Bathinda, October 12
In the wake of reports related to pathetic arrangements made for paddy lifting and choked mandis in Bathinda district, Darbara Singh Guru, Principal Secretary to the Punjab Chief Minister, warned all officials concerned that negligence and delay in the process would invite strict action.

Holding a meting with the officials of the CCI, district administration late on Sunday evening, Guru asked them to ensure the lifting of procured paddy from the grain markets at the earliest to save the farmers from facing any inconvenience in selling their crop.

However, against his directions, the situation was observed to be unchanged today throughout the district. According to information collected, till today, a total of 84600 MT paddy had arrived in all mandis of the district and a total of 70533 MT had been purchased but half of the total purchased, i.e.35265 MT, was still lying the mandis.

During the meeting, Darbara Singh Guru asked the procurement agencies to ensure the payment of paddy procured to the farmers within 48 hours. He further said the procurement of paddy was a big task, so all officials should work with full responsibility.

Guru also asked all SDMs and DSPs of the district to pay special attention towards the paddy procurement by way of checking the procurement work in the grain markets. He also asked the officials of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), District Mandi Officer, and the district officers to ensure smooth procurement of "narma" this season.

On the occasion he was told by the CCI officers that the CCI had made proper arrangements for the smooth procurement of "narma".

Guru also said that the Punjab government had made elaborate arrangements for the DAP fertiliser for the ensuing wheat sowing season. During the meetingm the total requirement of the district was said to be of 38,000 MT of the DAP and after completing all arrangements as per the monthly requirement, there would be no shortage of DAP in the state.

To take account of Faridkot district, Darbara Singh Guru today visited Sadiq and Faridkot mandis, where hearing the grievances of farmers and arhtiyas he briefed that till Sunday about 2.05 lakh MT paddy had arrived at mandis and out of which 1.99 lakh MT had been procured. He added that the overall percentage of lifting was 60 percent in the district.

Bathinda, October 12
To maintain peace and law and order during the Diwali festival days in the city, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashish Chaudhary held a meeting with the local traders here today. Among others who participated in the meeting included area in-charge of the SAD for Bathinda Assembly constituency Sarup Chand Singla, Raju Bhathewala, Dr Om Parkash Sharma, Parmod Jain and Ashok Dhunike.

According to a decision taken at the meeting, the entry of four-wheelers will not be allowed from October 13 to October 17 in the main bazaars of the city to maintain traffic system in the light of congestion in the bazaars due to Diwali festival. Only two wheelers will be allowed to enter the main bazaars.

On the demand of the traders, it was also decided that the entry of four-wheelers would remain open from 10 pm to10 am in the bazaars so that the traders could unload their commodities at their shops and godowns.

The SSP also sought cooperation from the traders and asked the trader organisations to contact the police immediately in case they needed police help. 

Bathinda, October 12
The three-day Diwali Carnival in the form of Little Kingdom began at the Lord Rama Public School, Bathinda, from Monday.

Principal of the school, Suraj Setia, said that fun-filled programme had been chalked out to entertain the students during the carnival. He said that for the students of UKG up to class V, there were six types of air-filled jumping rides, seven small swimming pools, clowns such as Micky Mouse, dinosaur moving in different dresses, one hour magic show by King Cobra, DJ system and others for the entertainment of students from UKG to class V.

The students from class VI to VII have been sent to the Pushpa Gujral Science City, Jalandhar to mark the festival, he added. — TNS

Mansa, October 12
Mansa police have received the police remand of all the accused till October 14, who were arrested on October 11 in connection with making adulterated sweets in Mansa. Nearly 30 quintal of adulterated and duplicate sweets was reportedly seized.

As per the information, Mansa police on the basis of a secret information, raided a private bus that was coming from Chandigarh to Mansa near Mansa bypass at 10 pm on October 11, along with the health officials and seized adulterated sweets.

Civil Surgeon of Mansa Dr Pritpal Singh and deputy medical commissioner Dr Rupinder Kumar Singla said 11 quintals of burfi and milk cake and 18 quintals of pateesha was seized from Simran bus on Sunday night. The samples of these adulterated sweets had been sent to Chandigarh for testing.

