Bathinda, August 3
Perturbed over their positions in ‘toothless’ traders and industrialists’ boards, chairmen and vice-chairmen of four boards in the state have evolved a consensus to meet the Chief Minister next week to get powers for themselves.

The state-level boards, constituted by the Badal government to resolve the issues related to traders and industrialists, have been functioning merely as advisory bodies since their formation. For this reason, even chairmen and vice-chairmen of these boards, despite having cabinet minister and minister of state ranks, respectively, are upset because they have no powers to show their supremacy to bureaucracy or redress the problems being faced by traders and industrialists.

In view of this, the chairmen and vice-chairmen of these boards, namely Small Traders Board, Punjab; Traders Board, Punjab; Small Scale Industry Board, Punjab; and Medium Scale Industry Board, Punjab, have decided to meet CM Parkash Singh Badal.

To a question, Madan Lal Kapoor and DP Chandan, chairman and vice-chairman of the Small Traders Board, Punjab, respectively, said here today that during the meeting with the CM, the chairmen and vice-chairmen of these four boards would seek powers for themselves in order to directly involve themselves in the functioning of their respective departments.

Kapoor further said they would ask the CM to grant them powers to conduct checking at sale tax offices and sale tax barriers, and to participate in transfers and postings of officers and employees in their respective departments.

He said besides, they would also stress upon some more powers for them in the larger interests of the trader and industrialist communities.

Chandan said a consensus had already evolved among the eight chairmen and vice-chairmen of the four boards to meet the CM in this regard. He said they would also place the problems and demands of the traders and industrialists before the CM.

Chandan further said they held meetings with the traders at district-level. After that, they sent their recommendations to the state government. However, there were many hurdles in getting the recommendations implemented as these boards were merely advisory bodies and had no powers.

He said they would ask the CM to make arrangements for printing sales tax return forms in Punjabi language as many traders could not understand English.

Chandan said the government should also receive lump sum tax from traders on the annual sale up to Rs 25 lakh. He demanded abolition of entry tax on sugar in the state.

He said they would ensure refund of VAT to the traders in 16 days instead of 60 days.

Bathinda, August 3
Taking advantage of an ill-equipped Rampura (Sadar) police station, a man booked under the NDPS Act fled the police station after hoodwinking a guard on duty on Monday.

The police station set up about a couple of months back is sans lock-up, which is a foremost necessity at a police station.

Sources in the police station informed this correspondent that the accused, Deepak Kumar of Rampura, was detained on Sunday for possessing some prohibited drugs. A case was lodged against him under sections 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act.

The accused was chained to a bed lying in a room at the police station. Finding most of the staff away from the police station in the early hours on Monday, the accused played a trick to flee. He asked the security guard at the police station, Jagtar Singh, to unlock the chain as he had to answer nature's call. Soon, the guard unlocked the chain, following which the accused fled from the police station.

The guard reported the matter to his senior officials. Acting upon his statement, the police booked Deepak Kumar under section 224 of the IPC.

However, the senior officials did not initiate action against the security guard from whose custody the accused had fled.

Rampura (Sadar) SHO Harwinder Singh said, "It is a fact that we do not have proper lock-up. We are somehow managing the recently opened police station. The arrested persons are kept in a room, which always remains locked. The accused, Deepak Kumar, was also locked in the room but when he asked the security guard to take him to toilet, the guard in his innocence believed him and took him out and the accused fled."

"The guard was not at fault as the accused seemed to have committed the crime in a planned way," the SHO added.

A senior police official, seeking anonymity, said shortage of funds was the main hurdle in equipping the police stations with infrastructure required as per the norms.

Fazilka, August 3
Two youths were killed while another sustained serious injuries in a road mishap as the car by which they were travelling rammed into a stranded truck near village Dhaippanwali on the 
Fazilka-Malout road.

It is stated that the truck loaded with sand had developed some technical snag. The driver of the truck had parked it on the road.

The injured youth was shifted to a private hospital in Bathinda in the wee hours on Tuesday.

As per details, three cousins Nishan Singh, Hardayal Singh and Jugraj Singh, all residents of village Kariwala (district Sirsa, Haryana) had come to purchase paddy seedlings in Arniwala belt of Fazilka by Alto on Monday.

The mishap took place when they were on their way back home.

