Bathinda, July 10
The Badal government’s much-hyped Shagun scheme has apparently become non-functional nowadays as thousands of beneficiaries of the scheme have not been paid the shagun amounts by the government all over the state for the past about 14 months. The state government has not released funds, to the tune of crores of rupees, to the Welfare Department so far.

Sources said due to non-payment of the shagun amounts to the beneficiaries, hundreds or more cases under the scheme had accumulated in almost every district of the state till now.

The beneficiaries have not been paid the shagun amounts since May 2009. Some say the Badal government seems to have “dumped” the scheme in one way or the other.

Some of the beneficiaries have even stopped visiting the district welfare offices in their districts to know about the fresh status of the payment. Some newly married girls have even become mothers, but the receipt of the shagun amount is still far away.

Sources in the Welfare Department say only in Bathinda district more than 2,300 beneficiaries of the scheme have been awaiting the payment (Rs 15,000) from May 2009 to March 2010 whereas in Mansa district about 1,800 beneficiaries have been awaiting payment. In Barnala district about 1,300 and in Moga district more than 1,500 beneficiaries have been awaiting the payment. In Sangrur district, the number of the beneficiaries, who have not received the shagun amount from May 2009 to March 2010, is said to be more than 2,000.

Besides, in many districts of the state, the beneficiaries have not been paid the amount from November 2006 to March 2007. It is said that the amount had not been paid to the beneficiaries as a majority of the pending cases belonged to the period of the Amarinder-led government’s regime.

Sources said non-payment showed that the financial health of the state was not good despite the claims of the state government functionaries that there was no financial crisis in the state.

Chandigarh, July 10
While flood water has started receding in most parts of Punjab and Haryana, it is the scarcity of daily-use items, including fruit, vegetables, fuel and fodder for animals, that has been hitting the people hard.

Tomatoes, for example, which were selling for Rs 10 a kg till last week, were quoted at Rs 60 a kg in various parts of Punjab and Chandigarh. Other common vegetables, too, have become scarce.

The floods in northern states have hit fresh supplies of vegetables and fruit from other states hard. Though rail and road traffic has been restored at most of the places in the region, yet supplies of poultry, dairy and farm produce will take a while to normalise.

“We are just getting 30 to 60 per cent of normal supplies for the past few days,” says Hukam Singh, a fruit and vegetable whole seller. The supply of poultry products from Ludhiana and Barwala, too, has been affected severely by flash floods, says a wholesaler of meat products.

The retail price of the broiler has already crossed Rs 140 a kg. Supply of fresh milk has been affected in most of the cities.

Big chains have their supply lines snapped because of suspension of road and rail traffic because of damage caused to rail and road tracks by flood waters.

Though the Punjab and Haryana governments said that relief work was going on on a war footing in all the flood devastated areas, many areas were still marooned. Munak in Punjab, for example, was the latest to be affected by flooding. A death was reported from the Munak area because of floods.

Samples of drinking water were being taken and at places potable water, dry milk, vegetables, and other essential daily-use items like rice, pulses, sugar and tea leaves were being supplied by the district authorities.

At several places in the flood-hit areas, the SGPC has been running community kitchens.

A senior Health Department official indicated that strict action would be taken against those who tried to make fast buck because of rising demand of some of the essential and common-use medicines.

The biggest challenge, said a senior functionary of the civil administration, is to maintain all supply lines so that prices and availability of daily-use items remain within the reach of the common man.

Ludhiana, July 10
Condemning former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's accusation that CM Parkash Singh Badal was trying to gain political mileage by exploiting the water royalty issue before the elections, Bharatiya Kisan Union chief Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said here today that the state government had taken up a genuine issue.

He said the state's farmers would firmly stand with the SAD on the issue of demanding royalty on river waters, being given to other states.

Lakhowal made the remarks during a press conference here today.

Taking up the cause of flood-hit farmers of the state, Lakhowal said he had personally taken stock of the flood-hit areas along with a team of experts. "I was pained to see that the 100 per cent crop of a large number of farmers in the flood-affected areas had been damaged in the floods," said the BKU chief.

He demanded that the Central Government should pay compensation to the affected farmers at the rate of Rs 30,000 per acre so as to bail them out of trouble.

