Chandigarh, October 19
Punjab is all set to launch its novel project of engaging a private agency on a pilot basis to run water supply to a block of villages in Morinda in Ropar by promising quantity, quality and reliability at consumer end. Besides, it will ensure the goal of an equitable water availability to villagers.

Since supply of potable water has been a major area of concern in the state for the past few decades because of high toxicity levels, the state Water Supply and Sanitation Department has under the national policy on rural drinking water programme taken upon itself the responsibility to provide every rural person with adequate water for drinking, cooking and other domestic needs on a sustainable basis.

Under the Morinda pilot project, the private agency will also be responsible for collecting water charges by its own employees.

The agency will also ensure reliable water supply hours in every village and will take prompt action in case of any complaint of breakdown or pollution in water.

Talking to The Tribune here, Paramjit Singh Aujla, Secretary, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, said since problem was acute in Southern Punjab because of brackish water with high concentration of fluorides, reverse osmosis plants had been installed in 197 villages while work on installation of 130 more such plants was in advanced stage.

The state government wants to cover all villages of Bathinda, Mansa, Ferozepore, Muktsar and Faridkot with assured availability of water through alternate techniques.

A nominal rate of 10 paise a litre is being charged for water supply at doorstep in rural areas. In return, the villagers get potable water of high standard that is reliable even in peak summer season when demand for drinking water increases manifold.

The executing agencies, says Aujla, have been engaged not only to build water treatment plants but also to operate and maintain these plants for seven years free of cost.

These agencies will pay back Rs 451.87 lakh to the state as a whole in this operate and maintain period. The department has also undertaken an ambitious project of organising workshops under water quality surveillance programme where each village is given a water testing kit that can test 100 samples of water for eight to 12 parameters. 

Muktsar, October 19
French Philosopher Voltaire once said, “Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy, the mad daughter of a wise mother.” Nowhere can this be better illustrated other than in the grain markets of illiteracy torn Muktsar- widely perceived to be one of the most educationally backward districts of Punjab.

Here in the grain markets, with the process of the paddy procurement going on in full swing, farmers are resorting to a variety of superstitious beliefs to ensure that their paddy stocks are lifted quickly by the government's procurement agencies.

There have been instances, where tractor-trolleys laden with paddy are simply taken back to the villages just because of news, which filters in from home on the mobile, informing the farmer that a "mirror fell down and broke"- considered be a bad omen by villagers.

Farmers of Bullar village, which is famous for producing a bumper harvest of both wheat and paddy year after year, said their plenteous crop is due to the fact that before they enter the Mandi, they always hang a horseshoe on top of a wooden door.

Said Mehal Singh, who ironically uses scientific methods during the sowing of crops, “Despite the fact that my family uses scientific methods in farming I am still a firm believer in superstitions.

Whenever my first tractor-trolley laden with paddy stock leaves the fields for the grain market I always make sure the trolley is reversed and brought back to my fields after it travels a few kilometres. In that way god ensures that we get good money for our produce.”

There are instances of even well-educated farmers willing to follow their superstitious instincts. One such farmer is Surjit Singh (name changed) of Chano village, who had his university education from the USA in the early seventies. Sitting near his paddy stocks, Surjit said, “I agree that superstitious belief was the uppermost in the minds of the people when science was weak. However, even now, when science is so strong and technology at an advanced stage, people still believe in myths and superstitions. My produce will not give me good money, if I do not throw a coin into the Sirhind feeder canal on my way to the grain market.”

“One of the most widespread superstitions in this district is that the germination of seeds is influenced by the phase of the moon at the time of sowing. Scores of scientists have carried out experiments on this point and the evidence is overwhelmingly to the effect that the idea is without any foundation.

“Still we believe in sowing of seeds during a particular phase of the moon. Actually, the belief in the influence of heavenly bodies dates back to pre-historic times,” added Surjit.

There are some farmers like Ajmer Singh of Maar village, who till yet has not brought his produce into the market. “Yesterday, I wanted to bring my paddy to the grain market. However, what undid my plans was the fact that a mirror fell and broke in my house just as the first tractor-trolley was to leave the fields. I will bring the produce towards the fag end of the procurement process.”

At the other end of the spectrum are farmers of waterlogged Ratta Kherra village.

“An astrologer, who came to our village a few years ago, suggested us to bring an elephant, because it represents Ganesha, due to which, our waterlogging problems will be solved forever.

“Four years ago, we brought one from neighbouring Rajasthan yet the problem still persists. However, we are not going to send the elephant away.”

Superstitions may be founded on fables and mythology quastioned by rationalists, yet hundreds of farmers here believe in them hoping it fetches them better deals.

Sriganganagar/Abohar, October 19
Rail traffic remained suspended for more than five hours as three wagons of a goods train derailed on Sunday night at Suratgarh. 9224 Jammu Tawi Ahmedabad Somnath Express and Hanumangarh-Jaipur special trains were among those affected.

The goods train was also carrying material that had been imported through the Kandla sea port, sources in the railways said.

The derailed wagons would be put in order by Monday afternoon, a visitor Manoj Swami confirmed.

The incident led to the detention of the goods train for more about 12 hours. 

