Khidkiyan Wala (Muktsar), June 5
It is chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home district—Muktsar. But the ‘strict’ warning of the state government imposing a ban on paddy transplantation before the scheduled date (June 10) is falling flat.

The restriction was imposed keeping in view the rapid depletion of groundwater, but the effort have failed to show the desired results.

Though a number of officials of the agriculture department and even the DCs were authorized to plough fields and charge the cost from the violator who goes in for early plantation but boasting of their proximity with the CM, farmers of this district are least bothered and are throw the rules to the wind.

Ironically, due to the high level connections of the farmers, the district level staff of the agriculture department too has turned a blind eye towards the defiance and the early sowing of paddy is going unchecked.

During a visit to the villages located in Lambi, Gidderbaha and Muktsar blocks today, it was found that several acres of fields were covered with standing paddy crop.

Reaching village Khidkiyan Wala, a number of farmers along with their helpers were found busy planting paddy in a large field located along a canal distributary.

Though aware of the ban on early plantation, they were still busy with the job. Replying to a query, the owner of the field said, “If I had started late, labour problems would have marred the crop.”

Speaking innocently, a farm labourer, Hari Chand, who was planting paddy along a link road diverting from the Gidderbaha-Lambi road said, “My employer (owner of this field) is aware of the restriction imposed by the government to check early sowing till June 10. But he enjoys proximity to Finance Minister Manpreet Badal as well as CM Parkash Singh Badal. So he is carrying it out.”

When contacted, the Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, Sukhdev Singh Sidhu said, “We are aware and notice is being issued to the violators. Utilizing the authority invested in us, we have even destroyed the transplanted paddy also.”

On the other hand, sources in the district agriculture office, said, “To save their skin, the officials have evolved a strategy to destroy the crop in the field, which got highlighted in the media.” 

Bathinda, June 5
Residents of Bathinda and its adjoining areas today vowed to save the Earth during several functions and seminars organised across the region to mark the World Environment Day. They also participated in tree plantation campaigns.

During a function organised at the Woman and Children Hospital on the premises of local Civil Hospital, civil surgeon ID Goyal advocated for tree plantation and said saving environment was everyone’s responsibility.

Senior medical officer (SMO) BS Gill emphasised on the need for smoke-free environment while SMO Binod Garg explained the ill-effects of noise pollution.

During a seminar organised by the Bathinda District Congress Committee, Lakhwinder Singh presided over. He termed trees as lungs of the Earth and denounced the practice of cutting trees. He also planted a sapling on the occasion. Office-bearers and workers of the party later planted trees in several schools and colleges in the city to mark the international day.

Social welfare organisations, including Sahara Jan Sewa and Shahid Ram Singh Sahara Accident Roko Society, also launched a tree plantation drive on the day. Speaking on the occasion, Vijay Goel stressed on the need of observing every day as the environment day. He said everyone should plant a tree and look after it.

The Nature Care Forum, Bathinda, held its first seminar today. Speakers said faulty lifestyle of humans was proving detrimental to ecology. They underlined the need for initiating community efforts to bring about changes in the lifestyle of people. Members of the club said a mohalla committee would be formed to encourage people’s participation in environment conservation. Dr RK Sehgal was the key speaker at the function. Principal of KV No.-I TD Garg, principal of Swami Vivekanad Girls College Raj Gupta, GC Goyal, Makhan Lal, Prof RK Mahajan, Radhy Shayam Banal and Rakesh Narula were also present.

The department of social welfare of the Baba Farid Group of Institutions distributed brochures carrying literature regarding the need and importance of saving the environment. A ‘save environment campaign’ was started by the group, under which the places within a radius of 100 km from the campus of the group, were supplied with information and literature regarding the need to save and protect the environment.

GS Dhaliwal planted a sapling to mark the day and said that need of the hour was that every individual should understand his/her responsibility and contribute towards environmental preservation. 

