Moga, August 23
A day after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at New Delhi, the union government has constituted a five-member team comprising senior IAS officers of the disaster management department to conduct a survey of the flood-affected areas in Punjab.

Revealing this to TNS, irrigation minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon said the team that would arrive at Moga on Sunday would first visit the spots of breaches at Madaarpur and Bogewala villages in this district and later visit the flood-affected villages of the Ferozepur district.

Sekhon said the central team would be apprised about the ground realities of crop loss of the farming community because the existing norms of compensation due to natural calamity were very less than the actual cost inputs.

The team would also directly interact with the farmers to have a first hand knowledge of not only the flood but also farming costs from them.

It may be mentioned that the central compensation norms range from Rs 1600 to Rs 2200 per acre but the ground reality is that the farmers had paid Rs 2000 per acre to the labour to transplant the paddy saplings only.

The cost of other inputs like seeds, diesel to run tractors, generator sets for running water pumps in the absence of adequate power supply were much more than the labour costs.

The minister was of the view that the union government should give at least Rs 16,000 per acre as compensation to save the poor farmers; otherwise, the socio-economic condition of the affected farming community would paralyse drastically putting the state into another crisis.

The compensation for a damaged ‘pucca’ house is Rs 25,000 and ‘kucha’ house Rs 10,000 only as per the norms of the union government, which was very less if going by the present cost-inputs of constructing houses.

Most of the flood affected farmers with whom this correspondent interacted during the past few days also revealed that the ‘arhtiyas’ had stopped giving them advance money in wake of the floods due to which their living condition was likely to deteriorate in the coming days.

“We should also be given interest-free loans besides compensation,” the farmers had demanded.

Fazilka, August 23
“Had Punjab government provided funds of Rs 132 crore to prevent floods, the loss of over Rs 10,000 crore could have been averted,” alleged former MP and special invitee member of the All India Congress Committee Jagmeet Singh Brar after touring flood-affected border villages in this sub-division today.

While talking to media persons Brar said that during the month of June, the deputy commissioners of eight flood-prone districts of the state had stated in their report that a total amount of about Rs 132 crore was required to combat the flood situation.

He alleged that since the Badal-led government did not consider the report seriously, standing crops on about 90,000 acres had been destroyed.

Brar further revealed that the government had recently released a paltry sum of Rs 18 crore to check floods, adding that he had already demanded a special package of Rs 300 crore from the Prime Minister. He informed that a central team was likely to reach the flood-hit area for the assessment of losses.

Congress leader said he had already raised the issue of crop compensation for farmers cultivating their fields across the barbed wire fencing with home minister Shiv Raj Patil.

These farmers are not allowed to grow tall crops for security reasons. About a decade back, they were paid compensation which has been stopped now.

Ferozepur, August 23
Finally, there is a good news for the residents of Makhu and Ferozepur. The Irrigation Department has plugged the breaches at Bogewala and Sanghera that had flooded hundreds of villages in this belt.

According to the officials of the drainage department, the breach that was around 300 feet wide at Sanghera and 200 feet wide at Bolewala has been plugged within seven days of the commencement of work.

Vinod Chowdhry, superintendent engineer ( drainage), who has been camping here at the breach site for past one week, informed that the department had made 940 feet wide ring bandh to plug the breaches at both the places. He added that the engineers and workers of the department worked day in and day out to plug the breaches.

Initially, the department sources had informed that it would take at least 15 days to plug the breach. However, the same was completed today.

When contacted, irrigation minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon lauded the efforts of the drainage officials. He said the efforts had paid.

Sekhon said that the government officials concerned had been deputed to assess the losses incurred and the government would soon provide adequate compensation to the flood-hit villagers. Special girdawaris for the damaged crops had already been ordered, he added.

Bathinda, August 23
"The Shiromani Akali Dal (B) will extend its support for the formation of All India Gurudwara Act, which would be supreme in regulating the affairs concerned. And the party will never allow any one to divide the constitutional body of Gurudwara management, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)," said Sukhbir Singh Badal, here today.

Speaking over the issue, he informed that the SAD (B), which had chalked out plans for holding a huge conference at Karnal (Haryana) on August 30, regarding the issue, had now been deferred, only after receiving assurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of sorting out the matter.

"I want to urge every Sikh that if they do not believe in the present management of the SGPC, they should not cast their votes to the representatives next time, but do not get misled by the Congress, whose past no Sikh can forget," he said.

Sukhbir was here to flag off the caravan of 25 trucks loaded with flour, animal fodder and drinking water to the flood-hit areas of the state. The trucks were arranged by the district unit of the SAD (B).

Expressing concern over the condition of the flood-victims, he said all ministers and MLAs belonging to the SAD have been ordered to remain 24-hour available for any kind of help. Further, all district and area in-charges have been arranging these time-based requirements for the victims. "We have even sought special relief from the Union government," he added.

