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Two feared drowned
Admn apathetic, again
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 2
Insensitivity of the district administration was exposed again today when the officialdom kept its eyes shut towards an incident of feared drowning of two migrant labourers. The rescue operation was conducted by a NGO while the authorities remained unaware of the mishap till late in the evening when approached by media persons for comments. The Sahara Jan Sewa volunteers rescued two of the four labourers from the Sirhind canal. There is still no trace of other two labourers.
Ironically, no one from the civil administration either joined the rescue operation or visited the place. It may be recalled that in an earlier such incident of drowning of a child, the administration did not bother to visit the spot to guide the rescue operation. According to reports, the labourers had consumed liquor near Bir Talab village and then one of them fell into the canal. Though they all were drunk and that none of them knew swimming, they jumped into the canal to rescue him. However, they started drifting due to the strong current of water. Hearing their cries, villagers and passersby informed the NGO about the incident and its volunteers launched the rescue operation. With the help of a number of villagers, they managed to rescue two of them. Kishan and Chaman, who were rescued, after regaining conscious informed about the events of the mishap. They said the missing two labourers were Kaaru and Jeevan. Talking to TNS, Vijay Goel, president of Sahara Jan Sewa, said, “Our volunteers swam across village Teona to search the other two labourers till late evening but could not succeed. During the operation, we did not find any civil official there.” When contacted, Parveen Thind, assistant commissioner (under training), who is officiating as the SDM, Bathinda, was unaware about the facts till late evening. Later, after confirming the details he said what the authorities could do if someone jumps into canal in an inebriated condition.
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Five kids among seven injured in road accident
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 2
Seven persons, including five children, sustained injuries as the cars in which they were travelling collided head-on near Lake number 3 on Bathinda-Goniana road here late Monday evening.
As per details available, a Palio car bearing number HR 51K 8058 was coming from city to drop six children at Adarsh Nagar colony. They all were retuning after attending a birthday party. On the other hand, a Lancer car (PAW 19) was coming from the opposite direction. Near the lake number three, the driver of the car, Subeg Singh, failed to see the carcass of a black bull lying on the road. As the car hit the carcass, the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed it into the other car. Both the cars were badly damaged in the collision. The passerby called up NGOs and the police, who rushed to the spot. The volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa and the Naujwan Welfare Society shifted the injured to the local civil hospital. Sources in the hospital said that the children - Suneeta, Dhiraj, Vipaneet Kaur, Jasmine and Garima - along with Charanveer Singh, driver of the Palio car, sustained injured. The driver of the Lancer car, Subeg Singh, was also injured in the accident. Relatives of the injured said kids were returning from a birthday party held on Amreek Singh road. Three of them belonged to Adarsh Nagar colony while one of them lived near 100 feet road. When contacted, Jagdish Kumar, SHO, Thermal police station, said, “No case has been registered yet as no party wants to get the other booked.”
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Teenage girl crushed to death
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 2
A teenage girl was crushed to death when a speeding truck drove over the bicycle she was riding on Barnala road here today.
According to details available, Jasmine Preet Kaur, a ninth standard student of Harikrishan Public School, was crossing the road on her bicycle when a truck bearing number RJ 31G-4266 loaded with potato bags rammed into her. People nabbed the driver of the truck, Mangal Singh, on the spot. The Civil Lines police has taken the truck into its custody. Those gathered accused the civil administration of being ignorant over the repeated mishaps at the place and demanded installation of traffic lights to check accidents in future. Jasmine was a resident of street number 12, Gurugobind Singh Nagar locality. Her father Gurcharan Singh was working with the Punjab State Electricity Board. Confirming the details, staff of the Kotwali police station, said a case under section 304-A had been registered against the driver.
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City mourns demise of Brig Bant Singh
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 2
Pal of gloom descended on the city today as the news about the death of Brigadier (retd) Bant Singh, Ati Vishishth Seva Medal (AVSM), came in. He was 87 years of age. He had met with a car accident near Sirhind a fortnight ago and was undergoing treatment at Military Hospital, Chandimandir, near Chandigarh.
