Abohar, December 7
While the growers are upbeat because of the bumper crop of kinnow this time in this hub of the fruit but the truck operators are ‘playing spoilsport’ by charging higher tariff to carry the produce to terminal markets in different parts of the country.

The farmers were also feeling pinch of the local market committee levying tax on their produce that is transported directly outside the state from the grading and packing houses, even without touching the yards of the market committee.

The kinnow traders allege that the local transporters were not allowing the trucks from outside the state to carry the produce at a low tariff. High-quality kinnow is transported from here to the terminal markets at Delhi, Chennai, Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal.

Each of the 25 waxing and packing houses in the area handles about 600 quintals of kinnow everyday.

Surinder Kumar, a packing house owner, claimed that the tariff difference between the local truck and that from outside the state was of about Rs 15,000 for carrying kinnow to Bangalore and Chennai. Similarly, a local trucker was charging Rs 10,000 for carrying the produce to the Azadpur market in Delhi, while the one from outside would do the job for Rs 5,000.

The kinnow growers curse the Punjab government for not introducing incentives for them as neighbouring Himachal Pradesh has done for apple growers. They pointed out that the local market committee was charging a fee of Rs 1,800 from them for each canterload of kinnows and Rs 5,000 for a bigger truck even if it was loaded from the orchard and did not touch the yard of the committee. The practice should be stopped immediately as this was making kinnow cultivation unviable, they added.

Surinder Kumar pointed out that while the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) charges electricity tariff from the cotton ginning mills only during the cotton production season, the kinnow waxing and packing houses were made to pay the tariff throughout the year even during the period their units were not functional. Their activity too was seasonal and restricted to about four months of kinnow plucking, he said.

Barnala, December 7
The GRP today lodged counter FIRs against the local residents of Akalgarh Colony fighting a battle against the unloading of coal at Sekha railway station near Barnala and contractors unloading the coal after the two sides accused each other of lobbing stones and firing in air today.

The two sides, one protesting against the unloading of coal at the railway station Sekha and the other having contract to unload coal from goods trains fought each other lobbing stones and firing in air after goods train loaded with coal reached here at 2 am in the wee hours of the morning.

Local sources said that a rack of coal which is used by Trident Group reached railway station Sekha near Barnala in the wee hours of the morning at 2 am.

Akalgarh residents who are opposing unloading of coal near the area due to air pollution came to know about the same and reached the railway station asking the contractors that they will not allow them to unload the coal. They added that on the other hand, contractors also started preparations for unloading the coal from goods train.

Sources further said that immediately after the contractors started preparing for unloading, local residents prevented them from doing so and had a fight. They added that two sides lobbed stones and also fired three to four gun shots into air.

Sources added that after GRP reached the spot, residents and the contractors accused each other of pelting stones and firing in air.

They added that following the complaint by Stop Coal Pollution in Sangrur Sangarsh Committee President Karan Mangla, GRP police registered a case against Contractor Sukhdev Singh Dhanola, Balla Ram, Bansi Lal, Sanju, Naresh Kumar, Rinku, Hardeep, Satpal Sattu, Munshi Ram Kumar and some unidentified persons. Whereas on the complaint of Contractor Mool Raj, GRP registered a case against Karan Mangla and some unidentified persons under relevant sections.

GRP Station in-charge Baljinder Singh told media that GRP would make arrests only after investigating the matter.

Following the incident, Deputy Commissioner Barnala Harkesh Singh Sidhu, Tehsildar Rajesh Verma and DSP City Rupinder Singh Bhardwaj reached the spot and asked the protesting residents to give them only six months time duration for unloading the coal at Sekha Railway Station. However at the time of filing of this news report the protestors had categorically asked the district administration that they would not allow unloading of coal at the station.

Meanwhile, reports said that Sekha railway station has been converted into a garrison by the police.

In the meantime, Karan Mangla, President of Stop Coal Pollution in Sangrur Sangarsh Committee, told media that on 29 May 2009, Trident Group and Administration had assured them that within six months unloading of coal will take place at some other place as well as steps will be taken to prevent coal dust during these six months when unloading will take place at Sekha but they failed to fulfill the promise made to the people. He added that since administration and Trident Group didn't fulfill their promise, the residents were forced to start the agitation again.

Deputy Commissioner Barnala, Harkesh Singh Sidhu averred that administration had given some time to people to understand the problem and hoped that they will agree soon.

Bathinda, December 7
During a meeting held at the Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant, Lehra Mohabbat, activists of the PSEB Engineers Association accused the authorities of non-implementing their demands that they had agreed upon during earlier meetings.

The engineers announced their schedule of protest saying they would wear black badges on December 10, hold zonal protest meeting at Bathinda on December 12 and stage a dharna in front of the PSEB head office at Patiala on January 7.

The members of the association demanded timely promotions (particularly to the rank of senior XENs and assistant XENs), payment of house rent allowance (HRA), parity in generation allowance and restoration of facilities withdrawn under the garb of austerity measures.

The engineers said on one hand, the board was withdrawing facility of mobile set due to financial constraints while on the other, board members and the chairman were not only getting costly mobile sets but were also re-employing their “yes men” after retirement for no reasons.

