rs 1,100 for every person who undergoes vasectomy and Rs 200 to the motivator. If someone comes on his own, he would be given Rs 1,300 as reward. Speaking on the issue, the civil surgeon disclosed that 10 persons from the Air Force Station, Bhisiana, also underwent vasectomy and were comfortable with the technique. “We have a target of 1,195 NSV cases in the year 2007-08, whereas 870 has already been achieved. As per the statistics, we were number one in the state and hope to achieve the target this year also,” he said. “Even after distributing the rewards, we have 4 lakhs in hand which the government had granted us for encouraging a person to opt for non-scalpel vasectomy,” said Maninderjit Singh. The civil surgeon also disclosed that the Civil Hospital is going to hold a free health fair from December 21-23 in which medical tests of all types will be provided free of cost.
	Day after, village still under pall of gloom Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Chuhad Chak (Moga), December 15 Residents of Purana (old) and Nawa (New) Chuhad Chak remained under a pall of gloom and despair and many of them did not light their hearths. The impact of the ghastly accident was visible on the faces of its residents and a desolate stretch of the railway crossing. No doubt that very few people were commuting through the road. Finding it difficult to come to terms, even the visit of education minister Upinderjit Kaur could not lift the sagging morale of villagers. There is a distance of nearly 4 km between the old and new Chuhad Chak. The village got divided into the two following the migration of some of the families to their farmland for residence, earning the prefix ‘Nawa.’ Hardly 25 houses are located in the Nawa area of this village falling on the Jagraon road. Mostly, the students commute the distance to attend classes at Government Senior Secondary School located at Purana Chuhad Chak. Hence, the education minister visited the families of the eight students who perished in the accident between the train and the mini-bus yesterday. Upinderjit Kaur announced a relief of Rs 52,000 to all the families who lost their dear ones and Rs 5,000 to the injured out of the education department funds. She informed that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had decided to give Rs one lakh as grant and a job to each member of the families of those killed. People expressed their condolence and sympathy for the grieving families. Families, who were raising their children with great expectations hoping for their bright future, found all their hopes dashed. Leaders from all the political parties expressed their sympathy with the families to help them overcome the impact of the tragedy. Student of B.A part one at Lala Lajpat Rai College, Dhudike, Rupinder Singh, said that he was at the bus stand in the Purana village when a friend told him about the massive tragedy. He said with a hint of despair in his voice that his uncle’s son Jagdeep Singh, 14, had received multiple fractures. Jagdeep was presently being treated at the DMC, Ludhiana, he added. Earlier, he had been admitted to the Civil Hospital in Jagraon. Raghbir Singh, an employee of the Cooperative Society, said he avoided the route, reminiscent of yesterday’s fatal accident, to go to his office.
	Travel agents duping Punjab youth should be taken to task: LBP chief Kamlesh Sharma Pakho Kanchian (Barnala), December 15 To redress the grievances of the families, whose wards are facing problems in foreign countries, a monthly public darbar will be organised at Barnala. Giving the information, Lok Bhalai Party (LBP) president Balwant Singh Ramowalia said that Punjabis were facing hardships abroad, particularly in Arab countries. The darbar would aim at rescuing the innocent youths residing illegally in foreign lands. Ramowalia, who was in the city to attend a social function, said that at present, his party had received about a dozen complaints from the Malwa region regarding deceit by travel agents. Their families had paid huge sums to these travel agents to settle in foreign countries, ranging between Rs 5 and 10 lakh per person. Speaking to media persons here today, Ramowalia introduced five youths that his party had rescued from Manila recently. They were Surinder Singh, Gurchet Singh, Gurjinder Singh, all residents of Sekha village, and Gursewak Singh and Amandeep Singh, both from Tallewal village. The president said that these youths had paid lakhs of rupees to travel agents for greener pastures. But unfortunately, the travel agents concerned cheated them and they had to live in inhuman conditions in Manila. These youths were provided with only one room and had to exist on one meal only. As soon as his party received the information, they tapped their connections to rescue these youths. Ramowalia appealed to the district administration that it should take strict action against the erring travel agents and help these youths to get their money back.
