Sriganganagar, July 23
Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, along with two Central ministers Dr CP Joshi and Mukul Vasnik, visited the flood affected areas of Tibbi segment in Hanumangarh district on Friday.

The CM held discussions with Dr Param and Hanumangarh legislator Vinod Chaudhary over the situation. The legislators had assisted the water resources minister Mahipal Maderana and chief engineer TK Parmar in doing homework on the aftermath of Ghaggar water fury yesterday.

Deputy Commissioner of Hanumangarh Dr Ravi Kumar presented his report to the Chief Minister on flood situation.

Ferozepur, July 23
Taking a serious view of reasons which led to flooding of thousands of acres of land with rain water in his home district, Punjab irrigation minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon on Friday ordered the dismantling of all the temporary bandhs erected in the rainy drains by farmers.

While directing the officials of different department to make arrangements to speed up the process of draining out the rain water from the affected areas of this district, 
Sekhon assured people that a permanent solution would be found to prevent the development of such a situation in the future after the rainy season was over.

Sekhon along with Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav and a battery of officials of the drainage and other departments visited more than two dozen affected villages of this district today where the rain water has flooded the fields dotted with paddy and other crops. While talking to the TNS, Sekhon said a section of farmers were also to be blamed for the breaches that took place in the rainy drains as they had taken away the sand from their banks and hence rendered them weak. He directed the officials to remove the hyacinths, which had been choking the flow of water in the drains, construct new siphons wherever needed, raise the level of bridges constructed over rainy drains, construct new bridges and install motor pumps to drain out water from those areas where it had stagnated in the absence of any outlet to drain out.

He said the Punjab government would carry out a survey to assess the losses suffered by people in various pockets due to rain water and the victims would be compensated.

He said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, had urged Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh to give Rs 15,000 per acre as compensation for the loss suffered by crops due to floods in the state. Meanwhile, Yadav said a project had been prepared to restore the damaged embankments, bridges and other structures due to overflowing and breaching of rainy drains in this district. The project would be executed immediately after the water receded in the drains. 

Faridkot, July 23
The Punjab Police has busted a fake degree racket and arrested two persons who are running schools at Kotkapura in the Faridkot district on Friday.

The SSP of Faridkot, AK Mittal, revealed that the police has recovered about 208 fake degree certificates belonging to various institutes such as Indian Council of Secondary Education, Mohali’s 
migration certificates (six certificates); seven mark sheets of class XII, 12 certificates of the Board of Higher Secondary Education Delhi, certificate of Madmik Shiksha Parishad, Uttar Pradesh; Diploma of Pharmacy, Karnataka; Rajasthan Medical Council, Jaipur; Baba Sheikh Farid Mission Hospital, Kotkapura’s job training certificates; University of Jaipur’s MBBS certificate issued in the name of Ashok Deora; certificates of Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner; character certificate of a private school; certificates of Shivaji Insitute of Paramedical Sciences; certificates of Ayurvedic Mahavidyala, Chappra, and many other institutes based in Rajasthan and Bihar.

Mittal said, “We got a secret information about this racket following which DSP Dilbagh Singh Pannu formed a team which raided the Shivaji Public school situated near Giani Zail Singh market in Kotkapura. During the raid, we have found over 208 fake certificates and about 30 fake stamps.” The police had also confiscated the computer of this school, he added.

Those arrested include Ashok Deora, owner of the Shivaji Public School, Kotkapura and Ajay Kumar, owner of Bawa Model School, Kotkapura. These people had confessed to selling fake degrees to people and had also revealed to the police about an institute based at Ludhiana with which these people were collaborating to sell fake degrees.

An FIR under sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered against them at the Kotkapura police station.

Jalalabad (Ferozepur), July 23
The field general manager, Punjab National Bank (PNB) SS Bhatia has said the bank would leave no stone unturned to fulfill the genuine financial requirements of the rice shelling industry of this town, which has started emerging as rice export hub in the country.

