Malout, April 10
Five months after the Punjab chief minister announced the state’s plan to ‘waterproof’ the Rajasthan canal in order to save its thousands of acres from waterlogging, a team of experts from the World Bank is now scheduled to visit the 40-km stretch of the porous canal on April 18 and 19 in an effort to stop the seepage.

“We are availing of a technical assistance from the World Bank on how to waterproof the canal without stopping the supply of water to Rajasthan,” Punjab irrigation secretary Suresh Kumar said here today.

He accompanied irrigation minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon to inspect the ongoing works already initiated to check waterlogging in this belt of the Malwa region.

“As the canal is also the source of drinking water for a major part of Rajasthan, it is not advisable to stop the water supply for insulating the walls and the bed of the canal. Thus, the World Bank team will be here to look for an alternative for the task,” Kumar said.

With 1,200 cusecs of water flooding the fields due to seepage along the Rajasthan canal, Punjab is also awaiting the Centre’s direction to Rajasthan government for the renovation of the canal in question to save 332 villages of Punjab from the devastating waterlogging.

Punjab’s proposal for a Rs 650-crore project in this regard is lying with the Centre for nearly three months now, in the backdrop of thousands of acres of land being waterlogged, a phenomenon popularly known as ‘sem’, because of the broken walls of the canal, which was carved out decades ago to supply water to Rajasthan.

It may be recalled that a team of experts from the Central Groundwater Department had surveyed the affected areas along the canal in Muktsar and Ferozepur districts along with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal five months ago.

Meanwhile, the Irrigation Department has already taken up the task of constructing new ‘sem’ nullahs and renovating and cleaning the old ones, besides digging wells to pump and then drain out the saline groundwater to revive the fertility of the soil.

The irrigation minister along with the senior officials of his department visited the ‘sem’ affected areas. He was also briefed by the engineers about the ongoing works.

It may be recalled that two months ago, the Punjab government had granted a uniform rate of relief for the loss of crops due to waterlogging or floods between 2002 and 2007 at the fixed rate of Rs 1,000 per acre per crop.

The enhancement of relief had entailed additional funds of Rs 1,97,57,000 for Muktsar, Faridkot and Tarn Taran districts.

Earlier, the government had also sanctioned a one-time package of relief for the ‘sem’ affected farmers, amounting to Rs 2.41 crore.

Moga, April 10
Factionalism among the local leaders of the Congress has come to the fore with the cancellation of the state-level rally of the party that was slated for April 11 here.

Former minister and MLA from Baghapurana, Darshan Singh Brar, aspiring to become the president of the district unit of the party, was alleged to have played a key role in the cancellation of the rally to lower the importance of present district president Col. Babu Singh, a Dalit.

Since the Faridkot Lok Sabha constituency comprising Moga, Faridkot and Muktsar districts has been reserved for the SC community, speculation was rife in the political circles that Col. Babu Singh may try for a Lok Sabha ticket.

The organising secretary of the state body of the Congress Sewa Dal, Hardip Singh, in a written statement issued here today, levelled serious allegations against Brar for the cancellation of the rally.

Moreover, the district in-charge of the party affairs, former minister Joginder Singh Mann, a close relative of former Union home minister Buta Singh, also hails from a Dalit family.

There could be every possibility of either Mann or Buta Singh, both outsiders, claiming a party ticket from this Lok Sabha constituency in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

The party insiders revealed that keeping in view these factors, the four MLAs from the district, although not openly, had opposed the organisation of the party rally here.

Apart from the district-level politics, there was also an effect of the state-level in-fighting going on between former CM Captain Amarinder Singh and leader of the opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.

The local leaders of the party appear to have been divided into these groups and those having close association with Captain Amarinder Singh wanted to cancel the rally as Bhattal was reported to be behind the organisation of the rally.

Interestingly, the two general secretaries of the state unit of the party, former MLA Vijay Sathi and former Minister Malti Thapar, had kept themselves away from the controversy and growing factionalism within the party.

Even the local MLA Joginder Pal Jain seems to be avoiding the controversy in the open. Political observers were of the view that the cancellation of the proposed rally was a clear indication of the fissures developing in the two main groups of the party, led by Captain Amarinder Singh and Bhattal.

Moga, April 10
Surinder Singh Babbar, the nephew of Baba Santa Singh, the Jathedar of the Shiromani Panth Budha Dal (Panjwan Takht), has demanded security from the district administration here today.

A delegation of the Dal led by Surinder met district magistrate Satwant Singh Johal and requested him to provide adequate security. The DM, while accepting the request, has asked the senior superintendent of police (SSP) to look into the matter.