Speaking about his die-hard efforts to make the show-of-strength rally at Talwandi Sabo on September 2 a success saga, he said it would be an historic rally where from almost every corner of the state SAD activists would mark their presence.

When asked whether it would be an attempt to counter the Amarinder Singh's rally, which is scheduled for September 1 at Lambi, the home constituency of the CM, he said, "Amarinder is not at all in our radar and he can compete with the rising graph of the SAD (B) in no way. We have been working to strengthen the party not to fight with a person, who has failed on all fronts."

Later, Sukhbir along with various officials namely Husan Lal, secretary power Punjab, Anurag Aggarwal, member PSEB, Gagan Deep, additional principal secretary to CM, director information and public relation, Tejbeer Singh and others visited the site of Talwandi Sabo thermal power project Vanawala district Mansa, where the foundation stone would be laid on September 2.

Lehra Mohabbat (Bathinda), August 23
Employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) held captive by villagers here today when they were carrying out raids to check power theft cases.

As per protesting villagers, the PSEB employees in large number trespassed their houses in early hours today. They alleged that the employees entered into their house by jumping walls and some were found standing on roofs also. All this created panic causing villagers to gather for nabbing them. Most of the PSEB employees managed to flee, but six were held captive.

Later, villagers staged protest in the village where the employees were also made to sit in a corner. After sometime, various wings of Bhartiya Kisan unions also joined the villagers. Raising anti-establishment slogans, protesters were demanding that the PSEB officials, who had managed to flee, should come and tender apology. They were also demanding that no case should be registered against any one.

Speaking over the issue, sarpanch of the village, Jaspal Singh and leaders of Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta (Punjab, Sidhupur, Krantikari) alleged that the raiding party entered into their houses without giving any notice.

On the other side, the rounded up employees, namely Raj Kumar Joshi, Raj Singh, Sukhmander Singh, Harmander Singh, Darshan Singh and Kulwant Singh said that they were just following the orders of the department so there was nothing wrong on their part. Adding to this one of them alleged that the villagers assaulted them.

When contacted in the evening, the sub inspector of police, Balwinder Singh, who was present on the spot, said that matter was settled down after few hours, on the condition that the raiding party would not visit the village in early hours.

Bathinda, August 23
In the quarterly Lok Adalat, held here today under the supervision of Kuldip Singh, district and sessions judge, disputes involving more than Rs 1.58 crore were settled amicably.

Giving details, Kuldip Singh, district and sessions judge, said in all 643 cases were taken up by 9 benches of the Lok Adalat. Out of these, 416 cases were settled through reconciliation. Cases relating to accident claims, matrimonial, criminal, bank loan and civil suit were settled on the spot.

Each bench was headed by a judge and assisted by two lawyers. They made efforts to persuade the parties to reach a compromise.

In a matrimonial dispute, the bench headed by additional sessions judge J.S. Kular spent more than two hours to resolve the dispute between a couple, who were having a four-year-old boy. The husband had moved a petition seeking divorce from her wife. The judge advised them to sink their differences, forgetting the mistakes of each other.

The district and sessions judge, Kuldip Singh, has appealed to the litigants to resolve their disputes through the Lok Adalats. He said once a dispute was settled in the Lok Adalat, it ends forever, as no party could file appeal against this settlement. 

Bathinda, August 23
The Ex-servicemen Welfare Union, Bathinda held its meeting here today. Speaking on the occasion, Bhagwant Singh Bhatti, president of the union, said that the 6th Pay Commission's recommendations had been passed on to Army officers whereas JCOs and NCOs were left high and dry. Union demanded that they should also be given enhanced pay at par with Army officers.

The union urged that Pay Review Committee for Defence Forces that they should also look after the interest of JCOs and NCOs. It threatened that if their demand was not met, they would have no alternative but to move in court of law.

Bathinda, August 23
Continuing their chain of agitational programmes, bank employees would observe a two-day strike on September 24 and 25.

As per the press release issued here today, members of the Punjab Bank Employees Federation and the All-India Bank Officers Association would participate in the dharna in protest against non-fulfillment of their "long-pending" demands. The issues that would be raised during the strike include privatisation of banks, the proposed mergers of public sector banks, employment to the kin of deceased employees, second option for employees to join pension scheme.

Naresh Gaur, secretary, Punjab Bank Employees Federation, said despite protests by the employees, the managements had failed to respond. On account of such inaction, he said the employees have decided to observe two-day strike on September 24 and 25. — TNS

Mansa, August 23
“In three years, Punjab would become a state having surplus power,” claimed SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal at Banawala village after reviewing the preparations of the foundation stone laying ceremony of the 2000 MW thermal plant. The Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal would be the chief guest of the function to be held on September 2.

Sukhbir said that the thermal plant would meet the power requirements of Mansa and Bathinda districts.

He instructed the officials concerned to make efforts for ensuring success of the function. He said nearly two lakh persons would participate in the programme. — OC