Bathinda, June 10
Keeping in view the wait-and-watch policy adopted by main party candidates, only 37 candidates filed their nomination papers to the Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC) on the second day here today, increasing the number of nominations to 53, majority of them was Independents. As per information received here this evening, SDM, Bathinda, received 8 nomination papers from Ward Nos 1-12, while from Ward Nos 13-25, 8 candidates filed their nomination papers with DTO.

Secretary, Zila Parishad, who is returning officer from Ward Nos 26-37, said seven candidates filed their nomination papers and maximum number of nomination papers were filed with AETC stood at 14 from Ward Nos 38-50.

Bathinda, June 10
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) today issued second list of candidates for the upcoming Bathinda Municipal Corporation elections (BMC). The list contains six contenders.

According to Om Parkash Sharma, press secretary of SAD, Mandeep Kaur would contest from ward number 7, reserved for general category woman, Mahinder Kaur from ward number 25, reserved for scheduled caste woman, Rajwinder Singh Sidhu Advocate from ward number 29, Bant Singh Sidhu from ward number 39, Nirmal Singh Sandhu from ward number 41 and Abhay Kumar Advocate from ward number 44. After this list, two wards, number 11 and 35 are left and hopefully, candidates from there would be declared soon. 

Bathinda, June 10
The new generation of voters, particularly those who will use their franchise for the first time in MC polls, appears to be either indifferent or unaware about the elections. The indifference and unawareness appears to have stemmed from cynicism and lack of expectations from political parties of all shades and hues.

A cross-section of youth and first time voters, The Tribune spoke to, appeared to be disillusioned with the political parties. They did not have much faith in any of the leaders either. Most of them observed that if one comes to power, it hardly made any difference because they think councillor-turned politicians cutting across the party lines pursued only the personal agendas at the cost of public welfare and common good.

Vijay Mittal, a student of local college, said voting or no voting did not make much difference. He said, “It is like wasting your vote because all political leaders are busy making money for themselves. They have set their own agendas and targets to get maximum benefit in the coming five years. Problems like civic amenities, sports stadia, free transport facility for students, lack of development works etc does not seem to be in the priority list of leaders”.

Another student Bhavna Garg showed absolute unawareness about the major parties or players contesting in the Bathinda Municipal Corporation elections. She said that she got her voter’s identity card made for other reasons than voting. “The I-card is really helpful. It can be used as an identity proof for various purposes. Now that it has been made, I am eager to cast vote for the first time. But I will vote for the candidate of my father’s choice “, said Bhavna.

But certain first time voters had some common expectations. They wanted incomplete development projects in the city to be completed soon as the delay had already created a lot of nuisance to the common masses. Some of them expected the new councillors to work with honesty and transparency.

The youth also hoped to get plenty of welfare schemes for students.

Bholu Wala (Ferozepur), June 10
Caste discrimination is still prevailing in the rural areas of Punjab. Even as the Sikh religion flourished with the basic idea of providing equality to the people and the tenth Guru Gobind Singh created 'panj pyaras' to end caste discrimination, but a large section hardly goes by the teachings of the gurus. And in one such shameful act, the dominating Jat Sikhs of this village, near Talwandi Bhai, today did not allow the body of an octogenarian Dalit woman to be cremated at the common cremation ground. She died a natural death on Monday.

The situation in the village became sensitive in the morning when 70-odd families of Dalits tried to cremate the body of the deceased there. The Jat Sikhs, who were almost double in numbers, did not allow them to do so.

Realising that the situation was grim, the district administration sent the local executive magistrate and SHO on the spot to defuse the tension and persuade the Dalits to cremate the body at a vacant land in the village, late in the afternoon.

Local people, Surjit Singh, Jagroop Singh and former village head Jarnail Singh, all Dalits, claimed that some Jat Sikh families had filed a case sometime back to prevent them from using the common cremation ground, but the court had issued a stay order in their favour pending a final decision.