Lakhowal also remarked that there are areas in the state which have received no or scant rainfall. "Farmers of such areas should be provided with 12 hours of uninterrupted power supply," he demanded, adding that the price hike of petrol, diesel and LPG be rolled back as farmers, already overburdened with losses incurred due to natural calamities, will not be able to afford these essential commodities.

He also demanded from the Central Government that the MSP of various crops be fixed as per Dr Swaminathan's recommendations.

Quoting Dr Swaminathan's report, Lakhowal said the MSP for the cotton crop should be fixed at Rs 4,000 per quintal while that of paddy should be Rs 1,580 per quintal. For pulses and oil seeds, he demanded Rs 3,850 per quintal as the MSP and for sugarcane, he suggested an MSP of Rs 300 per quintal.

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 10
Recent rains brought along a mixed bag of happiness and despair for farmers in the region. While on one side they witnessed threat to their existence following the rain-fed floods, the abundance of water at the same time came as a boon for paddy growers.

Notably, the floods spelt misery for various villages located along Ghaggar and seasonal rivulets. However, the farmers in Fatehgarh Sahib saw a respite in it, as they were able to save the expenses that would have been incurred on irrigating the paddy crop.

Cashing in on the abundance of water, farmers could be seen planting paddy in their fields. The Agriculture Department officials said 10 per cent of paddy, out of net sown area, was yet to be planted. With adequate water available, the remaining paddy, too, would be transplanted soon.

“Incessant rains have helped check the depleting water level, which is fast receding due to heavy dependence on tube wells to irrigate fields,” said Chief Agriculture Officer Sarabjit Kandhari.

Agriculture Development Officer Jaswinder Singh said the farmers had saved money as well as time to irrigate their otherwise dry fields. “If a farmer uses a generator to irrigate one acre of land, he would have to spend Rs 350 on diesel. With 77 mm of rainfall in the district, farmers will save expenses on twice irrigating their fields,” he said.

Besides, the moist soil would also help farmers in irrigating their fields quickly, he said. It takes nearly four to six hours to irrigate one acre of land with dry soil, but now the soil is moist and it will take less than three hours.

Raru, a farmer from Chunni Kalan village having four acres of land, said though he saved the expenditure on diesel, he had to shell out extra money to purchase paddy seedlings. Raru’s one-and-a-half acre of land got completely destroyed in the rains and now he is busy re-sowing after draining out the stagnant water.

The farmers who had transplanted paddy a day or two ahead of the rains are the worst hit, as their entire crop got damaged, he said. “The fields from where water did not get drained even after 24 hours of rains got completely damaged. Now, they have no option but to spend extra money on re-sowing,” he said.

Another farmer, Darshan Singh of Kheri Naudh Singh Wala village, said those who could afford to purchase seedlings for re-sowing would now have to wait for the next couple of days for direct sowing as soil requires to get dried completely for direct sowing.

Agriculture experts said 5,000 acres of paddy crop got affected due to rains and so far it is expected that nearly 1,000 acres of crop got completely damaged in the district. 

Lalru, July 10
Farmers of the area have alleged that construction on the bed of Jharmal choe near Lalru by a private company, Panacea Biotech Company, had caused flooding in several villages. Standing crops were damaged when rains had lashed the area as there was no proper outlet for water.

After visiting the site it was found that the company concerned had done construction on the bed of the choe after leaving about 25 feet space for the water to cross. On the other side of the national highway the National Highway Authority of India has constructed a 130-feet-wide bridge for the water to pass.

Manager of the company Amrik Singh Mally said the construction was done 10 years ago and no damage was noticed by the choe water till now. Adequate space had been left for the water to pass, he added. Kuljeet Singh, SDO of the Drainage Department, said the construction on the bed of the choe was illegal and action would be taken against the erring persons.

Balkar Singh and Jasbeer Singh, residents of nearby Chaundheri village, said choe water had flooded their fields and damaged crops as it could not properly pass due to the construction on the bed of the choe. They rued that though the structure was constructed about 10 years ago, no action has been taken against the defaulters. They were also apprehensive of flood during heavy rain.