	Nostalgic reunion marks CIH function Bhanu P. Lohumi Tribune News Service Bathinda, December 15 Rich tributes were paid to martyrs who had laid down their lives defending the country, as curtain rung down on the three-day sesquicentenary celebrations of the Central India Horse (CIH) regiment that began on Thursday with an impressive multi-religion memorial service, sanctified by four religious teachers. The ceremony was followed by a wreath laying ceremony at the CIH War Memorial led by Lt Gen Pradeep Khanna, General Officer Commanding, 21 Corps, and colonel of the regiment and Col P. S. Minhas, Commandant, CIH and Maj Gen (retd.) Umrao Singh, Risaldar Major Malkiat Singh, the senior most retired JCO Risaldar and Major Karam Singh also laid a wreath. Col Mark Ridley, who had especially come from Britain to join the ceremony, laid a wreath on behalf of the UK CIH Association. General Khanna who also inspected the Quarter guard on the occasion, called upon the troops to do good work with greater vigour and dedication. Former vice-chief of the army Lt Gen B. S. Thakur, Maj Gen Umrao Singh Risaldar (both retired) Major Karam Singh and Kuldip Raj Gupta also addressed the meet. A congratulatory message from Jaswant Singh, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, who was the Adjutant of the Regiment in 1965 and later retired from the service in 1966, was also read out on the occasion. A ‘Special Day Cover’, issued by the Army Postal Service, was also released on the occasion by Gen Khanna who also gave away prizes to the various squadrons of the regiment for carrying out commendable work in different fields. Mementoes were presented by units affiliated to the regiment in the past and by the UK CIH Association, which included a replica of George Cross of 2 Lt Graham Young, a silver salver and portrait of Capt H. O. Maynes, the founder of the CIH. The celebrations came to a close with the customary anniversary dinner at the Regimental Officers Mess, which was attended by nearly 400 regimental guests, several serving officers with their families and other dignitaries.
	Cultural extravaganza at annual day Tribune News Service Bathinda, December 15 It was fun, frolic and entertainment all the way with students presenting an exciting cultural programme at the annual day function of Saint Paul’s High School here today. The cultural extravaganza, packed with musical and dance items and plays, enthralled the audience. The function started with a welcome address and the lighting of the lamps, which was followed with a recital of ‘Vande Mataram’. The impressive fancy dress show and the striking Jumbo dance, presented by tiny-tots, cast a spell on the spectators. The Hindi play ‘Ekta Main Bal Hai’ stressing on need for unity and Punjabi play ‘Sadda Ki Kasoor Hai’, a satire on female foeticide, conveyed effective messages. The principal, A. K. Lawrence informed about the achievements of the school. Chief guest Y. P. Monga, MD of Nzoia Autos, Nairobi, and guest of honour K. P. Venu Gopal, principal, Malwa School, Gidderbaha, distributed prizes to the toppers of class X and Class XII.

	Film posters causing concern Our Correspondent Abohar, December 15 Some cinema operators are flouting the orders of the district magistrate, which prohibits the pasting of obscene posters on the city walls. Apart from the boundary walls of local Gaushala, the walls of some educational institutions also bear the objectionable posters causing embarrassment to the passersby. Most of the cinema owners had reportedly leased the cinema houses to private operators, who were least concerned about providing basic facilities to the cinemagoers. Pasting of posters and writing of publicity material is a violation under the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act. Here, even the boundary walls of government schools, stadium and parks were not spared, residents rued.
	Blue bull hunters still at large in Abohar Our Correspondent Abohar, December 15 Even on day five, there has been no breakthrough in identifying those who had reportedly killed a blue bull (Neel Gai) near the periphery of Asia’s largest wildlife open sanctuary here. While the officials did not respond to the repeated calls on their mobiles, the residents of Bahadurkhera and Malukpura villages said that a resident of village Rajan Wali, one of the 13 villages in the sanctuary area, had spotted a few body parts of the blue bull in the fields between Bahadurkhera and Malukpura villages. The hunters, unidentified till date, had left with the rest of the body leaving some limbs behind on the spot. The villagers said they had found sharp-edged weapons and footwears at the spot and reported the matter to the forest officials. The officials, after burying the limbs, assured them that the district officials would be requested to initiate a probe. However, follow-up action by the department was still awaited, sources said. It is pertinent to mention that in 1997, the state government had come under fire for issuing licences to some individuals for killing blue bulls. However, the subsequent government had reversed the decision and withdrew all such permissions.
	Agri camp organised Moga, December 15 A camp for educating farmers about new developments and scientific techniques in agriculture was organised on Friday at village Chottiyan Khurd on Ferozepur road. Sucha Singh Langah, agriculture minister, inaugurated the exhibition showcasing the paintings of the President’s award winner Harnek Singh Rode. The paintings highlight friendly and enemy pests besides touching various vital aspects of farming. The agriculture minister said that the sale of adulterated seed, fertiliser, manure and pesticide would not be allowed and the guilty would be dealt with sternly. On the occasion, calendars highlighting Mealy bug were distributed. Experts expressed their views on Rabi and Kharif crops and measures to reduce the cost of farm input. The camp was organised by Karnail Singh, former district president, BKU, Bhupinder Singh, former sarpanch of the village for the welfare of tillers. — TNS
	Teachers criticise govt policies Mansa, December 15 Thirteen teachers’ associations have decided to hold a meeting at Jalandhar on December 16 regarding the starting of agitation in support of their demands. The associations had set up the Save Government School Education Manch. The teachers’ associations criticised the state government’s policy of passing on the affairs of government schools to private hands. District president of the ETT Teachers Union Hardeep Singh Sidhu said they had decided to start an agitation in this regard. For this purpose, the teachers’ associations had launched a common platform. — OC