Moga, September 25
With just a few days left for the beginning of procurement of this year’s paddy crop, general manager (Punjab circle) of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) Neelkanth Awahad along with his junior colleagues inspected storehouses of the agency and examined movement of the last year’s rice through special trains in the Moga district on Saturday.

He arrived here at noon and straightaway went to the main storehouse of the agency and checked the quality of rice. Having some doubts over the quality of rice in some stores, he took as many as three samples, which would be tested in the agency’s laboratory at Chandigarh.

He also inspected the preservation and storage capacity of the storehouses of the agency keeping in view the ensuing procurement season, besides, inquiring about the storage capacity.

It was learnt that little less than 20 per cent of the last year's paddy was yet to be milled in the Moga district by the rice millers, which could create problems, 
if it was not milled and supplied to the FCI in the next 3-4 weeks because this year's procurement of paddy would also add to the stocks of the millers for milling.

District manager of the FCI DK Jain, who accompanied the visiting team, when contacted, revealed that the GM also checked the special train that was being loaded for the movement of paddy to the other states.

In reply to a question, he confirmed that the GM had stopped loading of one stack of rice in the train following doubts of ‘poor’ quality. “We have arranged for an alternate stack of rice to his satisfaction for loading in the train immediately,” he said.

Sources revealed that there were some complaints of poor quality and underweight bags of rice being moved out of the state from here due to which the GM himself came for checking in the Moga district.

However, Jain denying the reports of any complaints said that it was a routine inspection.

Awahad and his team then went to the storehouses of the agency at Badhni Kalan about 18 kilometres from the district headquarters for quality checking of the stored rice.

This correspondent tried to contact Awahad several times for his comments but he did not pick up his mobile phone. 

Guru Harsahai (Ferozepur), September 25
In a bizarre incident, Daljeet Kaur and her married daughter Manjeet Kaur were done to death by unknown assailants while both of them were asleep in their house located in Basti Sarupewala of this town last night.

Daljeet Kaur’s body was lying on the cot while the body of Manjeet was found in the courtyard. Both mother and daughter were attacked on the neck with sharp-edged weapons by the assailants.

Police sources said Neetu, daughter-in-law of Daljeet, who was in the house when the crime took place, informed about the same to the residents of the area when she came to know about it today in the morning. Sukha and Mukha, both sons of Daljeet, were away from their house as both had been working as driver with private transporters.

Harjit Singh Pannu, SP (D), who along with other senior officials visited the spot, said though a dog squad and fingerprint experts were pressed into service, no clue could be found to solve the mystery behind this blind murder.

He added that during the spot examination, it had become clear that Manjeet resisted the move of the murderer to save herself by entering into a scuffle. Police sources said the police team was working on different theories to crack the mystery behind murder.

Baljinder Singh, SHO, local police station, said efforts were on to identify the assailants involved in the crime. A case in this connection has been registered under section 302 of the IPC.

Abohar, September 25
Punjab Wakf Board has allocated three acres of land in this town for the members of the Muslim community to set up burial place to bury their dead in a respectful manner and without any harassment.

Punjab Wakf Board took this decision when its officials came to know about the plight of members of the local Muslim community through the media reports that they have to go to Sriganganagar town of neighbouring Rajasthan to bury their dead in the absence of any burial place in this town for the past many decades.

Khushi Mohammad, chief executive officer (CEO), Punjab Wakf Board, said land measuring three acres and located near Panj Peer in this town, would be handed over 
to the members of the 
Muslim community after September 28. He added that he would visit this town so that the best land could be given for setting up burial place.

For thousands of members of the local Muslim community, the decision of Punjab Wakf Board has brought a big relief. Though a piece of land was earmarked as burial place in this town as per its revenue record, the members of the community could not get possession of the same as it was under illegal occupation.

A section of members of the community, whose financial position is good, always take their dead kin to their respective native place by spending thousands of rupees for performing their last rites.

Feroze Khan, chairman, local Muslim Intzamiya Committee, said, “For carrying out the burial of dead in a decent manner, the members of the Muslim community would go to Sriganganagar, 40 kilometres from here, which has been giving them the feeling that they are not being looked after by anyone.”

He said two days ago, a member of the community Kasood Ali, who belonged to Hooghly in West Bengal and had been putting up in this town, died suddenly. In the absence of arrangements to bury his body at his native place, it was taken to Bathinda for its burial at the Hazi Rattan graveyard.

Ferozepur, September 25
Additional district and sessions judge JS Bhinder on Friday sentenced Harpal Singh, a resident of Talwandi Bhai town of this district, to ten years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for possessing over 90,000 intoxicating tablets.

As per the judgement pronounced, Bhinder also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on the convict. If he fails to pay the fine, Harpal Singh would have to undergo rigorous imprisonment for two more years.

