Bathinda, June 20
Trade union activists representing Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, Pendu Mazdoor Union, Democratic Employees front and farm labour today criticised the state government for pursuing "anti-labour" policies that had created social and economic disparity besides problems like poverty, unemployment and corruption.

Addressing the gathering at a common convention on Punjab's Labour Andolan, Tarsem Singh Jodan , president, Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, Punjab, sought Central Government's intervention in the mass arrests of Dalit agricultural labourers in Mansa, Sangrur and Bathinda districts. Over 1,400 agricultural labourers and labour leaders, including 500 women and 42 children, had been locked up in different jails in the state, he said.

"Almost all the activists and leaders of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha and the CPI (ML) (Liberation) in Punjab had been jailed, and even the most peaceful protests and ordinary political activities by these groups were facing a crackdown. Some of the senior activists had been isolated from the others and confined along with hardened criminals and were being harassed within the jail," he said.

The arrests had happened in the course of a struggle for NREGA job cards and homestead plots promised by the SAD-BJP government.

Giving the background of the recent incident, Tarsem Peter, president of Pendu Mazdoor Union, said, "In 26 villages of Mansa district and nine villages of Bathinda and Sangrur districts, struggle has been on by Dalit, rural poor workers under the banner of Mazdoor Mukti Morcha and CPI-ML for jobs under NREGA and homestead land.

The movement gained a momentum as the SAD-BJP government had backtracked its promise of providing housing sites to the poor."

"The Punjab government acting at the behest of upper caste landlords, who habitually occupy common land, had acted with vengeance on the Dalit, rural poor who demanded to live in dignity," he said.

He stressed upon the united struggle by Left forces to bring good results. Everyone has the right to have a house for living, adding that the government should provide plots to labourers for residence and work under the NAREGA.

He pointed out that the labourers had to take possession of the panchayat land reluctantly as their demand to get plots to construct houses was not accepted by the government. The agitation would continue until the demands of the labourers were accepted, he mentioned.

Union leaders also made a fervent plea with the government to formulate effective policies for rural employment, affordable housing, and free education, insurance and health care for the poor failing which the people would have to come out on the streets to seek their legitimate rights of social security.

Bathinda, June 20
In view of the report of dengue case, the district administration and the health department today conducted a special meeting during which deputy commissioner of Rahul Tewari passed special instructions to the corporation and health authorities to step up measures for avoiding any possible outbreak.

Bathinda SDM Dalwinderjeet Singh said that at a meeting held on Friday, the DC had issued instructions to all the officials concerned to carry out fogging exercise. The DC also said that in case of report of dengue, the executive officer of the area concerned would be held responsible.

The health officials in the past had complained to the DC that his subordinates were not cooperating with them in the fight against dengue. Following it, the DC convened a special meeting today.

All the executive officers and health officials were present at the meeting.

Dr I.P. Aggarwal, assistant civil surgeon said, "DC asked the concerned officials to take special measures like creating awareness about breeding grounds of mosquitoes." The DC asked the health department to create a separate ward for dengue patients in the civil hospital.

The DC instructed to carry out fogging in the radius of 50 metres of the affected area. "We had taken samples from the Mata Jiwi Nagar from a dengue case was reported but these samples were tested negative," he added.

Dr Neelam Bajaj, civil surgeon, Bathinda, told TNS that the health department, in a written request to the administration, had demanded fogging exercise. . "We have specially recommended for carrying out fogging in jail and the adjoining areas," Dr Bajaj said. 

Bathinda, June 20
Baljinder Singh, additional chief judicial magistrate, Bathinda, on Saturday sentenced Vinay Parkash Mangla to one-year imprisonment in a cheque-bounce case. A fine of Rs 20,000 was also imposed.

These orders were pronounced by the court while deciding on the complaint filed by the management of ICICI Bank, Bathinda branch. The complainant submitted that the accused had taken a home loan from the bank. The accused had issued cheques for repaying the loan amount in installments.

But when the cheque was presented in the bank it was dishonoured due to lack of sufficient funds. Thereafter, a legal notice was served upon the accused requesting him to make the payment within 15 days. But the complainant ignored the notice. The court found Vinay Parkash Mangla guilty. — TNS

Ferozepur, June 20
The association of the private medical and dental colleges in Punjab has demanded uniform fee structure for the government and management quota seats in the privately managed medical and dental colleges.

In a letter to the chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, Dr Kamal Baghi, urged the state government to make the pattern of the fee uniform for the management and government quota seats and also enhance the same at par with other states.

Baghi further said that there are eight medical and twelve dental colleges in the state under the private management. At the moment, for 50 per cent government quota seats in private medical college, the fee structure was Rs 1 lakh, while for the 35 per cent management quota, it was Rs 3 Lakhs. — OC

Mansa, June 20
Long power cuts have enraged the farmers and common people and they criticised the state government for making false promise of providing power supply round-the-clock.

A resident of Mansa, Bhupinder Singh, who is also serving as president of the Dheer Street Mansa said that long power cuts during ongoing hot weather had exposed the big claims made by the electricity board and the state government.

Baldev Sharma, another resident of Mansa, expressing concern over the poor electricity supply during the summer said that water supply was also affected due to long power cuts.

Meanwhile, district president of Bhartiya Kissan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) Ram Singh Bhainibagha and general secretary Mahinder Singh Romana criticised the state government for not providing three phase power supply for tube well for eight hours during the season of paddy transplantation.

Farmers have been getting three phase power supply only for six hours and at times in case of any fault in the lines, they do not even get six hours power supply. Farmers leaders had given ultimatum to the government that if proper power supply was not provided, they would launch protest against the government.

Another farmers leader Butta Singh also criticised Punjab government for not providing proper power supply.

Meanwhile, Xen Punjab State Electricity Board at Mansa, Udhey Deep Singh Dhillon, said that five hours electricity cuts were being imposed along with emergency cuts sometimes. Farmers were provided with eight hours power supply but sometimes it decreases due to unavoidable reason, he added.

Bathinda, June 20
To clear extra rush, the Northern Railway has decided to run weekly summer special trains between Amritsar and Sriganganagar via Bathinda from June 22 to July 27. The 20-coaches 461/462 trains will run on every Monday.

There would be no provision of reservation in the train that would carry the status of a express train.

Sources said on Saturday that the summer special will leave Amristar at 1.10 pm and reach Sriganganagar at 9.30 pm after passing through Ludhiana, Dhuri, Barnala, Rampura Phul, Bathinda, Gidderbaha, Malout and Abohar.

The train will arrive Bathinda 6.30 pm. The train will start its return journey at 11.50 pm and reach Amritsar at 9.30 am, sources added. — TNS