J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Squall, rain spell doom
Wheat yield may be hit
Jalandhar, March 21
Even as widespread rain on Friday came as a welcome break from the rising temperatures, the damage it did to crops in several parts of the region played spoilsport for the heightened spirits of the people.

A farmer inspects the damage to his wheat crop in Jalandhar on Saturday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

KSC demands compensation for farmers
Amritsar, March 21
The state government should order for special girdawri as more that 50 per cent of the wheat crop was damaged by heavy squalling late last night, said Satnam Singh Pannu, state president Kisan Sangharsh Committee Punjab in a release here today.

CET likely on May 3
Chandigarh, March 21
The Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to various engineering colleges in Punjab is likely to be held on May 3 and the Joint Entrance Test (JET) for admission to polytechnics will be held on May 30.

Martyrdom Day
Plays to revive Bhagat Singh’s memories
Jalandhar, March 21
Even as the various political parties have been gearing up to hold rallies to woo thousands of Bhagat Singh’s followers ahead of the parliamentary poll by organising rallies at Khatkar Kalan, many social organisations too were planning to add the much-needed patriotic flavour to the martyrdom day function on Monday.

Embezzlement Case
Baba’s accomplice held from Ambala
Amritsar, March 21
In a major success, the Tarn Taran police have nabbed Sukhchain Singh Sukha, an accomplice of controversial Baba Amrik Singh, from Railway Road, Ambala. Sukha was declared proclaimed offender by the court in a fraud case for embezzling about Rs 2 crore donated by devotees for carrying out Kar Seva in Sikh shrines located in India and abroad, including Pakistan.

Soch faction to boycott CKD poll
Amritsar, March 21
The Dr Harbhajan Singh Soch-led faction in a meeting today decided to boycott the election of Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) scheduled to be held tomorrow. The election of the office bearers would be held under the supervision of Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh.

Squall, rain spell doom
Wheat yield may be hit
Amarjit Thind/TNS

Jalandhar, March 21
Even as widespread rain on Friday came as a welcome break from the rising temperatures, the damage it did to crops in several parts of the region played spoilsport for the heightened spirits of the people.

The rain, that started late in the evening continued for more than an hour, was preceded by strong winds. In the city, the people had to scurry indoors due to the dusty gusts and power went off in many localities, posing a lot of problems for the residents.

During a quick round of the area, it was seen that the standing wheat crop had been lodged and farmers could be seen talking about the strong possibility of such weather continuing in the coming days.

As compared to Jalandhar, the damage was more (in many cases 50 - 60 percent) in the villages of Kapurthala.

The weather is a worrisome development for the farmers since the crops have started ripening ahead of the expected date on account of the heat wave.

We are already expecting a lower yield since the crops will ripen ahead of schedule, said Harvinder Singh, sarpanch of Saidpur village.

He also pointed out to tracts of wheat in his and other fields of the village which had been flattened by the winds.

The fallout of the damage is that not only will the yield go down, harvesting crops in such fields will also become a difficult task since combine operators shall hike their rates by Rs 300 - 400 per acre, he pointed out.

Similarly, Balbir Singh of Todarwal village also showed his fields where the crop has been lodged. He also added that they would have a hard time harvesting the crop and would also have to bear losses. Lodging was also witnessed in the surrounding villages in this belt.

Meanwhile, officials of the agriculture department said they had toured the district and significant damage had been reported so far. The damage would have been more in case the rains were accompanied by strong winds and the weather had not cleared up today. As the day was sunny today, the fields have more or less dried up, they added.

KSC demands compensation for farmers

Amritsar, March 21
The state government should order for special girdawri as more that 50 per cent of the wheat crop was damaged by heavy squalling late last night, said Satnam Singh Pannu, state president Kisan Sangharsh Committee Punjab in a release here today. He said the farmers, who were already facing the attack of yellow rust disease on the wheat crop, must be ruined with yesterday’s squall.

He demanded the government should instruct the Revenue Department for holding special girdawri in the borders districts of Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran so that adequate compensation could be given to the farmers.

Pannu said the farmers were already facing hardships due to the anti-farmers policies of the central and the state governments but the natural calamities were further pushing them in dept trap. He warned that if the government failed to provide immediate compensation to the farmers they would be forced to launch court arrest agitation. — TNS

CET likely on May 3
Chitleen K Sethi/TNS

Chandigarh, March 21
The Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to various engineering colleges in Punjab is likely to be held on May 3 and the Joint Entrance Test (JET) for admission to polytechnics will be held on May 30.

