Mansa, April 4
The recent breach in the Bhakra Main Branch Canal at the Fatehpur head on Wednesday has once again raised concern over the restoration of canal infrastructure.

According to information available, the onus of carrying out repair work of this canal lies with Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. The officials in the canal department said that due to continuous use, the lining of this canal had been badly damaged. Even the bed had been eroded at many places.

They added that the gates and gears installed in the channel were in such a condition that it was difficult to operate them even in ordinary conditions.

The very purpose of these gates is nullified when the flow of water can not be stopped. Drains, hollow joints and weak embankments further add to the woes of people in the area.

Xen of canal department, Makhan Garg, said there was a big difficulty in carrying out the repair work as 90 to 95 per cent share of the funds was to be given by the Haryana and Rajasthan governments, who had shown only indifference.

Realising all these difficulties, a joint inspection was undertaken by the Punjab and Haryana government officials in September 2007. A project estimated at Rs 4 crore was submitted to the Haryana government. A major part of this fund was to be provided by the Haryana government in proportion to the water being used from the canal.

But sadly, the Haryana government had failed to provide funds, he added.

It is notable that this issue also came up for discussion in the Punjab Assembly.

The officials of the canal department said that the issue was a cause for worry as there was danger to life and property of villages around the canal. And if a breach occurs, the supply of water would be stopped for at least a month, apart from causing other inconvenience to the people.

Haryana irrigation minister Captain Ajay Singh Yadav said the canal was common to both the states and Haryana had provided funds for the repair.

But he alleged that the Punjab officials could not provide the proof of having utilised the money allocated for the purpose. He assured that Haryana would provide the required funds for the repair.

Abohar, April 4
Scores of farmers from villages in the Khuyiansarwar block staged a demonstration inside the Canal Colony here today to express resentment over the alleged discrimination in providing canal water for irrigation.

Interestingly, as soon as the news of farmers marching towards the divisional office of the irrigation department reached the officials, they left their offices.

The farmers, led by Gurjant Singh, the block president of 
the Bharatiya Kisan Union, virtually lay seige to the office building and raised slogans against the officials.

Gurjant Singh and general secretary Gurdeep Singh Danewalia alleged that the farmers received poor supply of canal water on Wednesday and Thursday. The department had ignored the BKU charter of demands on this issue under pressure from some political heavy weights, they alleged, adding that this had not only adversely affected wheat yield but also caused loss to orchards in the region.

They further alleged that some influential landlords had tampered with the Bakayanwala and Panjawa sub-canals to draw more water at the cost of others. The department had not taken up remodelling of old sub-canals and water bodies which had been constructed during the pre-independence era.

Gurjant Singh lambasted the SAD-BJP government for depriving the farmers of this tail-end sub-division of their legitimate rights by supplying canal water to Rajasthan through the KSD canal to appease the BJP-led government in the neighbouring state. This illegal practice should be stopped immediately, he demanded.

Those who addressed the protesters included Sahab Ram, Jaspal Singh Danewala, Gurvinder Singh, Krishan Lal Bakayanwala, Rajwinder Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Hanuman Dass Seetogunno, Budh Ram Bishnoi, Mool Chand Amarpura, Subhash Bhagsar and Baldev Delu.

Later, BKU spokesman Ravinder Singh said that the XEN had on phone invited the five-member committee of the union to discuss the issues on Monday. He also assured that the sub-divisional engineer would be asked to visit the affected villages.

Bathinda, April 4
Revamping of canals at a cost of Rs 3,250 crore— the gift for Punjab announced with much fanfare by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at his birthday celebrations in Bathinda on December 8, 2007 seems set to run into rough weather. The announcement ostensibly was only an attempt to placate people because funds for the purpose are singularly absent.

Celebrating his birthday in the presence of thousands of people and a number of state and national-level dignitaries, the CM had announced the launching of the project for the state, terming it as a return gift to people of the state.

A document received under the RTI Act, memo number 2939, dated March 19, 2008, reveals the actual condition. The details of the document procured indicate that the government has no funds to support the project.

But the government is keen to take the credit for the work initiated by the Union government under the AIBP scheme and it has also taken loan from NABARD for the purpose.

It has been clearly mentioned that for some canals like the Bist Doab, Bathinda branch, Sidhwa branch and Abohar branch, there is a proposal to take grant from the Union government under the AIBP scheme. For the rest, it has not yet been decided whether the state government would release funds or the loan would be taken from other agencies.

Interestingly, the state irrigation department has prepared a plan for the project worth Rs 1,418 crore but there is no certainty of funds. As per the plan for the project, an amount of Rs 1,043.9 crore has been earmarked for the rehabiliatation and strengthening of major canal systems while Rs 308.5 crore and Rs 67.7 crore has been earmarked for the new and existing minor canals, distributaries and for tube-wells, respectively.