On the other hand, Jat Sikhs including, Surjit Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Jagtar Singh and Mahinder Singh, said that they hadn’t received any stay orders from the court. They said that the Dalits had already been given a separate piece of land, measuring about one kanal, for use as cremation ground for the past many years. Bachan Singh, another resident of the village, belonging to the dominating caste, said Dalits had unnecessarily raised this issue at the behest of some local politicians to create tension.

Some people said that when Gurdial Singh, a Dalit, died, a similar tension had gripped the village. That issue was then resolved peacefully. It may be mentioned that caste discrimination seems so deep-rooted here that there were two separate gurudwaras for Jat Sikhs and the Dalits. The Dalits were not being allowed to enter the gurudwara belonging to the upper castes.

Bathinda, June 10
The effects of recreational drugs and smoking on male reproductive health were generally ignored, Dr S.S. Chawla, Director, Human Reproduction and Research Centre (HRRC), Amritsar, said while speaking at a seminar on “Human reproduction system” here today.

Dr Chawla said that a study on 126 male infertile patients at the centre found that all 32 patients dependent on alcohol and other drugs suffered from reproductive dysfunction. Users who have been drug dependent for more than four years had suffered an alarming decrease in the quality and quantity of sperms produced, he added. Dr Chawla further informed that drugs altered the hormonal profile of users, leading to a decline in sperm parameters. The damage may be temporary or permanent. The impairment was proportional to the dose and time of drugs intake, he said. “The focus of ill effects of smoking generally focused on the cardio-vascular system and lungs. Smoking 20 cigarettes a day increased the risk of infertility by about 40 per cent.”

According to a nation-wide average, one fourth to half of the adults above 15 years had fallen prey to smoking. Dr Chawla said smoking damaged the DNA of the sperm. High intake of tea and coffee may be associated with delay in conception, he added. 

Bathinda, June 10
Gurcharan Singh, district vice-president and Kewal Krishan, general secretary, respectively, of the Medical Practitioners Association in joint statement issued here today, have deplored the “adamant” attitude of Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, health minister, Punjab, towards long-standing demands of medical practitioners.

They alleged that instead of considering the demands, the health minister had started raiding their clinics in the state.

The association members burnt the effigy of Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, health minister, Punjab, here today. They have decided to hold state-level rallies in the state for their long pending demands. They demanded that medical practitioners may be allowed to do practice. — TNS

Bathinda, June 10
Janmeja Singh Sekhon, state irrigation minister, today informed that in the coming three years, the problem of waterlogging in some villages of the state would be history.

“The state government has brought a project from Holland at a cost of Rs 30 crore and implemented it in some villages of Muktsar,” Sekhon who was in the city to attend a meeting of the irrigation department, said.

Speaking to TNS at the residence of Zila Parishad member Jaspal Singh Dhan Singh Khana here today, Sekhon said, “Under this project, sub-surface drains will be installed in the fields of farmers affected by water -logging. Those drains will be linked to a bigger pipe and that pipe to a man-made well. Water will then be taken out from those wells using motors. This project has been taken from Holland because it is a country which has tackled the problem of waterlogging very effectively.”

The minister also said that department is all set for the ongoing paddy season.

He also informed that the canal rest-houses all the across the state will be revamped and they will be given an ultra modern look.

“First in the pipeline is the rest house at Talwandi Sabo, which will be renovated at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. Then we will start the renovation work at Mehna village, then at Ferozepur and so on. There is a shortage of proper rest-houses in the state and that is why, the state irrigation department has decided to renovate all of them in a phased manner.” He also said that for some villages of Bathinda and Mansa, the control of waters is with the Haryana government and in a way, Haryana is using a part of Punjab waters.

“After the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government came to power in Haryana, they imposed a cut on the waters to the constituency of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala. Incidentally, that area is neighbouring Bathinda 
and Mansa districts of 
Punjab. That is why, farmers there are suffering,” Sekhon pointed out.