The engineers also decided that they would observe ‘work to rule’ in case of strike by employees.

Bathinda, December 7
The state government has decided to vacate the properties worth multi-crore and currently being used for number of public offices here. The offices would be shifted to the Mini-secretariat at the earliest.

According to the plan, six departments, including the Tehsil Complex, are going to be shifted in the Mini-secretariat. This would help the government get about 20 acres of prime land vacated in the city¸ now being called as the capital of Malwa region.

As per the details available¸ initially, six offices of the irrigation department along with three courts, three SDO offices of PWD (B&R), two offices of the Punjab School Education Board, one office of sewerage board, one of public health and the whole set up of Tehsil complex would be shifted.

Observing the space crunch at the Mini-secretariat, the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) has awarded a contract for building a four-storey extension block of the complex, which would roughly have 140 rooms (18' x 11') and 10 washrooms. The design of the new block would be identical to that of the existing one. The main block would have four-storey structure with 21 rooms on each floor. The two corners at the new block would have three storeys each and nine rooms on each floor.

Under the extension block, about 1.17 lakh sq ft area would be covered at the estimated cost of Rs 14.5 crore. The contract has been awarded to a government contractor with a condition to ready the building within 15 months.

Witnessing the poor condition of red stones previously plated over the outer-wall of the whole structure, the BDA has now decided to give a spectrum coating to the outer wall of the new block to give a similar look as that of the existing building.

It has also been learnt that once the block is completed, stamp vendors sitting outside the existing Tehsil complex would also be accommodated inside the Mini-secretariat near the upcoming Tehsil offices on a nominal charge. However, verification would be done before giving them allotment.

Highly-placed sources in the administration termed the whole exercise as a brain child of some ruling SAD leaders who had been eyeing the prime lands possessed by government offices for past couple of years. Speculations are rife that once the lands are vacated the ruling government would put them for open sale.

Chief administrator of the BDA Ravi Bhagat said, "The extension of the Mini-secretariat is a plan drafted at government level. Initially, we have been informed about four acre of land in the Canal Colony which is to be sold. About the rest of area, neither the BDA has proposed anything nor did the government intimate us."

Sriganganagar/Abohar, December 7
One person was killed and five others sustained injuries as two trucks collided head on early Monday morning on Sriganganagar-Bikaner road (NH 15), sources said.

The mishap also resulted in disruption in traffic for six hours.

As per information, one "Happy" was driving the truck (HR-46-J-7025) from Sriganganagar to Bikaner and was assisted by Barjinder Singh, resident of Hira Mandi Amritsar.

The truck (RJ-07-G-8291) driven by Rattan Singh Rajput son of Peer Singh was on its return trip from Bikaner to Sriganganagar.

He and his assistant Daleep Kumar belonged to Pogal town.

Preliminary reports indicated that poor visibility due to fog resulted in the collision head on at about 5 am today.

It caused death of Happy on the spot while his assistant Barjinder was injured seriously.

On the other side driver Rattan Singh Rajput, assistant Daleep and a passenger Ajit of Khara also sustained injuries.

The highway police had to get cabin of the truck cut using welding equipment to drag out badly mutilated body of Happy.

Traffic could be restored by 11 am. All those injured were shifted to PBM hospital Bikaner by ambulances.

In another mishap on the same road, a tractor-trailer loaded with bricks reportedly hit a daily wage earner Anil Kumar (18) of village Rattewala as he was returning to home last evening.

Another labourer Buta Ram (20) was run over by a train while crossing the railway track near JCT mills late last night. 

Hanumangarh/Abohar, December 7
The team of Nehru Memorial Children School, Hanumangarh town, was declared winner in women category as it trounced Saraswati Girls Secondary School by 47-30 in the final match of the District Basketball Tournament on Monday.

Nisha Sharma was adjudged as best player.

In the boys category, the Young Blood Club emerged as winner by defeating Saraswati Baal Niketan team by 71-59.

Vijay and Amandeep shared the title of best player. The winners received prizes amidst heavy applause by the gathering.

Chairman of the selection committee Gurpreet Singh informed that the state basketball team will be finalised on December 9 at Hanumangarh. 

Bathinda, December 7
Taking an initiative to solve the rapidly increasing postural problems like neck and back pain, the college of physiotherapy of Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bathinda, recently held a workshop on theme ‘Vision Ergonomics-Today’s need.’

Giving information, Dr Amrita said as many as 100 delegates from physiotherapy colleges and departments in Punjab and Haryana attended the workshop.

During the workshop, Dr Pavas Jaiswal, physiotherapist and ergonomics consultant shared the postural analysis, work-related musculoskeletal disorders and methods to follow correct posture. Among others, Dr Kavita Kaishal, Dr Smita Shrama and Dr Shikha Arora also shared their research work.

Abohar, December 7
Finding that the sanitation fortnight being observed by the MC had failed to give them relief, the residents of Ward number 13 came out of their houses to collectively dust the streets and remove garbage from the drains today.

They were led by Congress councillor Ganpat Ram. The residents rued that the previous council management had deployed 10 workers for keeping the ward clean but the present incumbents had reduced the number to 2 only. The stinking drains might cause spread of malaria, they feared. — OC