CPI leader Jaspal Singh Dappar stated that illegal constructions on the bed of the choe were causing the danger of flood to nearby villages and these should be removed.

Patiala, July 10
In what could be termed as a sigh of relief for people living in villages falling under the Patran subdivision, the water has started receding.

As per reports, water that had flooded Shatrana village, the Badashpur area and villages of Patran, has now started receding. Enquiries from locals brought to light that the backflow of water from the villages have been seen in the Ghaggar, which is a positive sign.

Meanwhile, Samana MLA Brahm Mohindra today visited various flood-hit villages of Samana, including Kathmathi, Bakshiwala, Jassowal, Hirdapur, Dudhat, Aasemajra and Kalyan. Talking to The Tribune, he expressed displeasure over the functioning of the district administration.

“The main reason that led to such a disaster was the non-cleaning of various drains of Patiala. On papers, funds amounting to Rs 1 crore have been shown being spent on the cleaning of the Jhambo drain. A vigilance probe should be ordered to find out where that money went because it is choked and not cleaned,” he said.

He accused Patiala DC Dipinder Singh for not making sure that proper arrangements were made before the start of the monsoon. “The district administration is least interested in the implementation of the NREGA scheme. Had drains being cleansed under the said scheme, the situation would not have worsened”, he claimed.

Meanwhile, Congress leader and former Patiala Improvement Trust chairman Ved Parkash Gupta has appealed the state government to stop accusing the Congress and take corrective measures and expedite relief operations to help flood-hit people.

Patiala, July 10
Five flood-affected districts of Punjab -- Patiala, Ludhiana, Mohali, Ropar and Sangrur -- have suffered a loss of Rs 350 crore due to the floods. Giving this information, DS Guru, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, and Romila Dubey, Financial Commissioner Revenue, said that about 1.9 lakh acres of land under cultivation had suffered damage. After visiting the flood-hit villages of the Devigarh block, including Ojha, Adaltiwala, Brahmpura and Chapara, on the Patiala-Haryana border, Guru and Dubey told mediapersons that at present there were 25 villages in Devigarh which were marooned by breaches in the Ghaggar and Tangri rivulets and were the worst affected.

The two said the crop damage was worth about Rs 100 crore whereas Rs 200 crore loss had been assessed in terms of damage to roads and other infrastructure in the five flood-hit districts. “Compensation of Rs 5,000 per acre will be given to the farmers whose crops have suffered 70 per cent damage. For damage varying from 50 to 70 per cent, the compensation amount will be Rs 3,000 per acre, whereas for damage less than 50 per cent, compensation of Rs 2,000 per acre will be given after the process of special Girdawri is complete,” they informed. Guru also said that the state government was giving compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the family of those who lost a family member because of the floods.

While stating that as many as 25 breaches in the Ghaggar were identified, he added, “It will take time to plug the breaches, which are extremely wide.”

“Cattle feed, drinking water and food is being supplied in every flood-affected village,” claimed Dubey, while adding that directions had been issued to the Public Works Department to assess the loss of the roads that got damaged due to the floods.

Patiala, July 10
Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla and Secretary Health Satish Chandra today visited Patiala to review the relief measures being undertaken by the Health Department in the flood- affected areas. Along with Patiala Civil Surgeon Dr Sham Lal Mahajan and local health officials, Chawla and Chandra visited villages in the vicinity of the Dudansadhan block and interacted with the affected families. She stated that villagers had expressed satisfaction over the medical facilities being provided by the department.

Chawla instructed the Civil Surgeon that if required, doctors from the dispensaries should be deputed in the flood-hit villages in order to ensure that the villagers get proper medical aid on time. She also directed the health officials to make sure that there was no shortage of medicine and any laxity on the part of any officer/employee would be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, Secretary, Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, PS Aujla, also toured Patiala to assess the situation. 

Bathinda, July 10
Coinciding with World Population Day tomorrow, Dr RP Singh, a government hospital surgeon at Nathana, near here, has completed 26,000 sterlisations during the past 15 years that have to some extent helped check the increase of population in this area.

Dr Singh said today that he started performing tubectomy and vasectomy operations in 1995 and had completed the 26,000 mark on the eve of World Population Day.