It may be mentioned that the state government is now planning to impose a cess on the purchase of wheat to receive funds for the irrigation system.

Bathinda, April 4
More than 12 Zila Parishad-run veterinary hospitals in the district have been operating without medicines for over 10 years. Reliable sources in the veterinary department told TNS that during this period, more than 12 veterinary hospitals governed by the Zila Parishad had not been supplied any medicines by the latter.

The sources disclosed that hundreds of cattle owners and farmers of the entire district who visit these hospitals daily for getting treatment for their cattle had to purchase medicines prescribed by the doctors from private chemists as there are no medicines in the hospitals. The hospitals are located at Bhucho, Nathana, Ghudda and Chak Fateh etc.

The daily used medicines that are not being supplied comprise antibiotics like tetracycline, streptomycin, anti-diarrhoeal medicines like sulpha group, keohn and dewormers like peprazine and albendazole.

Not just medicines, even simple dressing material were not available, disclosed sources. Purshottam Lal, a farmer of Nathana, alleged while speaking to The Tribune that the Punjab government was spending crores on the construction of roads but had left the poor farmers at the mercy of the veterinary pharmacists particularly in remote villages.

The illiterate farmers and cattle owners had to pay a high price for these medicines to pharmacists visiting these villages, alleged another farmer.

“I had to pay Rs 100 on dressing for my buffalo for a month to a pharmacist as there was no dressing material available in the hospital,” complained Tara Singh, a marginal farmer of Chak Fateh.

However, when asked to comment, Baljit Singh, director, animal husbandry, Bathinda, said there was no supply of medicines from Zila Parishad despite several requests.

“Previously, they were supplying medicines regularly but now they have stopped the supply despite the fact that the fee collected by these hospitals goes to the account of Zila Parishad,” he said.

The shortage of funds was the reason behind the non-supply of medicines, said the director, adding that the same condition prevailed in the rest of the state too.

Bathinda, April 4
Media persons here today took out a protest march wearing black badges to protest the reported misbehaviour of cops with them at a seminar in the presence of the Chief Minister at the Bathinda civil hospital on March 27. Intensifying their protest, they announced that they would boycott events graced by SAD-chief Sukhbir Badal and the CM.

Media persons of surrounding districts falling in Faridkot, Bathinda and Ferozepur regions have also been urged to cooperate.

It may be mentioned here that the policemen ill-treated the media persons and abused them when they intervened to prevent police action on the women Anganwari workers, who tried to disrupt the CM’s speech. Irked with cops’ behaviour, the media persons also demanded the suspension of six cops involved.

When the scribes apprised the CM of the facts and demanded the suspension of DSP Talwandi Sabo, Parminder Pal Singh, DSP (Rural), D.S. Brar, in-charge CIA, Ranjit Singh, sub-inspector Balwinder Singh, in-charge of the community police resource committee, Sanjeev Mittal, and a lady police officer, Madhu Bala, who roughed up media persons and used abusive language against them, he refused to comply with their demands.

Expressing their resentment, the media persons had announced a boycott of the CM and the Bathinda police.

Interestingly, the CM’s media advisor H.S. Bains held a closed-door meeting on Thursday with some journalists and urged them to call off the protest, but to no avail.

A number of journalists today, wearing black badges and holding banners and raising anti-establishment slogans, carried out a protest march from the Teachers’ Home. The march concluded outside the mini-secretariat.

Abohar, April 4
Newspersons in this sub-division today expressed solidarity with the Bathinda-based media who are demanding stern action against the cops who had allegedly abused and threatened the scribes during the CM’s function last month.

Shyam Sunder Sachdeva, state secretary of the All India Small Newspapers Association, said at a well attended meeting here that the Punjab police had learnt no lesson even when the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Punjab State Human Rights Commission had many a time pulled up the cops in different cases.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists has sent a memorandum to the Governor requesting him to use his good offices to sack the cops in question.

Barnala: To lend their support to Bathinda press reporters , all the reporters of print as well as electronic media put black badges here today. The reporters also staged a symbolic sit-in presided over by Progress Press Club president Raj Mohinder at railway station, Barnala. Earlier, they held a silent protest march in the main market.

While addressing the meeting, Jagir Singh Jagtar, state general secretary of the Punjab-Chandigarh Pattarkar Union, condemned the incident at Bathinda. He said that this was an attack on democracy. Jagtar said that if the state government fails to take timely action against the erring cops, then boycott of the CM could be extended to the whole state. — OC

Bathinda, April 4
Indian Medical Association (IMA), Bathinda unit, is organising a two-day workshop PIMACON-2008 on April 5 and April 6 in Bathinda.