The collision was so fierce that the car’s occupants, Nishan Singh (35) and Hardayal Singh (40), died on the spot while Jugraj Singh sustained serious injuries and was shifted to a private hospital in Bathinda.

Notably, the farmers of nearby Haryana areas have been visiting this area to buy paddy seedlings as there is acute shortage of it in Sirsa due to the floods there. 

Bathinda, August 3
A speeding PRTC bus allegedly crushed a 40-year-old man to death on the Gurudwara Hazi Rattan link road here today.

According to information available, the bus was plying from Bathinda to Sirsa when it hit a motorcyclist, Harmeet Singh of Sirki Bazar. He was rushed to the Bathinda Civil Hospital where observing his condition to be critical, doctors referred him to a private hospital. However, minutes after being admitted there, Harmeet Singh succumbed to his injuries.

On the other hand, a group of people lodged a protest at the accident site. They gheraoed the buses plying on the road and raised anti-establishment slogans. Criticising the administration, the protesters stated, "Even after completion, the Bathinda-Talwandi Sabo-Dabwali railway overbridge has not been opened for commuters, which today led to the fatal accident on the link road."

Later, the city police reached the spot, pacified the agitators and restored smooth movement of traffic.

Abohar, August 3
Effect of leaf curl has widely been observed on the cotton that was grown in or around the orchards, agriculture development officer (ADO), Dr Bhupinder Kumar revealed quoting a survey during the farmers’ awareness camp at village Kikkarkhera near here on Tuesday. Former sarpanch Ram Pratap presided.

Notably, leaf curl and American Bollworm were believed having crossed the international border after causing a lot of damage to crops in the West Punjab province of Pakistan during the last few years. According to a report appearing in the Pakistan media recently, agricultural scientists in Pakistan had feared a loss of five per cent cotton of its total production, if it failed to combat the leaf curl virus, which was spreading rapidly particularly in the orchard areas, which may cause a huge loss. The Central Cotton Research Institute spokesman was quoted saying that there is no remedy for this virus and its intensity is more than the previous Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV) because it took a new shape when scientists evolved virus resistant and heat resistant varieties.

Meanwhile, the ADO here advised the farmers not to grow cotton in the orchard areas from the next season. He emphasised the need to uproot unwarranted growth around fields. Spray of potassium nitrate can too prove helpful, he said.

Abohar, August 3
Deputy Commissioner, Kamal Kishore Yadav has directed the irrigation department to restore the rotation system for three sub-canals with immediate effect. The system had recently been abandoned when the activists of the Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha and other leftist organisations staged dharna for a few days last month outside the office of the executive engineer in the canal colony here.

The decision to resume the prior system was taken following a meeting that some farmers held with the DC today at the canal rest house here during his visit. Earlier, a deputation of the Daulatpura Tail Sangharsh Samiti had a discussion with the superintending engineer and executive engineer urging them to make water available to the farmers of the tail-end villages.

The department would again put the Malukpura, Daulatpura and Ramsara minors on the rotation basis. However, the authorities had once again rejected the demand for putting the Panjawa sub-canal that draws 300 cusecs of water, originates from the Lambi sub-canal.

Bathinda, August 3
The Millennium School conducted its first investiture ceremony. The children were selected on a scale of te, taking into account their behaviour, leadership, speaking and writing skills, academic performance, participation in co-curricular activities, student’s poll and educators and principal’s opinion. Principal Beena Rao administered the oath of office to the newly formed cabinet members. Souravpreet Singh was elected Head Boy while Diya Singla was appointed the Head Girl.

Zorawar Singh and Diya Arora were elected the Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl, respectively. Gagan Bansal was chosen as the sports captain and Jashandeep Singh was selected to spread kindness through The Millennium Kindness Organisation (MKO). Jinan Fazal was given the responsibility to protect Mother Earth through SAVE (Students Association Volunteering for Earth). — TNS

Bathinda, August 3
Staff of the Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP), Lehra Mohabbat, celebrated Vanmahotsav at their premises on Monday.

Inaugurating the event, GS Chhabra, director (generation), PSPCL, said, “The GHTP, which was constructed on sand dunes, is now adorned with lush green trees.” He said about 2,75,000 trees were already there at the three thermal plants of the PSPCL and 15,000 more were being planted this year.

RPS Saini, chief engineer (Operation & Maintenance), SK Goyal, chief engineer (Construction) and other officials also planted trees on the occasion. — TNS