Jalandhar, January 2
The freezing temperatures past few days have started giving jitters to the potato farmers, who are fearing low yield. And their concern is genuine. 

The adverse effect of frost is already being seen on plants in Nakodar and Adampur region of Jalandhar district. The foliage of the late potato crop is reportedly getting withered, causing extensive damage to the plant.

Farmers are already reporting losses. Says a leading grower Mandeep Singh Lally: “Cold weather, coupled with frost is wreaking havoc on the crop. I am yet to assess my total losses.”

Agrees another farmer, Bhupinder Singh from Adampur. “At least 35 per cent of my standing potato crop has got damaged. The potato, which would have been ready in another one or one and a half months, has failed to attain its 
normal size. There aren’t many takers for the undersised crop. It is as good as wasted. The frost has also damaged the fodder crops,”
he added.

The Adampur meteorological department today recorded the minimum temperature as -2.6 degrees celsius. The minimum temperature is well below the subzero level since last week. “It was -0.6 on Tuesday, -3 on Monday and -2 degrees celsius on Sunday,” said defence PRO Naresh Vig. The weatherman has forecasted a foggy weather in the next few days.  

Jalandhar, January 2
Traffic woes in the city may soon be a thing of the past, going by Rs 100-crore projects announced by minister for local bodies Manoranjan Kalia here today.

Addressing mediapersons, the minister said the schemes had been chalked out in consultation with the municipal corporation to improve recurrent traffic problems.

The improvement trust will construct an elevated road from Football Chowk to Kapurthala Chowk and a flyover would be constructed from Lyallpur Khalsa College to the bus stand, Kalia said. The flyover would be extended up to Narinder Cinema later, he added. This project would be jointly constructed by the PIDB and the PWD at a cost of Rs 40 crore each, he said.

Another flyover would be constructed at a cost of Rs 15 crore at Brij Nagar, near Sodhal level crossing, to ease traffic congestion, Kalia added.

The under-construction flyover near DAV College would be completed by September-end, whereas the Do-Moria flyover would take some more time due to some railway line hurdle, 
the minister said.

He also hinted at setting up of traffic lights at Dr Ambedkar Chowk for proper regulation of traffic. Kalia said an international standard swimming pool was also being planned to be constructed at Burlton Park.

A plan for constructing a cricket stadium was also on the anvil, he said. Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal has agreed in principle for the project, Kalia added. 

Patiala, January 2
Jails in Punjab are set to go hi-tech with the installation of jammers and video-conferencing facility on the premises within the next two years. The project would cost Rs 55 crore.

DGP (Jails) Izhar Alam disclosed this at a meeting in the local Jail Training School yesterday. He said that earlier video-conferencing was not possible as certain legal formalities had to be adhered to and prisoners were required to be present in front of the judicial officers.

Now a bill for the provision of video-conferencing had been passed in the Vidhan Sabha. The facility would come into force once the Governor gives his consent to the bill.

Alam said there was no provision under the law to stop illegal usage of mobile phones in jails. However, he added that the jail superintendents had been empowered to stop the practice.

He further said the CCTV facility would soon be installed in Nabha jail since TADA detainees were lodged there.

The DGP distributed sweaters, blankets and shawls among jail inmates and wished them on New Year. School principal G.S. Sidhu, the deputy superintendent (jails) and other officials were also present. 

Phagwara, January 2
Even as the newly constructed bus stand here has been ready for the past one month, it has not been thrown open for use by the authorities which are perhaps awaiting a VVIP for its formal inauguration.

As a result, the buses are being parked outside the bus stand on either side of the road creating problems for the road-users and making that particular stretch of the GT Road highly accident-prone. Since the buses remain lined up on the roadside waiting for passengers, the area continues to be a major traffic bottleneck for the passers-by.

The new bus stand has been constructed on a 25 kanal and 11 marla plot, of which 7 kanal and 3 marlas belong to the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC). The remaining land is owned by the state government. The PRTC has got the bus stand constructed at a cost of nearly Rs 3.5 crore. An executive engineer of the corporation revealed, “A payment of Rs 2.9 crore has already been made while the remaining amount will be settled soon with a Panchkula-based contractor.”

The construction of the bus stand began more than two years back but the project remained held up for some time as the design was revised, additions were suggested and the previous contractor left the project mid-way.