As per a release issued by the association, more than 300 doctors from all over Punjab would attend the conference. The proceedings of the conference would consist of highly informative lectures in different fields by Dr KK Talwar, PGI, Chandigarh, Dr Rohini Handa, AIIMS, New Delhi, and national president of IMA, Jaipur.

A seminar on “Assault on doctors” and “Stop sex selection: Doctors can make a difference” would be the main topics during the conference.

Talwandi Sabo, April 4
More than 200 students from 16 colleges of Punjab and adjoining states today participated in a campus placement drive organised by Guru Gobind Singh College of Engineering & Technology, Talwandi Sabo here today.

Selection was based on performance in pre-placement talk, aptitude test, group discussion followed by interviews. College Management, Training & Placement Officer Kamalpreet Kaur Sokhal plans more such programmes to bridge the gap between the students and the corporate sector. — TNS

Fazilka, April 4
Tragedy struck Fazilka today as news of accidental deaths of two young doctors, sons of a senior advocate, Subhash Chander Maini, poured in.

According to family sources, Amit Maini (32) and Ajay Maini (29), working at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, were coming to Fazilka from Ludhiana in a Honda City car, bearing the registration number PB-22-0047, which belonged to their friend, around midnight yesterday.

Their car collided head-on with a truck coming from the opposite direction on the Fazilka -Ferozepur road near village Tillu Arain, about 40 km from here on the Ferozepur road, added the sources.

Amit and Ajay both died on the spot, as the car was badly mangled.

Both the brothers were bachelors. The postmortem was conducted at the local civil hospital today amidst heart-rending scenes.

Representatives of religious, social, political and traders’ organisations attended their funeral.

Local MLA Surjit Kumar Jyani, who was also present at the funeral, expressed his heart-felt condolences to the bereaved family.

The normal functioning in the local courts remained suspended today.

Abohar, April 4
The Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan today trained its guns at a private bank for allegedly seizing vehicles of the loanees even when they had been paying installments regularly.

The union had planned a dharna and demonstration at the city police complex to express resentment over the failure in arresting an accused even when the Punjab and Haryana High Court had reportedly issued directions for the same in a murder case.

According to the available information, BKU district secretary Gurmail Singh’s only son Karanjit Singh was murdered in 1995 when he was on way to the DAV College to attend classes. The accused had been jailed but was here in his home town as an appeal was still pending, which was reportedly rejected last month. The city police on March 14 received directions to arrest him.

BKU activists assembled at the Nehru Park here before noon but were told that the police had yesterday arrested the accused along with a weapon.

The gathering changed its plan of marching towards the police station and marched to the office of a private bank office located on the College Road to express resentment over the alleged seizure of vehicles of the loanees who had reportedly paid the installments well in time.

BKU state vice-president Surjit Singh Dhaba, district secretary Gurmail Singh, block president Sukhmander Singh and others strongly criticised the financial institutions for initiating such action against the loanees.

The bank officials or their authorised agents can initiate valid legal proceedings against the defaulters but they won’t be allowed to humiliate and harass the farmers. The BKU can go to extent of gheraoing such officials, they warned.

Fazilka, April 4
Punjab Tractors Limited (PTL), Mohali, the manufacturers of Swaraj tractors and their local dealers, Zamindara Engineering Company (ZEC), organised a workshop here today on the completion of the 35th year of their association.

Surinder Ahuja, director of the ZEC, informed that during this period, they had sold 21,000 tractors and had got the distinction of selling the largest number of tractors in the country.

He said their firm had been honoured several times by the PTL.

Now, the ZEC has launched a solution company, the Zamindara Farm Solutions, the first of its kind in north India, which offered agricultural equipment to farmers at a nominal rent, he added.

“Now, marginal farmers of Fazilka do not need to invest in agricultural equipment. They can even work without owning tractors as it will be readily available,” the director said.

Rupesh Jhangi, area manager of PTL, handed over the keys of new Swaraj tractors to 21 customers, on the occasion. — OC

Abohar, April 4
Balluana MLA Gurtej Singh Ghuriana today assured people in Bhagu village on the Abohar-Hanumangarh road that all villages in the Assembly segment would benefit from the comprehensive development plans during the current financial year.

He asked the sub-divisional engineer of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) during a sangat darshan programme to install 100 KW transformer in the Dalit Colony. The MLA announced a grant of Rs 2.5 lakh for the construction of drains and street in the colony, besides Rs 50,000 for the renovation of an inn. He collected applications under the ‘Shagun Yojna’ and promised to deliver cheques at their doorstep. Ghuriana advised the villagers to sort out petty disputes at the panchayat level and concentrate more on development works. — OC