Bathinda, June 10
Beds with mattresses, home cooked meals, non-vegetarian food, even liquor and double the money of what was on offer last year is what is being offered to labourers this paddy season in Punjab. But still, the farmers are finding it difficult to find labour. As the paddy season started from today onwards, the farmers are feeling the heat due to the shortage of labour. For some, the paddy season this year may also get delayed.

Angrej Singh of village Udaykaran in Muktsar district owns 70 acres. He has been making rounds of the Bathinda railway station since June 6 and till date, he has not got labour required for sowing of paddy. “Last year, we paid Rs 600 per acre to the labour for sowing of paddy. This year, their rates have escalated two times but still labour is in shortage. I even offered Rs 1,500 per acre to labourers, but still they refused.”

Harbans Singh and Vakil Singh, brothers from village Abloo in the district, have a similar story to tell. They even went a step ahead by going to Hanumangarh in Rajasthan for seeking labour. “We have 125 acres of land. For employing labour, we went to Hanumangarh a few days back, as the paddy season there is about to end. But the labour there is already booked by other farmers of the state.”

Gurdeep Singh of Kamaalewala village in Ferozepur owns 50 acres. “Some farmers are even going to places like Rajasthan and Haryana but returning empty-handed. A few farmers from our adjoining villages literally kidnapped labourers for employment,” he claimed.

Another farmer, Darshan Singh from Zira in Ferozepur, explained, “For seeking adequate labour, we come to Bathinda railway station every year. Usually we get free in days. But this year, as the paddy season started at one go, there is an acute shortage of labour. Moreover, we are also paying for our bed and lodging here. In addition to that, we also pay Rs 3 for the platform ticket for two hours at the railway station. Everyday, we have to buy at least 5-6 tickets per person, which is a burden for us.”

Gurpreet Singh of Guruharsahai in Ferozepur informed, “We have been offering pay with perks. Still, we are not finding labour. And the Punjabi laboureres are not willing to work as we all used to employ labour from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as they are more hard working.”

Moga, June 10
The ongoing agitation of the Bar Association in the district courts took a new turn today when the lawyers suspended the court work, including the emergency cases, and sat on a dharna in protest against the opening of a new sub-division level court at Nihalsinghwala in the district.

Earlier, a meeting of the association was held in the bar room to discuss the issue. The meeting was presided over by Nasib Singh Bawa, president of the association.

Lashing out at the state government for ignoring the judiciary at the district headquarters even after 13 years of the formation of the district, the lawyers said it was unfortunate that a full fledged sessions’ court could not be established there.

The office and court of the district and sessions’ judge of Moga is still at Faridkot, the former district headquarter of Moga.

Bawa was of the view that any court complex at district headquarters should be established at least in an area of 12 acres and at sub-divisional headquarters, in an area of 6 acres.

He further said Nihalsinghwala was still a village under the control of a panchayat. Though it was declared as a sub-division but no efforts had so far been made by the government to raise the infrastructure and the administrative status of the village.

“Under such conditions it is not appropriate to establish a court there,” the president of the association said.

The association has decided to continue the protest till June 14 and would decide the further course of action on that day.

Mansa, June 10
From time to time, the Ghaggar, a river that passes through the district, has proved to be a boon as well as bane for those living in the adjoining villages. When flooded, it had destroyed the crops that the farmers of these villages had grown by toiling for months. The same river had also supplied them the water for irrigating their crops. The animals too had been quenching their thirst by drinking its water. Regrettably, the river is being polluted with the industrial waste that gets mixed with its water.

According to information, from 1985 to 1993, the floods in the river had destroyed the crops largely in nearly 40 villages of Budhlada and Sardoolgarh blocks. In 1987-88, three persons were devoured by the overflowing river.

On the other hand, farmers had irrigated their fields with the water from this river and reaped good harvest. Animals too drank its waters.

To control floods in the river, the Chandpura dam was constructed in Haryana, which is 8,000 feet long and 15 feet high.

But now the major problem that the Ghaggar has to confront is the effluents of the factories of Sangrur and Patiala district that get mixed with its water, thereby polluting it severely.

