Gurdaspur, February 9
Like wraiths from a demented imagination, his starved limbs and skinny fingers point towards his fields which have been hit by the scourge of water logging for the past so many decades.

This is Bikram Singh’s vision of horror and revulsion. He monotonously curses his destiny as he repeatedly points towards his three acre field, which produces just one crop a year.

Bikram Singh’s case is not isolated.

It is symptomatic of residents of nearly 150 villages, scattered all over the Dinanagar, Gurdaspur and Kahnuwan blocks of this district, where many like him fight a losing battle against the scourge of water logging.

This phenomenon has acquired morbid proportions in these hamlets where villagers, owing to poverty and the rigid stance adopted by moneylenders, have resorted to suicide.

A case in point is the suicide of a farmer of Meelwan village who consumed pesticides to end his life because he was indebted to various banks from where he took loans but was never in a position to return even the principal amount, leave alone the interest.

The worst affected villages are Ghazikot, Purana Shala, Kotli Sanian, Chak Sharif, Kanhuwan, Gunupur, Dala Gori, Maan, Chopra, Lamin Karal and Cheena Bet.

A majority of the villages in the affected cluster are inhabited by farmers who have small land holdings and have been caught in a vicious trap of debt and death.

Joginder Singh, a former Sarpanch of Nangal Lamin village said, “Due to water-logging, we can have just one crop (Paddy) a year. If we try to have another one (fodder) which often dries up, we are left with no other option except to take loans from banks and money lenders at exorbitant rates. We are actually have nowhere to go. We have to take care of our children but destiny has ensured that our kids, like us, remain consigned to the vagaries of nature. Politicians here come and go. Elections, for us, come and go. However, nobody cares for us.”

For many, paddy is one crop they have, but if they try risking growing fodder - it quickly wilts due to the abnormally high water table prevalent in these villages - leaving the villagers high and dry.

Disclosed, Meena Kumari, Sarpanch of Meghian village, “Former Punjab Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon visited our villages way back in 1962. After hearing our tales of woe, he instructed Irrigation Department officials to construct 8 to10 feet sand bandhs along the river Beas - which was one big reason of water logging. That helped to a great extent. However, for some inexplicable reason we are back to square one and this thorn in our flesh - water logging - is back to haunt us.”

The residents of these villages will have to live with this dilemma till the government steps in to do its bit or nature changes its own course. However, for these villagers neither of the two options, one man made and the other natural, seem to hold much water. 

Jalandhar, February 9
With the Education Department accepting their demands, the three members of the SC/BC Employees Action Committee have called off their five-day-long fast unto death. Deputy Commissioner Ajeet Singh Pannu and SERT Director Avtar Singh ended the fast of lecturers Jaswinder Kaur, Sarbjeet Singh and Kulwant Singh by offering them juice.

Speaking on the occasion, union leader Kawaljeet Singh said a meeting was held between the leaders of the action committee and Secretary (Education Department) G.S. Garewal, Assistant Secretary and DPI (Secondary) at the mini-secretariat in Chandigarh.

Malagar Singh, who attended the meeting, along with Jasveer Singh Pal, Swarn Singh Kalyan, Kawaljeet Singh Ralaut and Gayan Sultanpuri of the action committee, informed that the authorities assured them of preparing a new seniority list within 10 days and putting a ban on the Departmental Promotional Committee, which was assigned the duty of appointing principals in schools.

Speaking to The Tribune, Ralaut said Garewal gave orders to the DPI to cancel the December-2008 list and form a new one based on the seniority of the lecturers, based on their joining dates. The Secretary also ordered an enquiry into the preparation of the controversial list and said those found guilty would be punished.

Addressing mediapersons, Jaswinder Kaur, Sarbjeet Singh and Kulwant Singh said if the government and Education Department failed to keep up their promises in the stipulated time, they would resume their fast. They said the Education Department’s strategy of not promoting lecturers with 20-25 years of experience but those with 8-10 years of job was beyond their comprehension.

Phagwara, February 9
Three people were killed and seven others were injured in different mishaps in Phagwara where as nine persons were in Hoshairpur.

In Phagwara, Paramjit Singh (38), a resident of Musapur village, was killed in a road accident near Mannwala village on Phagwara-Zandiala road today. He was brought to the local civil hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

Another person was killed and six family members were injured when their car dashed against a tree near Kirpalpur village today. All injured were admitted to the local civil hospital. The accident occurred when the car driver lost control of the vehicle on a turn, the police said.

In another mishap, Pyara Lal, a migrant from Madhya Pradesh, was buried alive while digging the foundation of a house in local Patel Nagar this evening. The body was pulled out by the labourers.

Vikas (24) of Gaushala Bazaar mistakenly consumed some poisonous substance in his house today. He was admitted to the civil hospital where his condition was said to be serious. OC

Hoshiarpur: As many as nine persons, including three women, were injured in two separate road accidents on the Hoshiarpur-Chandigarh road last night.

According to the police sources, Harjinder Singh of Mohali, his wife Harjinder Kaur, daughters Rajwinder Kaur and Simranjit Kaur, were wounded when a Tata Sumo coming from opposite direction rammed into their Maruti car in which they were returning to their house near Tuto Mazara last night.

The occupants of the Tata Sumo, who were also wounded, were identified as Parminder Singh, Meena Rani, Dharambir and Sarwan Kaur.

All the injured were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Mahilpur, from where Harjinder Singh, his wife Harjinder Kaur and Meena Kumari were referred to Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur.

In another accident a truck overturned in the fields near Bahowal last night due to which its driver Mohinder was wounded. The truck was going from Jammu to Chandigarh.

Batala, February 9
A nineteen-year-old rape victim has pointed fingers at the police claiming that the law enforcement force has not arrested the accused having political backup.

Talking to mediapersons here today, the girl rued police apathy. She said two persons, identified as Malkiat Singh Meeta and Malkeet Singh Mona, gangraped her on February 1 in a hotel after kidnapping her when she was going to her college. She was thrown near the cremation ground at her village after rape, she further alleged.

Lending voice for the girl, the local Congress unit led by former minister Ashwani Sekhri said the accused should be arrested with in 48 hours failing which the party would gherao the police station Qila Lal Singh.

According to the Congress leaders, the SHO was a relative of Akali Leader and thus not taking action apparently under the political pressure of the ruling party.

Batala SSP D.P. Singh, however, clarified that he has given strict instructions to the SHO concerned to arrest the accused.