Bathinda, March 12
Problems for potato growers in the region are apparently failing to cease. After the glut, another sort of the problem of plenty – sudden rush of produce at cold storages - is causing problems to them.

Storing the produce at cold storages has become a time consuming or in their words “time-killing” process for them. The farmers alleged that they had to wait for nearly ‘48-hours’ for their turn.

Over four dozens of tractor-trailers full of potatoes — about 150 sacks loaded on each vehicle — were found making a beeline at several cold storages in the district for the last two days. More importantly, almost all of them appeared unsure about the exact timing of their turn.

Farmers from adjoining districts of Bathinda, including Barnala, Tapa, Dhilwan and others, are also reaching here as Bathinda is a good market for potatoes.

Although farmers are considering shortage of labour at the cold storage as a reason behind the delay in the storing process, the officials at the storages refuting the charges of delay said that the process was normal.

Kewal Singh of village Bhunder told The Tribune on Thursday evening that he reached at the Hargovind Cold Storage situated on the Bathinda-Goniana Road on Thursday morning. “But, I do not know when my turn will come,” he added.

He disclosed that his was not an isolated case. “Many other farmers were also facing the same problems. Some of them are even waiting for their turn for past nearly 48 hours,” Kewal added.

Lakhbir Singh of village Amargarh Goniana said that delay was not only wasting their precious time but was also hampering their other important works.

Harbansh Lal of the Hargovind Cold Storage, however, refuted the allegation that storing process was slow. “There is also not any sort of shortage of labour,” he added.

Terming the storing process as normal, Harbansh explained that the storing of one trolley takes nearly 45 minutes, which included time for paper work and other formalities. “What the cold storages would do, if all of a sudden nearly 30 trailers come and also at the same time,” he asked.

Harbansh said that sudden rush of produce was the reason behind the long queue. He said that there was delay in the digging of potatoes due to untimely rain at several places in the region.

It may be mentioned here that Bathinda has five big cold storages and farmers prefer warehouses in Bathinda to other places as it has good market.

Bathinda, March 12
The city celebrated the carnival of colours with a difference.

Waking up to the threat on ecology posed by the depleting water level in the region, the residents of several localities in the town on Wednesday observed an eco-friendly Holi.

Instead of ‘wasting’ the precious drops, the citizens in a symbolic step found smearing flower petals and dry colours, particularly ‘gulal’, on each others, this holi.

President of the Panchwati Nagar, Janak Raj Garg, said that conserving water had been a motto of the residents of the locality. “That is why, we have decided to celebrate floral Holi from this year onwards,” he added.

Echoing similar sentiment, another resident of the colony, M.M Behl, said the members of the locality had always been an eco-friendly people. “We make every possible effort to save and conserve the environment. This decision was step in that direction,” he added.

“We got overwhelming response from everyone in the locality; even kids supported our resolve,” said Bhushan Agarwal, Suresh Singla and other members of the Panchwati Nagar.

Residents of the area assembled at colony’s park in the morning and went to a nearby temple and offered flowers and ‘gulal’ to deities to began the daylong festival.

Residents of other colonies, including Model Town, Paras Ram Nagar, Power House Road, Civil Lines areas and others were also found celebrating dry Holi.

Bathinda, March 12
Post Holi, skin allergies and eye infections were reported in the city today. Doctors in the city said in spite of awareness spread about various infections caused by colours available in the market, cases triggered by using colours were reported.

Dr Arvinder Mittal, a dermatologist, said, “Around 20 per cent of patients, who visited me today, were affected by colours used while celebrating Holi. Skin allergies and contact dermatitis were reported, which take place because of the cheap ingredients used in colours, like nickel etc.”

The doctor added, “Herbal colours don’t cause allergies. A lot of artificial stuff was available in the market which triggered such problems.”

Dr Rajesh Maheshwari, a practicing dermatologist, said, “I got patients with skin irritation today. Dry colours make the skin excessively dry that becomes a cause of skin problems. A good massage with coconut oil would prevent it to a great extent.”

Eye doctors reported that they got severe cases of infections today.

“I got a few cases, who complained of eye infections after playing Holi, and one from Gidderbaha had a very severe eye infection. One should use goggles while playing Holi and avoid using water balloons,” Dr Sethi, an ophthalmologist in the city, said.

The doctors said they had been witnessing a rise in number of patients after Holi every year.

Bathinda, March 12
A Bathinda boy Maninder Sekhon has been elected as vice-president of the students’ union of the University of Greenwich, London.

There were six candidates for the post. Maninder defeated his nearest rival Muhammad Ali by a margin of about 500 votes.

Besides him, three other Indian students were elected to various positions on the campus.

Maninder maintains that the students’ union with annual turnover of about 2 million pounds was an effective body at the university. He is a grandson of Sher Singh Gagowal, MLA, Mansa.

Bathinda, March 12
Sanjeev Kumar Lucky, president, Youth Congress, Bhucho Mandi (Bathinda), today joined the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (B) in the presence of Surinder Kaur Badal, wife of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The SAD leadership was visualising desertion of Lucky, who is also the chairman of Local Beopar Mandal, as a setback for the Congress party in the area.

Speaking on the occasion, Lucky said the youth of Punjab had seen a new hope in the leadership and vision of Sukhbir Singh Badal, deputy chief minister, who is determined to further accelerate the development.

Welcoming Lucky in the SAD (B), Surinder Kaur said the SAD-BJP government would try to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the youth. She said that the SAD would soon announce its candidate for the Bathinda constituency.

Mansa, March 12
"The Third front is becoming stronger day by day because some regional parties and constituents of NDA and UPA have been wishing to join third front," this was stated by the state secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Bhupinder Sambar here today.