He was here to meet the industrialists and other entrepreneurs of this region, said about 80 per cent of the rice shelling industry of this area had already been dealing with the PNB for their financial requirements and hence the PNB would do its best to maintain that kind of relations with its clients.

“Every genuine demand for finance for setting up rice mill and modernisation, upgradation and expansion of existing rice shelling industries would be welcomed,” he added. 

Moga, July 23
Even as the rising prices of essential commodities have in the recent times adversely affected the household economy of the common people in the country, the union as well as the state government of Punjab seems to be least bothered about the storage of foodgrains.

Wastage of foodgrains continues in the food basket of the country. Precious little has been done to put the warehouse and cold storage mechanism in order. Thousands of tonnes of wheat stored in open, is rotting due to lack of proper storage facilities in the ongoing monsoon season.

As per the details available from the local offices of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), more than 60,000 metric tonnes of wheat is lying in open exposed to the monsoons in the FCI storehouses in the Moga and Faridkot districts.

No matter, officials of the FCI claim that scientific methods have been adopted to store wheat in open by raising the plinths at least three-feet above the ground properly covered with polythene sheets. However, this correspondent during a visit to some of the storehouses today found that the rain water was present in between the racks raising the humidity level.

In a storehouse of the State Agro Foodgrain Corporation, a subsidiary of the State Agro Industries Corporation situated on the Ferozepur road at Moga, as much as 3800 metric tonnes of wheat purchased in 2008-09 meant for the Central pool has rotted creating a stink in the nearby areas.

A member of the local municipal council, Deep Inder Singh Sandhu revealed that the transport minister Master Mohan Lal, also the chairman of the district grievances committee, in a collective decision of the committee, has recently ordered to immediately shift the rotten stock of wheat from this place outside the limits of the local body but the authorities concerned have done nothing in this regard so far.

District manager of the FCI, DK Jain, while talking to The Tribune, claimed that the food agency has deleted this stock, which was yet to be lifted from the Agro Corporation, from the Central pool. “We would take the fresh stock in lieu of the damaged wheat crop,” he said.

Ranvir Singh, district manager of the Agro Corporation, while admitting that the wheat stock has got damaged and is unfit for human consumption said soon he would conduct a joint inspection of the stock along with the officials of the FCI and thereafter any decision would be taken on it.

General manager of the FCI (Punjab circle) Neelkanth Awahad said the food agency has recently initiated efforts to increase the storage capacity of the foodgrains by setting up warehouses with public-private partnership models for expansion. 

Bathinda, July 23
In Bathinda city, where many people avoid drinking water that is not purified so as to save themselves from the adverse affects of the impurities in water, chilled RO (reverse osmosis) water is being served through campers by an individual and an NGO in at least three places this summer.

Water in the Bathinda-belt is not fit for drinking due to the impurities in groundwater, which cause several diseases. Many people even avoid partaking of “Chhabeels”. In such a scenario, three “Jal Sewa” sites serving chilled RO water are doing a yeomen’s service.

According to information, the chilled RO water is being served to the people from about 180 water campers daily at these places. Two “Jal Sewa” centres — one outside the Mini-secretariat (opposite Tehsil) and the second near the Ambedkar Park — are being run by one Surinder Bansal, a transporter. Near the Ambedkar Park, about 100 chilled RO water campers are served to the passers-by daily while at Tehsil complex site, about 50 campers of water is consumed. Each camper contains 15 litres of water.

Two maids have also been employed for washing used glasses.

These “Jal Sewa” sites serve RO water to people from Monday to Saturday.

Naresh Kumar Goyal, a relative of Surinder Bansal, told TNS that they purchased chilled RO water at Rs 10 per camper. The payment for the RO water is made by Surinder Bansal but sometimes, people also donate for the purpose.

During rallies outside the Mini-secretariat here, the consumption of chilled RO water campers doubles, he added.

Pawan Kumar, a typist, who serves at the “Jal Sewa” site near the Ambedkar Park, said they ordered for more RO water campers if the campers in their possession were likely to fall short.