Bathinda, June 5
Residents of the region heaved a sigh of relief following heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms that lashed Bathinda and its nearby places late on Friday night bringing the north-bound mercury to dip considerably and providing the citizens with a much-needed respite from heat.

The area recorded 4.2 mm rain during the last 24 hours, as per the Agro-met Advisory Services, PAU regional station, Bathinda.

The maximum temperature recorded on Saturday was 35.4 degrees Celsius, about 6 degrees lower than Friday while the day’s low was 21.5 degrees Celsius.

Cloudy conditions remained phenomena almost throughout the day in most parts of the region. Weathermen also predicted overcast and possibility of rainfall in some parts of the region during the next one to two days.

The rain, however, exposed the administration’s preparedness for the monsoon as several areas in the city got waterlogged following the showers.

Gidderbaha, June 5
A youth sustained minor but multiple injuries here last evening when the mobile he was talking over exploded.

Giving information, injured Jasmel Singh said he was talking to his friend over his Nokia mobile, when he felt that the mobile was heating up. He had no clue that it could explode and continued to talk. The phone’s battery exploded later. “The impact was so great that for a few minutes, I fell unconscious and my kin took me to a private hospital nearby. After getting first aid, I was discharged. But I am still feeling some pain in my ear and hand,” said Jasmel.

A dealer of the Nokia mobiles, when contacted, said the fault could have been in the switch board where the charger was plugged in, which led to the battery becoming very hot. — TNS

Bathinda, June 5
The IMA Chandigarh lead by Dr Zora Singh, its president, has initiated a campaign against untrained doctors (quacks). This results in prolonged illness and other complications which do not yield the desired outcome.

This is an unchecked menace especially in rural areas and slums of Chandigarh, he said, and demanded strict measures against them.

Bathinda, June 5
In assistance from the local Natayam Group, the Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy, Chandigarh, is organising a three-day “Naat mela” (drama festival) from June 8 to 10 at the DAV College here. During the festival, a play would be staged at 7.30 pm daily.

Talking to media at the Teachers’ Home here today, director of the Natayam Group Kirti Kirpal said chairperson of the Punjab Art Council, Chandigarh, Harjinder Kaur would light a lamp to inaugurate the festival.

He said that on June 8, “Chandan de ohle”, a play written by Pali Bhupinder Singh and directed by Kirti Kirpal, would be staged. On the second day of the festival, “Agni Prikhiya”, a play authored by Jatinder Brar and directed by Narinder Saanghi, would be enacted while on the third day, “Suchi Saanjh”, a play written by Veena Verma and directed by Hardeep Gill, would be staged.

Kirti Kirpal also made an appeal to the residents of the city to visit the venue on all three days and watch the plays. 

Moga, June 5
The Vigilance Bureau officials on Saturday night allegedly roughed up Sukhdev Singh, son of Tara Singh, a resident of Dhurkot village, forcing him to give a statement in favour of the drug inspector Balram Luthra who was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 from him.

As per the details available, after getting a one-day police remand of the drug inspector from a local court, the officials of the Bureau led by Surinderpal Singh, SP economic offences wing (unit-1) of the Bureau posted at Chandigarh, went to the office of the drug inspector on the district hospital premises for further investigations and in search of some documents from his office.

The complainant was also called there. There were reports that he was pressurised by the Bureau officials to give a statement in favour of the drug inspector. When he refused to do so, he was picked up and taken to the PWD rest house where he was allegedly beaten up by the Bureau officials.

Deep Kumar, owner of the drug store where Sukhdev was working, in a complaint 
e-mailed to the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) has alleged, “It is to bring to your notice that Sukhdev Singh was called by the Vigilance Department at PWD rest house, Moga, on June 5 at about 6.30 pm where one police official, Surinder Pal Singh, SP, Chandigarh, who came in Ambassador car No. PB-12E-3707 along with other police officials beat him up mercilessly when he refused to make statement in favour of drug inspector as per their wish. Now Sukhdev's whereabouts are unknown. Kindly, intervene in the matter and do the needful urgently.”