The new contractor resumed work after some time. The pending works, including flooring of toilets, construction of sheds, concrete passages, grills and a staircase, have now been completed.

One can also see a huge tube-shaped, blue compartment with small windows. This actually is the fibre glass that covers the staircase for protecting the passengers from rough weather as they cross over to the other side.

There is a separate provision for the physically challenged. “Tricycles and a ramp will be placed at the bus stand so that such persons or the elderly could move on via a small gate between the grills that divide the local bus service side with the long route bus side,” said PRTC staff. 

Hoshiarpur, January 2
With the arrest of five persons, the district police claimed to have busted a gang of robbers involved in various incidents of looting.

SSP, Anita Punj stated here on Wednesday night that the city police has arrested the kingpin of the gang Sukhwinder Singh alias Gulla alias Sonu of Nangal (Dasuya), along with Naresh Kumar alias Neetu of Adamwal, PS Sadar Hoshiarpur, Harjodh Singh alias Jodha, Malkiat Singh alias Bhalwan and Mandip Singh alias Harbans Singh, all of Bhana PS Garhdiwala. The FIR for the crime was registered on December 31, 2007, under sections 382 and 395 of the IPC for snatching of Rs 20,000 and a mobile phone (no. 9463072488) from Sham Murari Shori of Akash Nagar, near a causeway on the by-pass of Bahadurpur road.

Police seized Rs 11,540, eight mobile phones, two motorcycles, swords, baseball bats and lathis from them.

The SSP stated that the accused had snatched the cash and mobile phone from Sham Murari Shori of Akash Nagar, while he was returning to his house on Monday night after mercilessly beating him.

Before beating Sham Murari Shori, they also beat a motorcyclist Pushpinder Singh of Gandhi Chowk, Bahadurpur and a scooterist.

Further interrogation is in progress and more disclosures are likely to be made by them, the SSP added. — OC 

Kapurthala, January 2
As many as 84 drug-addicts of different areas of the district have benefited from the drug de-addiction centre, “Navjeevan Kendra”, which was set up on the civil hospital premises a few months back.

These drug-addicts have taken part in the 21-day-long drug de-addiction course at the centre till December 31, sources at the hospital told The Tribune. Apart from these 84 drug-addicts, as many as 14 drug-addicts are still being treated at the 15-bedded “Navjeevan Kendra”, sources said, adding that drug-addicts were provided free medicines and food at the centre. Meanwhile, the district administration has decided to take the help of the Pendu Sikhiya Vikas Committees (PSVCs), set up under the Sarb Sikhiya Abhiyan, for spreading awareness among the youth against drug-addiction. A seminar of the PSVCs in this regard was held at Phagwara on Wednesday. Addressing the participants, Kapurthala deputy commissioner J.M. Balamurugan encouraged them to be treated at the kendra so that they could give up drugs.

Balamurugan said the youths would be encouraged to take part in different games. For achieving the purpose, sports material would be distributed in as many as 40 villages falling under Phagwara subdivision, he added.Apart from games, the youths would be urged to participate in extra-curricular activities. 

Ropar, January 2
The district administration has finalised a new site for the Ropar bus stand. Ropar deputy commissioner A.K. Sinha, while talking to The Tribune, said the bus stand would now be shifted to a site along Nirankari Bhawan on Ropar-Chandigarh road.

He said the present bus stand near the Ropar mini secretariat was too far for the residents of the town due to which a proposal of shifting it on the main road was sent to the government. The proposal had been accepted and work on it would start very soon.

He also said work on four-laning of Chandigarh-Kiratpur Sahib road was likely to start in the near future.

Under the said project, a flyover would be constructed over the Nangal railway crossing and it would help in decongestion of traffic in the area, he said.

The shopkeepers who are likely to displaced due to four-laning of road would be accommodated in the market area of New Transport Nagar, the deputy commissioner added. 

Phagwara, January 2
In order to prepare u-21 football team, the Punjab Football Association (PFA) will hold trials on at Government Senior Secondary School here on January 5.

Stating this in a press note, PFA honorary secretary and Arjuna awardee Inder Singh said the team would be selected for participation in the 17th u-21 national football championship for the year 2007-08 going to be held at Madurai in Tamil Nadu from February 1 to 17.

Those persons are eligible for trials who were born on or after January 1, 1988, the press note stated, adding they should bring their date of birth certificates with them for taking part in the trial.— TNS