J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Floods
Crop in 42 villages destroyed
Tarn Taran, August 28
The floods in this border district has ruined the crop of 42 villages in 15,000 acres, though the district administration has claimed that the situation is under control. According to information here today, though the water level in the Beas passing through the district has been decreasing day by day, but the increased water level during the past three days affected the land of 42 villages badly damaging the crop in 15,000 acres.

Iron wire to strengthen bundh goes missing
Nawanshahr, August 28
Though the whole civil and police administrations have been on their toes to save the Dhussi bundh from developing a breach and thwart the apprehension of floods at the Tajowal-Mandala complex along the Sutlej in the district since Tuesday, officials of the Drainage Department are still indulging in their alleged malpractices.

73 eye donation centres to be set up in Punjab
Hoshiarpur, August 28
To restore the eyesight of people suffering from corneal blindness, as many as 73 eye donation centres would be set up in Punjab. Disclosing this while addressing a gathering at a state-level function organised jointly by the local Eye Donation Society (EDS) and the Punjab Medical Council here today.

Powercom turning away cases irks farmers
Hoshiarpur, August 28
Resentment prevails among farmers against the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (Powercom) for not accepting their cases under voluntary disclosure scheme (VDS) for increasing the power load on their connections under the said scheme.

Union Minister assures dept inquiry into MGNREGS ‘irregularities’
Jalandhar, August 28
Union Minister for Rural Development C.P. Joshi has assured to conduct departmental inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Punjab.

5 booked in rape case
Amritsar, August 28
The Civil Lines police has registered a case against five persons for raping two girls, residents of Ranjit Avenue, after blackmailing them by clicking their vulgar pictures.

Floods
Crop in 42 villages destroyed
Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, August 28
The floods in this border district has ruined the crop of 42 villages in 15,000 acres, though the district administration has claimed that the situation is under control.

According to information here today, though the water level in the Beas passing through the district has been decreasing day by day, but the increased water level during the past three days affected the land of 42 villages badly damaging the crop in 15,000 acres.

Most of the affected villages are downstream of Harike Head Works, while a few are upstream.

Affected villages in downstream include Kuttiwala, Sabhra, Bhure Thaar, Gadiake, Bhawake, Jalloke, Mallahwala, Sttomeh Jhugian, Jallewala, Jhugian Peer Bakash and Muthianwala. Muthianwala and some villages are situated on the Indo-Pak border.

Affected villages in upstream include Chamba, Dhun Dhaiwala, Kambo Dhaiwala, Gaggrewal, Dhunda and Gharka.

Bagicha Singh of Sabhra village said his crop in 13 acres was totally ruined. Sardara Singh’s crop of maize in 3 acres and Mukhtar Singh’s crop of cotton in 8 acres in the same village have been totally damaged by the floods.

Jagdeep Singh Momi, District Revenue Officer (DRO)-cum-Flood Control Officer, accepted that more than 40 villages had been affected by the floods, which damaged the crops in more than 15,000 acres.

Momi said all four families of Kuttiwala village, 40 km from here, who had to vacate their houses due to floods, were given tents besides medical facilities.

He claimed that the water level was going down sharply in the area. The district administration had already started special girdawari work of the flood-affected areas in the district to assess the actual lose of the crops.

Iron wire to strengthen bundh goes missing
Parmod Bharti

Nawanshahr, August 28
Though the whole civil and police administrations have been on their toes to save the Dhussi bundh from developing a breach and thwart the apprehension of floods at the Tajowal-Mandala complex along the Sutlej in the district since Tuesday, officials of the Drainage Department are still indulging in their alleged malpractices.

This evening when this correspondent visited the site, Balwinder Singh and A.P. Punj, SDO and junior engineer, respectively, of the Drainage Department, were found involved in an altercation about the alleged missing of about five-six bundles of iron wire worth Rs 40,000-50,000.

The SDO was complaining that the junior engineer was not taking responsibility of the stock of iron wire which was brought for the safety of the bundh without any sanction of the funds. The SDO even reported the matter to senior officials of the Drainage Department and expressed his inability to carry on the strengthening work at the site. A number of residents of nearby villages present at the site said the Drainage Department had done nothing to strengthen the Dussi bundh at the Tajowal- Mandala complex before the onset of rainy season, which had already been identified as sensitive one, and even funds were sanctioned for the same and now the officials of the department were trying to cause hindrances in the ongoing work by allegedly playing such tactics. They have urged the DC and the SSP to immediately inquire into the missing of iron wire brought to be used in the ongoing rescue work and ensure that the rescue operation continues till the danger is over.