When contacted, Sumedh Singh Saini, Chief Director of the Bureau, said he was aware of the incident and advised to speak to HS Dhillon, IG-cum-Director of the Bureau.

Dhillon, while talking to The Tribune, confirmed that he sent Surinderpal Singh to Moga in the morning to investigate this case. “Truth will prevail. If the SP has done anything wrong he will be punished but if the complainant is wrong, action will be taken against him,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Bureau has asked RL Bhagat, its DIG of the Jalandhar Range to visit the spot and inquire into the incident. The DIG reached Moga late in the night.

"I have just arrived here and am inquiring into the incident," he told this correspondent on phone.

Meanwhile, Surinderpal Singh, while talking to The Tribune, denied the allegations and said he did not visit Moga today.

The SP of the Ferozepur Range of the Bureau SS Cheema also said that he was unaware of the incident. “I am at Jalandhar since last night,” he said.

On the other hand, sources revealed that pressure was being built on the Bureau by senior leadership of the ruling BJP and senior bureaucrats to lodge an FIR against Sukhdev Singh with the allegation that he interfered in the official work of the Bureau and misbehaved with the investigating team to counter the allegation of beating him up.

Moga, June 5
Sikhs for Justice, a human rights advocacy group, based at New York has applauded and welcomed the National Democratic Party (NDP) leader of the Canadian Parliament Jack Layton’s support and solidarity with the Sikh community over the killings of Sikhs in November 1984 riots.

In a press release e-mailed to The Tribune, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal adviser to the Sikhs for Justice said that the statement of the NDP leader has come at a time when a petition is coming up for discussion in the Canadian Parliament on coming June 9 to recognise the killings of Sikhs in 1984 as Genocide under Article 2 of the UN Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the crime of Genocide, 1948.

According to Pannun, Layton has hit the nail on the head when he reminded the fellow Canadians that it their “obligation, as one democratic government to another, to ask why and seek honest answers.”

Layton's statement came at a time when some other Canadian politicians have been shying away from asking any questions related to gross human rights violations against Sikhs in India, he added.

He said that Layton and NDP has proved to be an adherent to its great principals: Canadian legacy of respect for human rights and to the Canadian Charter of Rights which guarantees liberties and protects the freedom of speech.

The petition which would be read in the parliament on June 9 is signed by thousands of Canadians and supported by various community organisations and Gurdawars all over Canada. t may be mentioned that Pannun had earlier surprised everyone by filing a case against the union minister of road transport and highways Kamal Nath under the Alien Torts Claims Act on April 7 this year in a New York court.

The Sikhs for Justice has been alleging for long that Nath was also one of the alleged accused persons responsible for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Moga, June 5
The Moga police have booked a Granthi (priest) of a village gurdwara belonging to an upper class under Section 3 (1) (10) of the SC/ST Act, 1989 for allegedly refusing to perform the religious rites for solemnising the marriage of a Dalit girl.

The FIR in this regard has been registered at the Dharamkot police station but the alleged accused priest was yet to be arrested by the police at the time of writing the news report.

The Tribune in its report ‘Granthi ‘refuses’ to solemnise Dalit's marriage-SC Commission seeks report from Moga DM’ published in these columns of the newspaper had highlighted the case of caste discrimination.

The parents of the poor girl, nambardar, three panches and a few other residents of Thoothgarh village had alleged that the 'Granthi' refused to perform the religious rites for solemnising the marriage of a poor Sikh girl on December 9, last year, belonging to a scheduled caste family.

As per the complaint, the copy of which is available with The Tribune, they had alleged that the family members of the girl first approached the village panchayat, who intervened into the matter but the 'granthi' did not listen to them.

The family along with other residents of the village then approached the SHO and DSP concerned, besides, the SSP and District Magistrate of the district but no action was taken on their complaint.