The SSP has sought a detailed report of the new development in the leadership of the Dal before taking any action in this regard.

A five-member panel of the Dal had yesterday declared Surinder as the legal heir of the Jathedar. It may be mentioned here that on September 21, 2007, the row over the leadership of the Dal led to a bloody clash between two groups of the Nihangs at Patiala in which four persons were killed.

The mahants of various gurudwaras owing loyalty to the Dal had come out in favour of Surinder and were of the view that the state government should provide him with adequate security, otherwise, the rival group may harm him.

Meanwhile, the intelligence agencies of the union as well as the state governments had sprung into action.

Some officials of the intelligence agencies met Surinder this morning and discussed the new development in the leadership of the Dal.

When contacted, Surinder confirmed that some officials of the intelligence agencies met him today.

It was also learnt that Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal had sought a detailed report on the new development.

Surinder, backed by most of the mahants of the gurudwaras under the control of the Dal and all blood-relation family members had also demanded from the state government the shifting of the ailing Baba Santa Singh either to the PGIMER, Chandigarh, or the AIIMS, New Delhi, for better medical care.

Presently, the state government was bearing all the expenses incurred on the treatment of the Baba in the medical college at Patiala.

Abohar, April 10
What some may describe as a ‘pre-election gift’, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced special grants exceeding Rs 1 crore for village Tarmala near the Seetogunno sub-tehsil.

He was here along with senior administrative officials on the invitation of Mandeep Singh Tarmala, senior vice-president of the youth wing of SAD(B).

Hundreds from nearby villages thronged the venue to apprise the CM of their problems at the sangat darshan.

He was briefed about the problems of common people by his younger brother and former Lok Sabha member, Gurdas Singh Badal, SAD (B) national council member Surinder S. Pumpy and district SAD (B) secretary Satinderjit Singh among others.

Notably, like Rohranwali, this village too is known for Badal family’s loyalists. The CM also announced 25 new houses for Dalits, which would be constructed over five acres of land.

He sanctioned Rs 1.28 crore for lining of water courses to check seepage that results in wastage of around 30 per cent of water, Rs 2 lakh for families affected by militancy, Rs 4.10 lakh for construction of streets and drains.

On farmers’ demands, he said his government had already finalised projects worth Rs 3,200 crore to streamline the entire canal system.

Bathinda, April 10
At 25, Pushpinder (name changed) is a widow, HIV positive, and out of the home of her in-laws with her 18-month-old son to care for.

She was married to a bank employee in 2004 who would fall sick often. Pushpinder was five-months pregnant when she came to know that her husband was suffering from AIDS.

He died in 2006. She was assaulted by her brother-in-law and driven out of her home in April 2007.

Two FIRs lodged with the Bathinda police have failed to bring to book her in-laws and get her dowry items back.

Since her husband had not changed the nomination option after his marriage, benefits like insurance and gratuity were taken away by her in-laws, leaving only one-third of the share for her.

“A verdict given by the Supreme Court has curtailed the jobs given on compassionate grounds. For many like Pushpinder, we are pleading the case with the National Commission for Women (NCW) asking it to intervene, and requesting the government agencies to give the verdict a second thought,” said Jagdish Jindal, Pushpinder’s lawyer.

The case of another HIV positive woman, Amrita, is no different. At 26, she was diagnosed as HIV positive. A widow and the mother of two (one is suspected to be infected with HIV), Amrita was driven out of her in-laws’ home. Her parents-in-law blamed her for their son’s death.

“If HIV kills people, why don’t you and your son die? Why was it our son who had to die,” blamed her in-laws, instead of helping her bear the pain.

To add to her misery, her husband’s death certificate bears a different name, the one that appears on his driving licence and in his bank passbook.

“My husband’s bank account has Rs 17,000 as balance. This will help me pay my room rent that has been piling up for months now. But owing to the wrong name on the death certificate, I don’t have access to the money,” said Amrita.

Her husband was a truck driver in Rajasthan. They, like many HIV positive women, fail to understand their predicament.

“I asked my husband why he married me when he knew that he was HIV infected. He replied that he married under pressure from his parents,” Amrita said.

“Now my parents-in-law have a grandson, who might be infected. I don’t understand for whose benefit our marriage was solemnised. My parents-in-law don’t want to see my son. They don’t even spare a single penny for him,” she added.

Cheated by HIV infected husbands, blamed by their in-laws for the death of their husbands, most of these widows live in the periphery of the city alone and in single, rented rooms, fighting a battle for a few left resources.