Ajitinder Singh Moffer, MLA from Sardoolgarh, said, “Now, the major problem is the polluted water rather than floods.” The dirty water was not good for crops and it had also polluted the groundwater of the nearby areas. As a result, the residents of the nearby villages could not drink the water drawn by traditional handpumps, he added.

CPI leader Ved Prakash from Budhlada said, “Earlier, floods became the reason for destruction and now the polluted water has become a cause for concern.”

Hardev Singh Arsi, national council member of the CPI, demanded that the government should construct dams on main rivers, which would benefit people in many ways. “Dam is the permanent solution to control floods as it stores water besides generating electricity.”

DC Surjeet Singh Dhillon informed that the district administration had made proper arrangements to cope with floods. At Chandpura, extra efforts were being made to strengthen the dam from Punjab side, he added.

About the polluted water in the Ghaggar river, he said appropriate steps would be taken after locating the source of the effluents.

Barnala, June 10
Acting on the appeal of a local resident, the Central Information Commission (CIC) court has directed the senior divisional manager of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), Chandigarh, to appear in person in the commission court with relevant records on July 16.

Harish Kumar, a local resident who was LIC agency holder, filed an appeal in CIC court against the LIC for terminating his agency and harassing him. The appeal was filed with the CIC after he was agitated for not getting the desired information even under the Right to information Act (RTI). He filed a complaint in February this year.

The LIC office in an order had claimed that Harish had withdrawn 1.75 lakh of extra money from the company as benefits against some policies. And therefore, his agency was terminated.

Harish Kumar, an agent with LIC, had demanded payment for 7 ULIP policies on May 31, 2007.

LIC divisional office had written to Barnala branch about the matter and the agency had received the payment after signing the undertaking to return if any excess money is provided to him or clients but on August 21, to his surprise, Harish received a letter of recovery of Rs 1.75 lakh.

The corporation had then claimed that the beneficiary had received more than the claim.

Dangarkhera (Abohar), June 10
Located at a distance of 7 km from Abohar, this village has gained popularity mainly due to the Basanti Mata Mandir where hundreds of devotees make a beeline on the Somavati Amavas. Although the village was equally known for its political divide but its residents had always risen to the occasions when a social or common cause was involved.

A seminar on female foeticide awareness, organised by the Gopi Chand Arya Mahila College, had attracted huge crowd even last winter when the temperature was not favourable for children and elders alike.

And today, the residents responded overwhelmingly to a call given by the Agriculture Department to fight against the Mealy bug menace collectively. Sir Rattan Tata Trust scout Rajesh Kumar was able to mobilise the members of the Kisan Club, Gram Sudhar Sabha and Azad Sports Club to join in for uprooting the unwanted growth of weeds and shrubs, which housed the Mealy bug on the both sides of the link road as well as the sub-canal.

Chanan Ram Karagwal, president of the sports club, and others arranged a meeting of the farmers where the soil testing officer

Hardyal Singh, agricultural development officer Sandeep Kumar and others delivered lectures to bring awareness against the deadly pest that had swallowed even the Bt cotton besides ‘peepal’ trees and fruit plants last year. Prevention is always better than cure, a progressive farmer Sukhmander Singh said.

Inderpal Karagwal said the farmers had to take loans last year to purchase insecticides to get rid of the bug but success rate was poor.

This prompted them to join the fight at the initial stage this time.

Mansa, June 10
A former president of the Budhlada Truck Union and also newly-elected panchayat member was shot dead on Monday near Guru Nanak College in Budhlada.

According to the information, Jagvinder Singh Jagga, resident of Chakbhaike, was returning to his home, when five motorcycle-borne people stopped him near the gate of a petrol pump. They shot him at point-blank.

DSP Mukand Singh Malli said that the police had registered a case against two identified persons, Avtar Singh of Mansa and Sukha Singh of Bareta, and three unknown people under sections 302, 148 and 149. But no one was arrested. After conducting the post-mortem, the victim was cremated at his village.