Having failed to get ‘justice’ from the district administration and the police, the family then approached the Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes Commission on February 24, this year.

A complaint in this regard was lodged in the office of the Commission at Chandigarh. The Commission summoned a report from the DM Satwant Singh Johal in this regard and conducted an inquiry into it.

Last week, Dalip Singh Pandhi, member of the Commission came to Moga and held an on-the-spot inquiry into it, following which; directions were passed to the local police to lodge an FIR on this complaint.

Meanwhile, Pandhi expressing concern over the rising incidents of caste discrimination in Punjab, said inequity still persists in the state. 

Faridkot, June 5
To spread awareness in the rural areas about various heart ailments, the Elders Service Society, Faridkot, organised a heart check-up camp at the Elders Day Care and Health Centre, Sadiq, 20 km from the district headquarters on Friday. President of the society Jagmohan Singh Brar said heart specialist Dr NK Bharti and his team examined 75 patients.

A separate eye check-up and operation camp was also organised by the society at Faridkot. Nearly 175 patients were examined by the doctors of Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot. The team of doctors was headed by Dr NR Gupta including Dr Inderjit Singh and Dr Shital Kaur. — TNS

Abohar, June 5
Cotton and fodder crop in more than hundred acres of land and some kinnow orchard suffered huge damages after the fields were flooded with water following the occurrence of breaches of the banks of four irrigation minors flowing in this region.

Official sources said that breaches in four irrigation minors including Ramsra minor, Lambi minor, Azam wala minor and Danngar Khera minor took place when the flow of water into the same was blocked by uprooted trees and their stems late last night.

The trees were uprooted in large number in this area when rains accompanied by heavy and fast winds lashed this region.

Sources said that Lambi minor breached at RD 1,23000/ left, Danngar Khera minor breached at RD 750/left, Ramsra minor at RD 80745/left and Azam wala at 35200/left. The breaches in these irrigation minors ranged from 20 feet to 150 feet. The Punjaba distributary also got overflowed at RD 23200.

Sources added that water of these irrigation minors flowed over its banks after the natural flow of water was blocked when the trees and its branches got entangled under the small bridges and between the banks.

As the side slopes of irrigation minors could not withstand the pressure of stagnating water at certain points, so these gave rise to the breaches.

Some of the minors got breached despite the fact that its banks were brick-lined.

The village where the cotton and fodder crops and kinnow orchards had suffered damages included Bhagsar, Bhagu, Khular, Danngar Khera, Churud Khera, Saidewali and killianwali.

The crops had also suffered damages in various other pockets due to lashing of this area with hailstorms also.

Ramesh Gupta, executive engineer, Irrigation, Abohar, when contacted, said that they managed to save the area from suffering huge damage as they reduced the flow in main Abohar canal to its half capacity by evening on Friday when they suspected that weather had become inclement.

He added that most of the breaches had been plugged immediately. The water in all the irrigation minors of this region would be released tomorrow morning after clearing branches of trees and other weeds from them.

He claimed that timely action by the field force had also managed to save crops from suffering losses due to breaches.

Meanwhile, electricity supply to a large area of this sub-division was adversely affected after about 30 electricity poles were uprooted due to hailstorm accompanied by strong winds late last evening.

The officials of the electricity department had been working since morning to restart the electricity supply to the area, which had been facing complete black out since last night.

A rooftop of a cotton factory of this area, which was made of tin sheets, also flew away due to the hailstorm.

Moga, June 5
The additional sessions judge of Moga, Raj Shekhar Attri, today rejected the application of the local Congress MLA Joginder Pal Jain to discharge him in a criminal case of attempt to murder registered against him and a few of his associates during the panchayat elections in May, 2008.

The FIR in the matter was registered under the provisions of the Arms Act and Sections 307, 148 and 149 of the IPC on May 26, 2008.