Bathinda, April 10
The Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal has alleged that the trading community in Bathinda is suffering huge losses due to the absence of an express train during daytime to Delhi.

“Around two years back, a Shatabdi train was started from Bathinda to New Delhi via Patiala during the day time. But it was scrapped after a successful run of around two months. We demand that a Jan Shatabdi be started either from Ferozepur or Sriganganagar to New Delhi via Bathinda, Jind, Jakhal and Rohtak so that the traders of Bathinda and its adjoining areas can freely commute to New Delhi on business trips,” said Madan Lal Kapoor, president of the Beopar Mandal.

He further said that the Shatabdi started two years back took more time to reach Delhi because it was via Patiala.

“But the Ferozepur or Ganganagar-Bathinda-Jind-Jakhal-Rohtak-Delhi route is less in distance and would even reap more profits for the railways because even the traders from Haryana and Rajasthan can commute to Delhi on a daily basis.”

Kapoor also said that a delegation of traders from the state would be meeting Union Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav for the purpose.

He informed, “There is no direct train to Delhi between 8.30 am to 12 pm and more than 10,000 traders commute to Delhi on a daily basis.”

Area Traffic Manager, Sher Singh, when contacted, confirmed that there is no express train to Delhi between 8.30 am to 12 pm. “There is just one passenger train to Delhi during the day time.”

Talwandi Sabo, April 10
Irked with the strict security measures adopted by the administration for the Baisakhi celebrations at Takht Dam Dama Sahib, members of the SGPC, SAD activists and residents today expressed their resentment in the open.

Some of the SGPC members said the police had been experimenting with regard to security. It was for the first time that barricades had been set up in an ‘unplanned’ manner from the cloak room to the Takht Sahib, thus restricting the movement of people.

Irked over the ‘new experiment’ by the police, the SGPC members including Tek Singh Dhanaula, Manjeet Singh Bappiana, Surjit Singh Rampur, Bibi Davinder Kaur, manager Jaspal Singh and deputy manager Jagpal Singh, removed the barricades.

To pacify the protesters, DC Rahul Tewari, SSP Naunihal Singh and DSP (D) Surinder Pal Singh, reached the spot and resolved the issue.

When contacted, mela officer, SDM Anil Garg, said, “the arrangements are made to regulate the movement of the followers who come in large numbers to pay obeisance at the gurudwara. Some persons expressed their resentment. But they were pacified and the shape of the barricades has also been changed.”

Justifying his position SSP Naunihal Singh said, “We have been taking precautions to ensure safety and peace. The issue arose when the contractor of the barricades used poor material and people saw the labourers doing that.

Moreover, the security arrangements for the event is not being decided by the police itself but by a committee formed to oversee it.”

Fazilka, April 10
The state agriculture department organised a district-level farmers’ workshop at the local grain market to apprise them of the steps that should be taken to ward off the attack of mealy bug on crops and promote oil seed-based crops.

The workshop was inaugurated by chief parliamentary secretary (agriculture) Sher Singh Ghubaya and presided over by BJP Kisan Morcha state president and local MLA Surjit Kumar Jyani.

DC Ferozepur Megh Raj and joint director of agriculture, Tarsem Singh, also participated in the workshop, which was attended by over 500 farmers.

Experts from Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) comprising team in-charge P.P.Singh, breeder H.S. Makkar, agronomist S.S. Walia, agriculture engineer Jaskiran Singh, and others, provided detailed information on sowing kharif crops to farmers.

Chief agriculture officer Rajinder Singh Brar said in Ferozepur district, of the total 5.25 lakh hectares, 4.50 lakh hectares was under cultivation.

Of this, 2.81 lakh hectare had been irrigated by tubewells while the remaining 1.69 lakh was irrigated by canal water.

There are 78,673 families of farmers involved in agriculture. To offer agricultural assistance, 242 cooperative societies and 186 rural agriculture development banks were functioning in the district.

He hoped for about 15 per cent increase in the area under basmati variety in Ferozepur. Since it is remunerative, it will help in improving the financial condition of the farmers. Besides, cultivation of basmati rice also saves water, he said.

The District Agriculture Officer said to check sub-standard seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, 350 samples of fertilisers, 482 samples of pesticides and 450 samples of seeds had been taken.

Out of these, 74 samples of seeds, 26 samples of pesticides and 10 samples of fertilisers failed the test. Joint Director, Agriculture, Tarsem Singh complimented the farmers for checking Mealy bug.