He said he performed sterlisations at Nathana, Bhagta, Ballianwali, Sangat Mandi, Talwandi Sabo, Goniana and the Children and Women Hospital at Bathinda.

Instead of recommending temporary methods of birth control, he prefers to go in for sterlisation that was a more dependable option.

He said he had successfully handled many cases rejected by other surgeons.

He said with a view to avoid litigation, the government had tied up with an insurance company that would pay a compensation of Rs 30,000 in case of failure of a surgery, Rs 20,000 for any complication and Rs 1 lakh in case of death due to the family planning operation.

Chandigarh, July 10
Former state Education Minister Sukhjinder Singh Khaira, who passed away on Saturday morning, belonged to a rare band of policemen-turned-politicians.

Though his son Sukhpal Singh Khaira represents the Congress in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Sukhjinder Singh was a staunch Akali leader. At one stage, he quit the Shiromani Akali Dal to head the Shiromani Akali Dal (Sukhjinder).

One of the firebrand politicians Kapurthala district has produced, Sukhjinder Singh represented the Bholath constituency in the state Vidhan Sabha from 1977 to 1985. He remained Education Minister twice, first in 1977 and again in 1985.

Sukhjinder Singh, who quit as a DSP in mid 70s to join politics, was known for his love for books. A man of principles, he was known to take stand on public issues in general and agricultural in particular.

He was one of those Akali leaders, who after joining politics remained in the forefront of all major agitations of the SAD, including the Morcha against emergency in late 70s and subsequently Dharam Yudh Morcha spearheaded by Sant Harchand Singh Longowal.

He was also detained under the National Security Act. His detention in jails for his active participation in various political agitations was over three years. He remained lodged in several jails, including those in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa.

Besides reading, Sukhjinder Singh was a keen follower of both kabaddi and football.

After retiring from active electoral politics in early 90s, Sukhjinder Singh spent most of his last years in his village Ramgarh in Kapurthala district.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, while condoling the death of Sukhjinder Singh, recalled the days when he worked with him. “We both worked together and remained in touch with each other all these years. He was a very good colleague and an excellent human being. A man of principles, he never compromised on issues dear to his heart. A very few could match his vision and far sightedness. While the people have lost a dauntless leader, his death has been a personal loss to me,” he added.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed profound grief and sorrow over the passing away of Sukhjinder Singh.

TNS adds from Kapurthala: A large number of people from different walks of life today participated in the cremation of former Education Minister Sukhjinder Singh Khaira at his native village Ramgarh in Kapurthala district. He died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Jalandhar on Saturday morning.

He is survived by his wife, son Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Bholath MLA and president of the District Congress Committee, Kapurthala, and six daughters. One of his sons-in-law, Ranjit Singh, is the Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Amritsar, July 10
Holding black flags and raising slogans, ex-servicemen and their family members held a protest by polishing shoes in support of their demands against the Congress-led UPA government at Gandhi Gate here today.

Dr MS Randhawa and Capt CS Sidhu, both co-conveners of a joint panel of citizens and soldiers, which organised the protest, declared to approach President Pratibha Patil, PM Manmohan Singh and Members of both Houses of Parliament during the forthcoming monsoon session to impress upon them to take a decision on ‘one-rank-one-pension’, separate pay commission for armed forces and other relevant demands of soldiers in the national interest.

They also announced to send a ‘citizens-soldiers’ fact-finding mission to the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir to reveal to the nation the real ground situation on reports of Chinese intrusion into the Indian territory. They maintained that there was a serious threat from hostile neighbouring countries like China and Pakistan, who have “teamed up together to destabilise and break up India” through armed and foreign-funded insurgencies.

They suspected “moles” in “corrupt officialdom” that could be playing in foreign hands by systematically demoralising and weakening armed forces at this crucial juncture.

They have demanded a high-level probe by a credible intelligence agency under the supervision of the Supreme Court or a parliamentary committee to expose the sinister design and nexus.

They saw no justification in curtailing powers of the Army by proposing laws to expose armymen to unjustified threat of litigation to cripple them against highly hostile foreign-sponsored insurgents in Kashmir and Maoist-infested states, when intelligence agencies have reportedly intercepted messages that prove foreign-funding of Maoist recruits and stone pelters in Kashmir.