73 eye donation centres to be set up in Punjab
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, August 28
To restore the eyesight of people suffering from corneal blindness, as many as 73 eye donation centres would be set up in Punjab.

Disclosing this while addressing a gathering at a state-level function organised jointly by the local Eye Donation Society (EDS) and the Punjab Medical Council here today, in connection with the celebration of the 25th National Eye Donation Fortnight, Punjab Minister for Medical Education and Research, Forest and Wildlife, Parliamentary Affairs and Labour Tikshan Sud said the vision of 526 people suffering from corneal blindness had been restored in the district.

More than 70,000 persons had pledged to donate their eyes in the district.

Appreciating the role of the society for its tremendous efforts to motivate people, Sud said to establish coordination between NGOs relating to eye donation in Punjab and eye centres, a committee had been constituted.

The Medical Education and Research Minister, Punjab, would be its chief patron whereas secretaries of the same department and health services would be patrons. President and vice president of EDS Prof Bahadur Singh and Jasbir Singh would be its vice president and coordinator, respectively.

All civil surgeons of Punjab would be presidents or general secretaries of the eye donation societies in the state. A website of the Eye Donation Coordination Committee would be started soon. Sud honoured the families of 55 eye donors on the occasion.

Powercom turning away cases irks farmers
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, August 28
Resentment prevails among farmers against the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (Powercom) for not accepting their cases under voluntary disclosure scheme (VDS) for increasing the power load on their connections under the said scheme.

Farmers Resham Singh of Boothgarh, Sarwan Singh of Paldi, along with president of the Social Democratic Party (India) Jai Gopal Dhiman, told mediapersons here today that Powercom got an advertisement issued by Sr Xen PR, Powercom, published in various daily newspapers regarding the announcement of its VDS for the benefit of farmers, about a month ago. The scheme was valid from July 23 to September 30.

Under this scheme, farmers could get the load of their electric motor connections increased by depositing Rs 1,000 per BHP as the service connection charges and Rs 200 per BHP for security, whereas, in normal course Rs 3,200 per BHP was being charged for this purpose.

This scheme was only meant for tubewells installed before September 30 this year.

They alleged that the Powercom office had not accepted any of their cases under this scheme till date. Today they met Deputy Chief Engineer of Powercom (Hoshiarpur circle) Jagmohan Singh in this connection, who showed his helplessness in this regard as the head office of the PSPCL had not released any orders to comply with the said scheme.

Talking to this correspondent, Er Jagmohan Singh said the head office had not issued any circular to benefit farmers under VDS. However, load was being increased on the existing scheme of Powercom.

Jai Gopal Dhiman alleged that the said advertisement was only issued to fool the farmers. He said he would lodge a complaint against the Powercom authorities to the Punjab State Human Rights Commission to take action in this regard.

Union Minister assures dept inquiry into MGNREGS ‘irregularities’
Tribune News Service

5 booked in rape case
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 28
The Civil Lines police has registered a case against five persons for raping two girls, residents of Ranjit Avenue, after blackmailing them by clicking their vulgar pictures.

After receiving a complaint from the victims, a case under sections 376, 342, 506 and 120B of the IPC has been registered against Sant Sahni, son of Ramu Sahni, Kailash Sahni, son of Ram Sahni, Vimla Devi, wife of Ramu Sahni, all residents of Gali No 4, Gatta Mill, Loharka Road here, Krishma and her husband Rupesh Yadev, both residents of Sanovar Sarje, Fatehpur Sahrasa tehsil, Bihar.

The girls alleged that the accused came to their house on January 29 and told them to accompany them to different spots in Amritsar.

At the Jallianwalla Bagh, Sant Sahni and Ram Sahni started vulgar activities with them and clicked their photographs with a mobile phone camera. On the basis of these photographs, Sant Sahni and Ram Sahni forced them to have physical relations with them for 11 days. The victims claimed that their naked photographs were clicked thereafter also and they were threatened with dire consequences if they revealed it.