Amritsar, September 19
Hundreds of ‘langoors’ have descended on the premises of the local Bara Hanuman Mandir once again. These colourful creatures, however, are human beings, all dressed up as ‘langoors’.

They converge on the place, pay their obeisance at the temple within the famed Durgiana Temple premises every year and participate in the famed “Langoor Mela” during the Navratras.

The mela, that started today will conclude on Dasehra.

Pandit Bhagwan Dass, the temple priest, said thousands of childless couples from far and wide come barefooted to the temple every year to attain the blessings of Lord Hanuman.

The costumes are unique in the sense that these are dominated by red and silver colours and a conical cap is an inseparable part of the special attire.

Once the wish is fulfilled, parents come along with their male children and keep visiting the temple in the morning and evenings for seven days. The faces of the children, or even that of the elderly devotees, are smeared with mud in such a way that they resemble a ‘langoor’.

The belief is so strong that a large number of people throng the temple irrespective of their religious affiliations.

Jasbir Singh, an local devotee, said his parents’ wish was fulfilled when they had come to the temple decades ago.

“They were blessed with four sons. I, too, have been coming here as a ‘langoor’. I also bring along my kids,” he said.

Ludhiana, September 19
Former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said here today that there was need to impose financial emergency as the condition of the state was very poor. The SAD-BJP regime was selling state properties to give salaries to its employees, he added.

He was addressing mediapersons here after attending the court proceedings in the alleged multi-crore city centre scam case.

Meanwhile, Sessions Judge SP Bangarh adjourned the case for hearing arguments on framing charges against all accused till October 10.

The Captain said if Finance Minister Manpreet Badal was sincere towards interests of the state but was helpless in the present set up, he must resign and make his stand clear.

All other accused, except Raninder Singh, were present in the court. A large number of Congress leaders and former MLAs, were also present.

Lohian( Jalandhar), September 19
Mystery of deaths of 11 horses and mares at a dera near remains unsolved. Baba Balbir Nath, in charge of Baba Amar Nath dera at Nalh village, 5 km from here said yesterday he was awaiting report from government authorities on what led to the deaths of horses and mares.

Following sudden death of five horses and mares in the dera premises a few days ago, six horses and mares were taken to Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana. However, all six died there said Baba Balbir Nath. He was awaiting post- mortem examination report from the university. He estimated the loss at Rs 24 lakh.

Some horses were worth Rs 3 lakh each. “ We bought two horses for Rs 2.5 lakh each”, said the Baba , who rears horses, camels, goats etc. “ One of our horses won prize at horse show held at Amritsar recently”, said the Baba. “ We have one dera in Haryana where too we keep some animals , he said. “ We also organise horse races here once a year”, he said adding cash prize was given to winners.

“ We have left with five horses. We are scared following deaths of animals in two days”, said the Baba. He said animal fell sick after taking green fodder. “ We contacted veterinary doctors at Jalandhar and other places. However, it was of no use”, he added.

Amarjit Singh, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry, Department, said green millet fodder was fed to the animals. It proved fatal for them. He said the Veterinary University authorities told him the animals died of impaction, a disease caused by green millet fodder. He said toxicity caused by fodder led to infection and impaction proving fatal for horses and mares. Green millet above of height above two metres should never be fed to animals as it causes dehydration which could be fatal.

However, there is scare among stud farm owners. “ Deaths of so many horses have left us worried.’ The university authorities and department officials should to find out the cause of deaths of horses and mares”, said a stud farm owner.

There are reports some animals perished due to disease called “ ‘gal-gotu” in local parlance. Amarjit Sindh said reports regarding this disease were false. More than three lakh head of cattle had been vaccinated against this disease in the Doaba region in recent months, he said. 

Pathankot, September 19
The police, in this town having borders with Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal has been put on alert following a message of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) chief , Ranjit Singh Neeta, now in Pakistan, on strikes in this area, was intercepted by intelligence agencies a few days ago.

The police did not share information on the interception of the message with media persons but sources said about 200 more cops , in addition to existing strength in the town, had been deployed for security.

Senior police officials also reached the town, which has cantonment and Air Force station, to work out strategy to deal with the situation.

The message, intercepted by the intelligence agencies says , Neeta was unhappy with his men in India or in parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab , for not carrying out terrorist activities in this town, dominated by a particular community. Neeta also is said to have expressed displeasure over delay striking in this town.

Neeta was a resident of Sambal Camp area, Jammu town before he fled to Pakistan. His name also figured in the list of 20 terrorists, handed over to Pakistan by Indian government for extradition. He was declared proclaimed offender in two cases of bomb blast in this area in 1998 and 1999. He is said to have been behind sending human bomb to Punjab, who was arrested a few years ago.

Sources said Neeta had been sending narcotics to India from pockets on the Indo-Pakistan border in Gurdaspur and Jammu areas of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Recent seizure of heroin from points near the zero line has also been baffling the police .

Lok Nath Angra, SSP, Gurdaspur, said that security had been upgraded in Gurdaspur district, including this town on the eve of festival season, which included the Dasehra and Diwali festivals. He expressed ignorance about any message of Neeta having been intercepted trapped by intelligence agencies.

He disclosed a year ago, a message regarding terrorist strike at Ranjit Sagar dam (RSD) was trapped and security of the same in this district, was made accordingly. 