It has been informed that his funeral ceremony will take place at Ram Bagh cremation ground in Bathinda on Tuesday. As per the details, Brig Bant Singh had raised his voice against corruption a number of times. He had said that corruption, which had crept into almost every field, was hindering the talent to come up and work for the development of the country. On social evils prevailing in the society, he had said there had been discussions on its various facets, but very less effort was being made to curb the menace. A few honest heads of the states, central government and politicians are also unable to stop corruption because their colleagues were not cooperating. Being a man of social values, he had been elected as patron of the Civil Lines Residents’ Welfare Association. Besides holding a number of reputed positions, he had been the vice-president of the Zila Sainik Welfare Board also. He had worked hard to get various schemes for the welfare of ex-servicemen community. Expressing sorrow over his sad demise, the local Balianwali Mool Niwasi Sabha consoled his family members. Brig Bant was the president of the organisation. Meanwhile, volunteers of the Dost Welfare Society, an NGO, have also expressed grief over his death.
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‘Contract system a tool to exploit workers’
Anil Jerath
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 2
Demanding abolition of contract system, various trade unions under the banner of the Punjab Pradesh Paledar Mazdoor Union held a rally in front of the mini-secretariat here today. Carrying black flags, they also blocked vehicular traffic for more than two hours on the Mall Road.
Terming the contract system “a tool to exploit employees and workers”, representatives of various trade unions, including Jarnail Singh, president of the Punjab Pradesh Paledar Mazdoor Union, the All Food Allied Loading and Unloading Mazdoor Union and Food Agencies Paledar Union (Azad), demanded the abolition of the system. They also sought direct payment of wages to workers. The leaders insisted that the job of sewing and loading should be taken back from commission agents, public sector should be strengthened and the recommendations made by the labour advisory board committee should be implemented. They said the government should stop direct procurement by private agencies. In addition, they demanded registration of contractors, issuance of ESI cards to workers and basic amenities for workers in markets. Addressing the gathering, Pal Singh, general secretary of the INTUC, Punjab, demanded that the ‘nefarious nexus’ between bureaucracy and contractors should end immediately in the larger interest of the workers. He also demanded that the properties of the contractors should be verified. P.S. Brar, president of the INTUC, stated that the state government had virtually given a go-ahead to the exploitation of workers by allowing contracts to commission agents. He warned that if the state government did not reverse its anti-worker policies, they would be forced to wage a struggle against it.
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Novel way to preserve green fodder
Anil Jerath
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 2
Punjab agriculture department has developed a novel method to preserve green fodder by making silage and hay to feed the cattle when there is shortage of green fodder around September and October every year. The novel technique recently formulated by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Punjab, has been successfully implemented in the Majha belt of the state.
Due to the sowing of new crops, the scarcity of non-leguminous fodders such as maize, jowar, bajra and ryegrass has become real. Traditionally, farmers when faced with the shortage of fodder dry or preserve or buy it at a higher price. As a result both cattle and farmers suffer. While talking to TNS here today, Dr H. S. Cheema, the feed and fodder development expert, said: "It is natural that if animals eat less fodder, their yield of milk would also be reduced. It would mean losses for the dairy farmer. So, when green fodder is easily available in the market at a reasonable price, it is advisable to store it for later use by pickling it. It can be used when the green fodder is in short supply and when it is heavily priced. As a result of this, the animals' yield is not affected and the dairy farmer also escapes losses." Non-leguminous fodders can be used to make silage (fermented, high-moisture fodder that can be fed to ruminants or cud-chewing animals like cattle and sheep) while surplus leguminous fodders can be used for hay. After cutting the crop at an appropriate stage, the green fodder is chaffed at two to three inches length to make silage. Then, it is put into a silo pit (underground chamber for storing grain) and pressed thoroughly, either manually or with tractors. By pressing, an anaerobic condition is created for proper fermentation. Then, the pit is covered with a polythene sheet and mud for 40 to 45 days. After the fermentation is complete, the fodder is ready for feeding. Dr Cheema said: "When we make this pickle, the cattle having an anatomy of 4-segment stomach are greatly benefited. It is so because pickling of fodder results in a chemical process, which converts it into fodder as in the last stage of digestion process. The pH value and lactic acid content of such fodder is equivalent to semi-digested fodder making it easy to digest." Kabul Singh, a dairy farmer, said: “The fodder pickle helps us a lot. We use it for over five months. We save on labour and the loss in the yield of milk is also averted." The green fodder preservation technique is not only scientifically beneficial for the cattle but is also economically cheaper for the dairy farmers, who buy fodder at high prices during the lean periods.
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