The complainant Guriqbal Singh had claimed that his brother was contesting elections for the post of panch. He alleged that Jain and one of his close associate Harnek Singh alleging that they had made an unsuccessful attempt to eliminate him.

He alleged that both of them first opened fire at him but being physically disabled, he fell down and escaped bullets. Later, Jain tried to crush him under the car, he stated before the police in his complaint.

Today, Jain's counsel, Anish Kant Sharma argued before the court to discharge Jain from the case at the time of framing of charges citing a judgement of the Supreme Court but the additional sessions judge Raj Shekhar Attri rejected the plea and fixed July 20 as the next date of hearing in the case. The court has fixed the date for framing of charges against the MLA.

Panje Ke Uttar (Ferozepur), June 5
The residents of various villages located in the close vicinity of the Indo-Pak border, who have still been crying to get basic amenities even 63 years of the independence, considered themselves lucky when an army of doctors descended here this week to provide medical care at their doorsteps.

Though the camp was organised by the Genesis Institute of Dental Sciences and Research and Anil Baggi Memorial Hospital, Ferozepur, it got some political colour also when Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, MLA Guru Har Sahai and chief whip Congress in Punjab Vidhan Sabah inaugurated it.

Sodhi, has decided to organise such camps in his assembly segments once in a month. He made the people aware of the insensitiveness of the SAD-BJP politicians towards their problems.

“There is no politics behind the redressal of grievances of people. When the people have been harassed by the ruling politicians, he would have to take care of them as an MLA,” he claimed.

“I managed to get a free medical check-up camp organised in this village where in the past three years no doctor was sent by the SAD-BJP. I have committed no sin,” he said.

The camp was attended by Kamal Baggi and Sanjay Ahuja, chairman and joint chairman of the Genesis Institute and about 37 doctors.

Sriganganagar/Abohar/Fazilka, June 5
Multifaceted activities were taken up to celebrate the World Environment Day in twin districts of Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh besides other parts of Rajasthan.

Municipal Council president Jagdish Jandu was joined by the Arorvansh Sabha Trust president Sonu Nagpal, district Congress secretary Kashmiri Lal Jasuja, social activists Prem Chugh, Vinod Sethi, Bollywood writer Suesh Mudgil and Amit Nagpal in planting Ashoka saplings on the divider of the busy Meera Marg.

The event was dedicated to the 56th birth anniversary of noted environmentalist and artist late Kamal Nagpal that also falls today.

The forest department organised a seminar that was addressed by an expert Dr SN Lahiri, deputy forest conservator Bhupinder Singh, regional forest official Rajeev Gupta and Prema Devi.

The Public Health department organised an exhibition in the information centre. Superintending engineer Ajay Bajaj also spoke on the occasion.

Zila Parishad chief, Shanti Devi Poonia appreciated the contents of the exhibition and stressed upon the need for water management. The Water Resources department screened a documentary on global warming.

President of the Sangyan Sewa Sansthan, Jai Parkash Mali informed that volunteers of the NGO including vice-president Ghanshyam Singh Bhinder completed the major project of cleaning water reservoir in the ancient Amba Mata temple as part of the World Environment Day celebrations.

Fazilka: On the occasion of the World Environment Day, the leading NGO of Fazilka Social Welfare Society, has decided to adopt a novel method to motivate the residents of the town to save water and environment.

The society in its meeting held at the Freedom Fighter Lala Sunam Rai MA Memorial Welfare Centre has decided to bring out Prabhat Pheri (morning procession) every Sunday in one of the locality of the town to motivate the people to save water under the campaign “Zal Nahin to ham nahin” being initiated by the society.

Raj Kishore Kalra said at least one dozen members of the society would visit a locality every Sunday to make the residents aware of the utility of precious water.

The press secretary of the Society Pawan Julaha said that the society members would bring out first Prabhat Pheri in slum locality of Kanshi Ram Colony on Sunday.