The police had received the remand of all the accused in this regard from the court of the chief judicial magistrate Dimple Walia. Those against whom the case was registered under sections 420, 270, 272 and 273 of the IPC included bus driver Sukhchain Singh, a resident of Kamal Pur (Sangrur), bus conductor Raju Singh, a resident of Budhlada (Mansa), Amit Kumar, a resident of Darua (Chandigarh), Satish Kumar , Ashok Kumar and Bhushan Kumar, residents of Mansa, Harbans Lal, a resident of Mansa and Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Mansa.

All the sweets along with the Simran bus, bearing registration number PB11-AH-0183 and a car are in the police custody.

Deputy Commissioner Kumar Rahul and Senior Superintendent of Police Hardayal Singh Mann the said move against those selling and supplying adulterated sweets would continue ahead of the festivals. 

Moga, October 12
The state irrigation department has announced the rotational programme of irrigation for the kharif season through the canal water from October 15-22. The channels of Sirhind canal system would run on a priority basis from Sidhwan branch, Bathinda branch, Bist-Doab, Patiala feeder and Abohar branch, respectively.

Disclosing this, a spokesman of the irrigation department said direct distributaries of the Bhakra main line in group ‘A’ being in the channels of first preference would run to their indent and balance water supplies available would be utilised in Ghaggar branch and its off-taking channels, Ghaggar branch and Patiala minor in Group ‘B’, respectively.

All the direct distributaries of Sirhind feeder in group 'A' being in the first preference would run to their indent and balance water supplies available would be utilised in the Abohar branch off-taking from Sirhind feeder and its distributaries/minors in Group ‘B’.

The Sabraon branch with its distributaries being in the channels of first preference would run to their indent and balance water would be supplied water available in Kasur branch lower, main branch lower, Lahore branch with their distributaries, respectively. 

Abohar, October 12
While justifying the registration of an FIR under section 452 of the IPC by the city police against some citizens, including the chief editor of a local newspaper, Shiv Raj Goyal president of the BJP-led Municipal Council today clarified that residents of Gobind Nagari had stormed the clinic of his father Dr Ram Kumar Goyal, former MLA, while entering his residence early in the morning.

This could have been fatal for the patients, some of whom were in not in a stable condition. “None of the elected representative would mind arrival of the aggrieved citizens to his working office but causing panic to the patients cannot be termed as a humanitarian act,” he said.

Attaching copy of an affidavit signed by some residents of Gobind Nagari, Shiv Raj Goyal claimed in a signed statement that they had on September 30, voluntarily stated on oath that they had gone to his residence to discuss construction of streets in the locality but in his absence his father Dr Ram Kumar Goyal assured to sort out the matter next day.

One of them had informed the representative of a local newspaper on mobile phone that the matter had been amicably solved. However, to their surprise the newspaper published politically motivated, distorted and biased story next day to settle its own scores.

Goyal has also attached to his statement a copy of the unconditional apology reportedly tendered by the editor of the local newspaper for having earlier published something derogatory against Dr Ram Kumar Goyal.

Reposing faith in the freedom of the fourth estate (press) Goyal said none should be allowed to misuse it to achieve petty goals. 

Fazilka, October 12
The state government has failed to meet the expectations of the people and provide basic amenities to the residents of the state such as education and health facilities, stated Vijay Kumar Chopra, chairman Press Trust of India and chief editor of Punjab Kesari Group of newspapers while presiding over a social function in the nearby Jalalabad town on Sunday evening.

He rued that yet another vital amenities of supplying electric power and providing pensions to old age, widows, physically challenged and others are too in a mess. Chopra launched an annual feature of providing scholarship of Rs 300 per student, per month to brilliant students of the government schools only on this occasion.

Chairman of the Punjab Small Traders Board, Madan Lal Kapoor, additional income tax commissioner Lakshman Singh, DIG BSF Vimal Satyarthi, district food and supplies controller Sukhdev Singh, former minister Hans Raj Josan, regional in-charge of the District NGOs Co-ordination Committee, Ashok Aneja were also present. Aneja announced to provide scholarship to 200 students from the next year.

Addressing a large gathering, Chopra said this is the prime duty of the state governments to provide the amenities to the residents, failing which, the social organisations have to come forward to do the needful.

He said to provide scholarship to the poor students of the government school was initiated by Ram Navmi Utsav Committee Jalanadhar, which is at present providing scholarship to more than 1,000 students. He lauded the efforts of the organisations in launching the scholarship scheme.