Ghubaya and Jyani urged the farmers to derive the maximum benefit from schemes launched by the Punjab government and the National Food Security Mission besides acquiring the latest technical knowledge and quality seeds from agricultural experts and the PAU.

Mansa, April 10
The government agencies have not started purchasing wheat in Mansa owing to high moisture content in the grains.

Narinder Sidhu, District Mandi Officer, said the wheat had started reaching here since yesterday.

He informed that 15 tonnes of wheat in Budhladha, 25 tonnes in Bhiki and 17 tonnes in Bareta market had been brought by the farmers.

But private parties had purchased only two tonnes of wheat out of a total of 57 tonnes. Today, 58 tonnes of wheat in Budhladha, 160 tonnes in Bareta, 205 tonnes in Bhikhi, 40 tonnes in Sardoolgarh and 105 tonnes in Bareta had come for sale.

But owing to the high moisture content, only three tonnes of wheat could be sold. It is important to mention here that wheat still hasn’t reached the markets of Mansa city.

Mansa, April 10
Farmers of Sardoolgarh and other adjoining villages today staged a dharna in front of the SDM’s office in favour of their demands.

The protest was led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU). Addressing the dharna, state president of the union, Ruldu Singh alleged that the government was not agreeing to the genuine demands of the farmers.

“Farmers of over 60 villages from this area have been facing a shortage of water for irrigation. They get water from the Bhakra canal only for a week in a month,” he informed. He demanded the continuous supply of water to the canal.

The president suggested that public tube-wells should be started on the banks of the canals so that farmers could draw water for their crops.

State secretary of CPI (ML) Rajvinder Singh Rana, in his address, demanded from the government that the loans of farmers, who own land up to 10 acre, should be waived.

In addition, he demanded that the electricity bills of water works that supply drinking water to the people should be waived.

Other demands that were raised on the occasion included direct payment to the farmers selling crops and compensation for the crop destroyed during hailstorm and heavy rain.

The leaders also demanded the immediate issuance of cheques against the acquired land for the Banawali thermal plant.

B.S. Balli, Gamdoor Singh, Hakam Singh, Gurchait Singh, Pooran Singh and Raj Singh were among others who addressed the dharna.

Bathinda, April 10
Putting the authorities on a sticky wicket, three inmates fled from the children’s home here this morning.

Sources in the home said Jeet Singh (11), his brother Jinder Singh and Varinder Singh (13) were missing since 6 am today. On a routine basis, the gate was opened for the entry of the cook.

The watch and ward boy, Kaur Singh, went to take bath and they apparently took the benefit of his absence. The authorities reported the matter to the Civil Lines police post on phone.

Giving details of the boys, the children’s home authorities said Jeet and Jinder had been there for the last few months.

Their mother, along with her brother-in-law, had been booked for murdering her husband and had been in Central Jail, Bathinda, since 2001.

About Varinder, a lady attendant at the home said he was an orphan and was brought here by an NGO. He reportedly belongs to Bihar.

When contacted, in-charge of the Civil Lines police post, Sandeep Singh, said, “We have filed the report about the missing of the boys. We have got their pictures and posters will be pasted to search for them.”

“When we inquired from the other inmates about them, they reported that all three were planning to work at some hotel,” Singh added.

Ferozepur, April 10
The sleuths of 130 battalion of the BSF 130 foiled a bid by the Pakistani smugglers to push a huge consignment of narcotics inside the Indian territory and seized 20 kg heroin, whose value is pegged at around Rs 20 crore in international market.

The consignment was recovered from an area close to outpost JN Mohammed near the border pillar no. 174/9 along the zero line of the Indo-Pak border.

The BSF troops also arrested two Indian drug smugglers who had come to receive the consignment at the border.

According to the available information, at around 2:25 am today, the BSF sleuths spotted two persons standing near the fencing with almost half a dozen people on the Pakistani side of the border.

The BSF sleuths cautioned them, on which the Pakistani smugglers opened fire. The BSF troops also fired around 20 rounds in retaliation.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani smugglers fled under the cover of darkness. However, the Indians, who had come to receive the consignment, were nabbed by the BSF jawans.

On checking, one mobile phone set and 20 packets of heroin weighing 1 kg each was recovered from them.

The arrested Indians were identified as Jaspal (24), a resident of village Toot, and Kamal Raj (17), a resident of village Bangala, both under the Valtoha police station in Tarn Taran.

DIG, BSF, Ferozepur sector, Mohinder Lal, and CO of 130 Battalion, N.S. Chowdhry, said interrogation of the arrested smugglers was on.