Talking to this correspondent at the party office, he said major constituent of NDA, Biju Janta Dal (BJD), has pulled out from NDA and decided to form alliance with the Left. About situation in Punjab, Sambar expressed concern over the increasing activities of Dera followers and Sikh organisations at the time of election.

He appealed to the people to maintain communal harmony and vote for the Left parties.

Mansa, March 12
“Politics of foundation stones and false promises could not benefit to the people of Punjab,'' said PPCC general secretary Raninder Singh while addressing public meetings in the villages of Mansa today.

He said that Punjab was undergoing economic crisis due to the wrong policies of SAD-BJP government, so this government is not in the position to do any development work in the state. Though SAD claiming to be pro-farmers party but farmers of the state had been struggling to ensure the procurement of their crops since SAD-BJP combine had come into power, he added.

He claimed that Congress-led UPA government and former state Congress government of Captain Amrinder Singh had brought policies and programmes for the welfare of farmers, labourers, employess and other sections of the society. Congress leader further said that development issue of SAD had no meaning because people of the state were facing the shortage of basic amenities. He assured if Congress-led government was voted to power and people of Bathinda elected Congress nominee then special package for the development of Punjab and Bathinda would be brought. He claimed that Congress would not allow the atrocities of SAD during elections.

He addressed public meetings at different villages on Mansa as Khokar Kalan, Ramditewala, Jawaharke, Nangal Kalan, Kot Dharmu, Banawala. Ajit Inder Singh Moffar MLA, Gurpreet Singh advocate district. President of the youth Congress, Bikram Singh Moffar, Amrik Singh, Simarjeet Mansahia and Jivan Dass Bawa also addressed the meetings.

Bathinda, March 12
Just a few days after the authorities of the Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology (GZSCET) were booked in a recruitment scam, a lecturer of the college has asked the district police to book the principal and the deputy registrar of the college for blackmailing and duping her of around Rs 4 lakh.

In a written application to the SSP, Bathinda, Suman Kathuria, a lecturer in Humanities and Management, accused principal of the college Harpal Singh and deputy registrar Gurdeep Singh of committing fraud and causing mental harassment.

She stated that she had joined the college as a personal assistant to the principal on September 6, 1990, through direct recruitment and the deputy director in question had joined as senior assistant in 1994. He was junior to her in status and scale. In 2000, both of them had applied for the posts of registrar and deputy registrar but the interview was not held. In 2001, Gurdeep, in connivance of the then principal Narinder Singh, in order to make his way clear for the post influenced her to apply for a lecturer in Humanities and Management.

Later in February 2007, her appointment was set aside by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In the meantime, Gurdeep 'managed' to get promoted as deputy registrar as he had already sidelined her by pushing her into teaching line. In a fix then, she requested the college authorities to adjust her among non-teaching staff.

She alleged that Harpal had, through Gurdeep Singh, forced her to pay Rs 50,000 in July 2007, Rs 1 lakh in February 2008, Rs 1.5 lakh in August 2008 and Rs 70,000 in September 2008 to get adjusted to the post of a lecturer, on which she was working at present. Then, she was given an appointment letter but was not allowed to join.

Suman further alleged that Gurdeep again sought a bribe of Rs 1 lakh, which she refused to pay. Still, she was issued second appointment letter but again was not allowed to join.

Later, Gurdeep took the two letters from her and asked her to join some other department with a condition that appointment was subject to ratification/approval by the board of governors. She added that now, the deputy registrar had been exerting pressure on her to pay Rs 1 lakh for the ratification of appointment letter.

In her complaint to the SSP, she urged to book the deputy registrar in question under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

On the other hand, deputy registrar Gurdeep Singh in his written statement has refuted all allegations. He counter alleged that the complainant was blackmailing him. Principal Harpal Singh, however, could not be contacted for his version despite several attempts.

SSP Ashish Chaudhary, when contacted, said, "The police is investigating the matter in detail."

Fazilka, March 12
Two youths, including a girl, were killed in a road mishap in Fazilka on Holi day.

According to sources, the incident took place when Mahinder Singh (16) and his cousin Baljinder Kaur (15) were coming to Fazilka on motorcycle along with their aunt Sudesh Kaur. As they reached a religious shrine on the outskirts of Fazilka town on Ferozepur road, the motor cycle collided with a peter rehra.

Mahinder Singh and Baljinder Kaur died on the spot while Sudesh Kaur sustained serious injuries.

She was rushed to a local civil hospital from where she was shifted to Muktsar for treatment in view of her critical condition.

The deceased, Mahinder Singh, was a student of class X of Shivalik Public School of Jalalabad and Baljinder Kaur was student of class IX.

Fazilka, March 12
Body of minor son of a labourer was recovered from a deserted room of the Primary School at village Kheowali Dhab on Wednesday evening. According to the FIR lodged with Khui Khera police by Lal Chand that when his son Sonu (12) did not return home on Holi day in the evening, he started search along with his relatives. As they reached at the primary school, they found body of his son with sharp edged injuries on neck.

Lal Chand has expressed doubt that his son might have been sodomised and murdered. According to autopsy report, the throat of the child was slit with some sharp edged weapon. The viscera have been sent for confirmation of sodomy.

Police has registered a case under section 302 against unidentified assailant.

Bathinda, March 12
A 26-year-old person allegedly set himself ablaze at his residence on Wednesday. The reason for his taking the step is not known yet.

As per the details available, Surender Kumar, the deceased, was unemployed and was having an affair with a girl.

However, in her statement to the police, sister of the deceased Seema Rani said that he was distressed for being jobless, which led him to commit suicide.

After recording the statement, the police has started investigations.