Near Teen Koni, chilled RO water “Jal Sewa” centre is being run by the Young Welfare Society. President of the society Dr Tarsem Garg told TNS that on an average, 30 water campers were consumed at their centre daily.

He said they started serving people with chilled RO water, as the society wanted to serve humanity in one way or the other.

Bathinda, July 23
In protest against price rise, unemployment and illiteracy in the country, members and activists of the General Samaj Party (GSP), led by its founder Suresh Kumar Goyal, took out a protest march through the city today.

The march began from Gol Diggi bazaar and culminated at the Mini-secretariat.

On the way, the protesters raised slogans against the state government and the Centre, holding it responsible for the sufferings being faced by people, especially weaker sections of the society.

The GSP demanded implementation of vocational courses at all levels throughout the country, besides bringing to an end the commercialisation of education. They also demanded withdrawal of indirect taxes as people were already overburdened with direct taxes.

Suresh Kumar Goyal said no one in the government was serious on solving the problems of the people of the country though various parties had been organising “bandhs” against the rising prices in the country. He said his party would launch a campaign to create awareness among the countrymen.

They also submitted a memorandum regarding price rise, unemployment and illiteracy to the deputy commissioner here to forward the same to the President of India.

Among others who participated in the march included Parkash Singh Sahota, Nachhattar Singh, Balbir Singh and Darshan Singh Jassi.

Abohar, July 23
Tributes were paid to the legendary revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad at a function organised by the Punjabi Sabhyachar Manch to celebrate his birth anniversary in Adharshila School here today.

The chief guest Dr BB Sharma, principal of DAV College, exhorted the youth to follow in the footsteps of revolutionaries such as Azad to preserve the unity and integrity of the country. Manch president, Gurcharan Singh Gill, educationist Rajiv Gupta and Suman Goyal, wife of former legislator, Dr Ram Kumar Goyal dwelt on the role played by the freedom fighters in the country’s freedom.

The atmosphere got surcharged with patriotic emotions as the students dressed as soldiers presented action song to revisit the Indo-Pak wars. Kids joined the teachers and dignitaries from different NGOs in offering flower petals to the portrait of Azad.

Bathinda, July 23
The Baba Farid Group of Institutions (BFGI) is coming up with B.Sc. Agriculture Integrated Course and B.Sc. Biotech Integrated Course for a total duration of six years.

GS Dhaliwal, chairman of the group, told mediapersons here today that the BFGI was introducing new professional job-oriented courses that were affiliated to the Punjabi University, including B.Sc. and M. Sc. (Airlines, Tourism and Hospitality MGT), M.Sc. (Service Industry Management), PG diploma in Retail Marketing, PG diploma in Banking and Insurance and PG Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Dhaliwal said these multiple newly launched courses would open a panorama of high potential placements for the students. He said the year 2010 was exclusively dedicated by the BFGI to placements and a total budget of Rs one crore had been allocated for the purpose.

He said the department of Training and Placement of the BFGI customised a Career Development Programme which comprised of effective training workshops on overall personality development.

He also said the BFGI had applied to the Punjabi University for a full-fledged evening college for these new regular courses. He claimed that the Vice-Chancellor of the university had agreed to the proposal. He said the evening courses would be beneficial for the working class people who could not attend morning sessions due to their job working timings.

Bathinda, July 23
Members and activists of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), led by its state president Kiranjit Singh Gehri, today staged a dharna against moneylenders outside the Mini-secretariat here. The members of the Dalit Sena also participated. An effigy of moneylenders was also burnt.

Gehri said they had launched a drive against the moneylenders by organising a symbolic dharna and burning their effigy as they were looting the poor class. He alleged that the moneylenders took the possession of the houses of the poor when they could not pay the loan instalments due to excess rate of interest. He cited a case where a person’s house had allegedly been demolished by a money lender in Bathinda.

Gehri demanded action against those moneylenders who committed excesses on the poor. He also asked the government to initiate steps to prevent the moneylenders from making the poor persons houseless or the LJP would intensify its agitation. — TNS