Melak Kangan (Moga), September 19
Religious leader-turned-environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal has stressed on community participation in development works and protecting environment at the grassroots level in the state.

He was addressing the villagers, who had helped strengthen the 5-km embankment along the Sutlej.

Lauding people for accomplishing the task, he said they had become a role model for other villages.

On July 21, Seechewal visited the nearby Lalehandi village and called on people to help plug the breach and strengthen the embankment in the district.

The Irrigation and Drainage Department had prepared estimate of Rs 1.17 crore to plug breach and strengthen the embankment of the Sutlej in the district but community’ help only Rs 34 lakh was spent. Seechewal, who mobilised villagers for the job, was today in high spirits. Level of the embankment has been raised from five feet to 10 feet in two months by using 50 tractors and five JCB machines daily. Most of the tractors were hired from people here. Besides, local people mobilised own resources ,regularly organised ‘langar’ for people working.

Seechewal administration officials inspected the work and initiated tree plantation by planting a tree along the embankment.

Faridkot, September 19
The five-day Baba Farid mela began at Gurdwara Tilla Baba Farid here today. The Sufi saint had meditated at this place for 40 days before heading towards Pakistan.

Since the state government has given heritage status to this mela, a procession named ‘kaafla-ie-virasat’ was organised for the first time by the local people and students of various schools and colleges.

District magistrate VK Meena and SSP Surinder Singh Sodhi flagged off the procession. The procession portrayed the cultural heritage of the state. Folk artistes presented bhangra, giddha, skits, songs, jago, etc, while groups of youths presented ‘gatka’, the traditional fighting technique of the Sikhs.

A state-level painting workshop has also been organised in the Sanjeevani Hall of Barjindra College in which a number of artists from various parts of the state have arrived to participate. The chairman of the Baba Farid group of educational institutes, Inderjit Singh Khalsa, who inaugurated the workshop, said the main theme of the competition was the life and philosophy of Baba Farid. 

Ludhiana, September 19
Supreme Court judge Justice DK Jain today said 60 per cent schoolchildren were taking intoxicants, which was an alarm bell for India.

"Out of every 10 addicts, seven are boys and three girls who are harming not only their health, but even India's future," said Jain, adding gutka and tobacco top the addiction list. He said we couldn’t shut our eyes as we are in a war-like situation and cannot afford to lose the battle.

The Supreme Court judge was in the city today to preside over a seminar on “Drug de-addiction and role of law and society” organised by the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana and Asia Pacific Jurists Association here.

Drug menace had affected all sections of society and 16 per cent of the population was of addicts. In the rural areas, one person from each family was in the grip of drugs, he added.

Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court T S Thakur, said“Awareness is the best weapon against the drug menance, as due to lack of awareness more and more youths were tempted and fall in this vicious net.”

Justice SuryKant, president of the APJA , Atul Lakhanpal, secretary-general, BK Goel, chairman, Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, Dr Vijender Ahlawat, Justice Ashutosh Mohantta, Justice Ajay Tiwari, Justice K S Ahluwalia exhorted all NGOs, parents, teachers, panchayats to launch awareness campaign among the masses regarding the ill effects of drugs.

Sangrur, September 19
Panchayat members of Surjan Bhaini village near Moonak, have been recommended for state honour for helping plug breaches in the Ghaggar near Moonak and Makror Sahib village. Special grant for the development of the village were also recommended yesterday by Moonak SDM RPS Walia and endorsed by former Sangrur MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who, as representative of the Chief Minister yesterday visited Makror Sahib, Surjan Bhaini, Moonak and Khanauri.

Dhindsa said he had also assured the panchayat and the SDM of special grants to Surjan Bhaini village and award to the panchayat. He said the youths who worked hard to plug breaches near Moonak and Makror Sahib would also be honoured.

Moonak SDM Walia said he had sent recommendation to Sangrur deputy commissioner VK Ohri, who would pass it on to the state government for honouring Surjan Bhaini panchayat and issuing special development grants to the village.

Due to incomplete Moonak- Tohana bridge residents of the Moonak area have been facing problems in visiting fields, situated on the other side of the bridge, and the Tohana town. 

Chandigarh, September 19
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) and the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, have signed an agreement for the supply of coal (45.95 lakh tonne per annum) to the powerhouses of the board for 20 years as per the New Coal Distribution Policy (NCDP).

An MoU has also been signed for the use of railway siding named KDH Line No 2 for loading of washed coal to be produced at the coal preparation plant. The plant has been set up by Monnet Daniels Coal Washeries Private Limited on build-own-operate (BOO) basis for washing of raw coal supplied by the CCL to the PSEB powerhouses.

The agreement between the PSEB and the CCL was signed by GS Sra, Member Generation, PSEB, and VB Sahay, general manager (sales and marketing), CCL, at Chandigarh yesterday.

A similar agreement was signed by the PSEB with the BCCL (Bharat Coking Coal Limited), a Subsidiary of Coal India Limited, on August 7. One more agreement is likely to be signed by the PSEB in near future with the SECL.

Chandigarh, September 19
Bimla Gupta (77), mother of Justice Hemant Gupta and wife of former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court JV Gupta, today breathed her last after brief illness. She is survived by two daughters and a son.

Her elder son-in-law ML Tayal is principal secretary to Haryana Chief Minister.