Reliable sources in Punjab Technical University said though the final date for the CET was yet to be notified by the Punjab government, all preparations were being made to hold the test on May 3.

The PTU conducts the CET for admission to engineering courses in colleges affiliated to the PTU, engineering colleges on the campuses of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, Punjabi University, Patiala, and Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana. The JET is held for admission to diploma courses offered by polytechnics in the state and some institutes in Chandigarh.

Sources in the Punjab State Board of Technical Education and Industrial Training here said the date for the test had been finalised and advertisements regarding the availability of the prospectus would be out soon.

There is, however, still no news on when the Baba Farid University of Medical Sciences would hold the PMET. “We have asked the state government to notify the examination after which a date will be finalised. But it has been decided that the university would conduct the PMET on its own and no help from any outside agency will be taken,” said Vice-Chancellor of the BFUMS Dr S.S. Gill.

Martyrdom Day
Plays to revive Bhagat Singh’s memories
Deepkamal Kaur/TNS

Jalandhar, March 21
Even as the various political parties have been gearing up to hold rallies to woo thousands of Bhagat Singh’s followers ahead of the parliamentary poll by organising rallies at Khatkar Kalan, many social organisations too were planning to add the much-needed patriotic flavour to the martyrdom day function on Monday.

The Patiala-based North Zone Cultural Centre would begin a three-day theatre festival near the site where artistes would stage plays and sing vaars recalling the valour of the Shaheed-e-Azam through the evenings. The programme would begin with a Kewal Dhaliwal’s play “Kuknus Bhagat Singh” tomorrow, said NZCC director D.S. Saroya.

Some of the other plays which would be staged during the festival included “Mein Bhagat Singh Han” by Pali Bhupinder, “Basanti Chola” by Assa Singh, “Freedom Fighter” by Sanjeevan Singh and “Chhipan Ton Pehlan” by Davinder Daman.

Nawanshahr-based NGO Upkar is planning to organise a march with members dressed in aprons carrying the message against female foeticide and drug addiction, said its representative Jaspal Singh Gidda. A stall for distributing literature on social issues would also be put up.

Meanwhile, Bhagat Singh’s nephew Dr Jagmohan Singh said he would not be able to make it to the function at Khatkar Kalan this time as he was in Pune in connection with a ceremony being organised there to unveil the statues of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at Rajguru Nagar, the birth place of Rajguru. “The panchayat of the village there has been doing so much that our state government has failed to do,” he opined.

Embezzlement Case
Baba’s accomplice held from Ambala
P.K. Jaiswar/TNS

Amritsar, March 21
In a major success, the Tarn Taran police have nabbed Sukhchain Singh Sukha, an accomplice of controversial Baba Amrik Singh, from Railway Road, Ambala.

Sukha was declared proclaimed offender by the court in a fraud case for embezzling about Rs 2 crore donated by devotees for carrying out Kar Seva in Sikh shrines located in India and abroad, including Pakistan. Baba Amrik Singh, who is now on bail, was the main culprit in the case. Sukha has been on the run since the registration of a case in the year 2006.

A case under sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and other relevant sections of the IPC was registered against them at the city police station at Tarn Taran.

Confirming this, Malwinder Singh Sidhu, SP (D), said Sukha was the driver of Baba Amrik Singh and was living in Ambala with his second wife. He said the police had recovered more than Rs 8.50 lakh from his bank account at Amritsar at the time of registration of the case. Sidhu said he was presented in the court today and has been sent to four-day police remand. It may be recalled that recently Baba Amrik was again in the thick of controversy when he was allotted the kar seva of beautification of the surroundings of the Golden Temple by planting saplings.

Soch faction to boycott CKD poll
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 21
The Dr Harbhajan Singh Soch-led faction in a meeting today decided to boycott the election of Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) scheduled to be held tomorrow. The election of the office bearers would be held under the supervision of Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Soch said his faction has decided not to accept any post in the new body to be elected. He said the decision of the ruling group, headed by Charnjit Singh Chadha to hold the election through voice vote would further divide the CKD.

Even though the local court yesterday dismissed the petition of Dr Soch, who had pleaded that election be held through secret ballot, the meeting also decided that legal recourse should continue to be taken so that the present modality of casting vote does not become a precedent which would continue to violate the fundamental rights of the CKD members to cast their votes without any fear and favour.

The group also resolved to request the jathedar to keep the identity independent and not aligned directly or indirectly with any group or ruling party of any Sikh organisation.