Mansa, October 19
Generic medicine shops in the Civil Hospitals at the district headquarters have been proving beneficial for the patients especially from poor background as medicines are available in these shops at cheaper rates.

Some patients got surprised by the price variation when they bought medicines at cheaper rates than the market price. Mansa resident Jaspal kokhar and Bhupinder Singh lauded the government's effort to provide medicines at cheap rates.

They demanded that such shops should be set up in the small towns and villages. The medicines are being provided by the Pharmaceutical department of chemical and fertiliser, ministry of India to these shops and the state Red Cross Society has been running these medicine shops. Red Cross Society gets only 20 per cent share of the total sale.

Deputy medical commissioner Rupinder Kumar Singla said generic medicine shops have been providing medicines to people at cheaper rates round-the-clock inside the premises of the Civil Hospital. "The price variation between the market shops and the government generic shops has surprised many people," he added. Notably, for the smooth functioning of generic shops, the cooperation of doctors and other employees is required as the set up of generic medicine shop would affect the interests of some doctors and chemists, said a health department employee on the condition of anonymity.

Bathinda, October 19
Rural kids would never be able to change the social fibre unless they were aware about the problems society was facing, said Banarsi Lal Chawla, father of Kalpana Chawla, an aeranautics engineer who died in 2003.

Chawla was part of a day’s workshop on “How to be successful” held at the Yadwindra College of Engineering in the Guru Kashi campus, Talwandi Sabo, today.

Chawla said uplift of poor and rural kids was not the responsibility of the government only. “We cannot just sit and wait for the government to take steps. Influential and responsible citizens can kick-start a public campaign to educate the rural children. Awareness is also required as a majority of the economically-backward students do not know about the government’s education schemes meant for them,” Chawla added.

He said there was enormous talent in rural areas and there was a need to identify and nurture it.

Apart from Chawla, Dr GS Randhawa from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee along with Dr Surinder Veer Singh from the Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana, was also present on the occasion. Dr Randhawa advised the students that desire, destination, health, planning and attitude were the main factors in achieving success.

Bathinda, October 19
The Mazdoor Mukti Morcha (MMM), Punjab, today announced that it would set up its units in 1000 villages and enroll one lakh new members by December 31 for launching a ‘strong’ movement to put pressure on the state government so that it allots residential plots to the rural poor and Dalits, provides them with jobs and implements the written agreement signed by the Mansa administration on May 19.

The decision was taken at a state-level meeting of the MMM held under the presidentship of its state president Comrade Tarsem Jodhan at the Teachers Home here. The decision aimed at providing a boost to the agitation, which was led by the MMM and launched some months ago by the Dalits and poor class of Mansa, Bathinda and Sangrur districts demanding residential plots and employment.

During the meeting, it was also decided that the members of the MMM would take part in the protests to be organised on October 28 by nine labour organisations of the country at the district headquarters against the “anti-labour” policies of the government.

Jodhan said the UPA government, led by the Congress, and the SAD-BJP government in Punjab would ruin the public sector with their pro-privatisation and liberalisation policies.

He said due to their “anti-people” policies, prices of essential commodities were rising while the poor people were facing problems like unemployment, illiteracy and debt.

Jodhan also said that during its struggle, the MMM would also work to ensure respect and honour for the Dalits and poor persons.

It would also work for the implementation of Labour Laws, he added.

Patiala, October 19
The Union Ministry of Rural Development has reconstituted the district-level vigilance and monitoring committees (VMC) for proper implementation of the central schemes pertaining to its own department.

Though the VMC existed earlier as well, these committees were dissolved on June 15 in wake of the general election. However, these committees were, post the constitution of the 15th Lok Sabha, reconstituted by the Union ministry vide a notification dated August 26, 2009.

As per the notification, the MPs appointed as chairpersons of the vigilance and monitoring committees for various districts include Navjot Singh Sidhu (Amritsar), Preneet Kaur (Patiala and Sangrur), Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Bathinda and Mansa), Paramjit Kaur Gulshan (Faridkot and Moga), Sukhdev Singh Libra (Fatehgarh Sahib), Rattan Singh Ajnala (Ferozepur), Pratap Singh Bajwa (Gurdaspur), Mohinder Singh Kaypee (Jalandhar), Santosh Chaudhary (Kapurthala), Manish Tewari (Ludhiana), Sher Singh Ghubaya (Muktsar) and Ravneet Singh (Nawanshahr and Rupnagar).

The guidelines for the VMC mentioned that primary responsibility of these committees is to effectively monitor the implementation of the schemes and programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development and to ensure that the funds are used for the purpose they are meant for.

Bathinda, October 19
On the concluding day of a five-day yoga camp today, students of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh School here took a pledge that they would neither take cold drinks nor eat fast food throughout their life. The camp was organised on school premises.

On the occasion, students also performed several simple yoga exercises while a yoga instructor informed them about the importance of yoga. The instructor also taught them exercises on how to increase height and meditate.

Deputy Jail Superintendent Kaur Singh, who presided over the concluding day function, addressed the children, their parents and school staff.

He also honoured the students and teachers, who performed well at the camp. The camp was organised by the Yoga Sewa Samiti, Bathinda, while it was supervised by yoga guru Radhey Shyam Bansal.