As per the details, Harpal Singh was arrested while carrying intoxicating tablets on April 15, last year. A case was registered against him at Ghal Khurd police station under the NDPS Act. — TNS

Abohar, September 25
In view of the all party meeting convened by the Congress legislator Sunil Jakhar on Sunday to chalk out a plan to press the state government to accord the district status to Abohar sub-division, the ruling coalition partner BJP here organised workers meeting. Senior leaders of the SAD were also present on the occasion.

The leaders of the saffron party cautioned Jakhar and his party saying that people cannot be ‘fooled’ by such political gimmicks. “Why the MLA did not try to get the district status for this town during the Congress regime,” they asked. Besides, they criticised him for not having raised the issue during the past four years in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Former BJP MLA Dr Ram Kumar Goyal said he along with Balluana MLA Gurtej Singh Ghuriana and other party officials met the CM recently to urge him that Abohar should be made a district.

The issue will again come up during the sangat darshan programme of the CM next month here, he said. State BJP president Ashwani Sharma assured of a meeting with the CM soon to discuss the matter.

Municipal Council president Shiv Raj Goyal, city unit presidents Mannu Jaiswal and Shankar Swami, SAD circle presidents Sukhwinder Singh and Gurbanta Singh, Market Committee chairman Dhanpat Rai Siyag, SAD general council member Gurlal Singh pointed out that none of their party workers would attend the meeting called by the Congress MLA Sunil Jakhar on Sunday. 

Faridkot, September 25
The district magistrate of Faridkot Dr S. Karuna Raju conducted a surprise check in the elementary school run by the Zila Parishad at Sangrahoor village and found many irregularities in the school management system.

The spokesman of the district administration Nath Singh Buttar stated that there were many mistakes in the charts displayed on the walls of classrooms, which were also not placed in order. Some of charts having mistakes were prepared by principal of the school, 
he said.

He added that the district magistrate was also not satisfied with the cleanliness in the kitchen of the school where mid-day meal was being prepared for the children, adding that the DM has instructed the staff to ensure proper cleanliness and hygienic conditions in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the DM has asked all the heads of the schools in the district to do their job properly. He also warned them of strict action in case of any complaint. The sarpanch of Sangrahoor village Shanti Devi and three panchayat members also accompanied the DM during the checking of the school. 

Bathinda, September 25
The staff of District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs) in the state have asked the Punjab government to grant monthly pension benefit to officers and employees of the DRDAs after their retirement.

There are about 300 officers and employees, including assistant project officers, investigators, superintendents, stenographers and clerks, working in the DRDAs across the state.

National president of the All India DRDA Staff Welfare Association Sadhu Ram Kusla said here today that the governments of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat had already been paying monthly pension to the staff of the DRDAs in their respective states whereas the Punjab government had not done the same yet.

Kusla said the office-bearers of the association had met the Secretary, Rural Development, Punjab, and the Joint Development Commissioner, Punjab, in this regard several times, but to no avail. So, he and office-bearers of the Punjab unit of the association would meet Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal soon to get their demand accepted and implemented.

Kusla also demanded regularisation of the services of the Gram sewaks of the DRDAs as they were now working under contractual system. Their contract was renewed for a year every year by the authorities despite the fact that they were getting regular pay scale. He said regularisation of their services was must so that they could also avail the retirement benefits.

Bathinda, September 25
The row over the construction of a cremation ground in Mehma Bhagwana village that had reached the court was reportedly resolved today. The court has vacated the stay order to stop the construction of the cremation ground over a piece of land donated for the purpose while the villagers cremated an elderly woman at that very site.

The old cremation ground was given away for the water works purposes about three years back and kin of the deceased used to cremate the bodies either in the verandahs of their houses or agricultural fields. The issued hogged the limelight after the pyre of a four-year-old Dalit boy was lit in the middle of a road.

Later, a landlord family of the village donated a kanal of its agricultural field for the purpose, which a group of villagers (majority of them being Dalits) did not take lamenting that the land had no approach road. However, the revenue officials executed the registration deed on the very day.

A majority of Dalit families led by some landlords lodged a case in the judicial courts and got a stay order over the construction of the cremation ground. However, after the trial, the court today vacated the stay and allowed the administration to construct the cremation ground, informed Gurpinderjit Singh, Nambardar of the village, a party in the case. Meanwhile, villagers performed the cremation of an elderly woman Gulab Kaur, aged about 98 years, at the site earmarked for the cremation ground. — TNS

Bathinda, September 25
Engineers and other employees of the two drainage divisions at Mansa and Faridkot have not been paid salary for the past 
two months by the Punjab government following winding up of the organizational set-up of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal.

Among those denied salary were the two executive engineers who were heading these divisions.

These two divisions have a total strength of 61 engineers and clerical staff besides a number of daily wagers.

A senior officer said that the the SYL jointly controlled by Punjab and Haryana was wound up some time ago and nothing has been done to create a separate head to draw salary of the employees.

The SYL divisions at Mansa and Bathinda were functioning under the Drainage Department since 1997 but their salary was being paid from the former head and it was probably out of confusion at the secretariat level that their salary has now been stopped, said the officer.