Moga, October 10
Farmers of the agrarian state of Punjab who have steered the nation to produce surplus foodgrains by working hard in extreme weather conditions during the green revolution period feel that the union government should practically look into the problems of the farming community before putting any pre-conditions for the debt waiver of Rs 35,000 crore, which may add extra financial burden on them.

Most of the farmers with whom this correspondent interacted said that instead of adopting a 'negative' attitude towards the farming community, the union government should bring out 'good' policies to enhance their income.

Mehal Singh, a farmer from Sadik village of Faridkot district who was forced to sell his land in his native village Lalihandi in Moga district, said he was uprooted due to increasing debt and decreasing income.

Adding that he didn't lose heart and started the business of sale and purchase of cattle by working day and night for years to again purchase land at Sadik, the old farmer said that besides business, he also cultivates land to keep his traditional source of income alive.

He said that growing cash crops like wheat and paddy was no more profitable as the cost inputs had increased over the years, particularly during the past 15 years. Moreover, price rise of all the essential commodities had also added to the burden of the lower class and middle class families, not to talk of the pitiable condition of the poor people.

Jagtar Singh Sandhu, hailing from a farming family who was educated and was presently posted as a librarian in the DM College of Education at Moga, still looks after his ancestral land. Talking to The Tribune, he said that before putting any extra burden by way of imposing tax on irrigation water or increasing the rates of power to the farm sector, the government should first increase the minimum support price for cash crops keeping in view the inflation rates.

"For example, the union government has recently hiked 10 per cent dearness allowance for its employees keeping in view the inflation rate but this inflation is not kept in mind before increasing the minimum support price for cash crops, which is totally unjustified for 90 per cent of the farming community that is solely dependent on agricultural practices," he said.

Avtar Singh, a panchayat member of Takhtuwala village of Moga district, said the input cost in agriculture had increased manifold while subsidies were reducing, adding to the woes of the farmers.

"The union and the state government, instead of adopting different tones towards the farming community should sit together and frame common policies to bail out the farmers from the constantly increasing debt to prevent the nation from heading towards a socio-economic disorder," he said.

Some of the farmers having good landholdings said the government should also look forward to develop infrastructure and provide 24-hour power supply to the people. Paying money for power usage was not a big problem provided it was supplied regularly for agriculture, they added.

Bathinda, October 10
An Army truck crushed a motorcyclist to death and seriously injured the pillion rider at the Fauji chowk here today.

According to information available, one Devindra (45) and Sunil Dass (56) were riding a motorcycle when the speeding Army truck ran over them. Devindra who was driving the motorbike succumbed to his injury while Sunil Das was under treatment at the Adesh Medical College and Hospital. His condition was believed to be critical.

On reaching the spot, the PCR cops arrested the truck driver named as Shaba Naresh.

The Civil Lines police was recording the statements of eye-witnesses to register a case.

Bathinda, October 10
Two youths of Rama Mandi lost their lives when a canter hit the motorcycle they were riding on the Phulokhari link road this morning.

According to police sources, Angrej Singh (18) and Jagraj Singh (17) were on their way back home from Kalianwali Mandi in Haryana when the canter hit the bike. To escape police action, the accused fled from the spot along with their vehicle.

Finding the youths lying in a pool of blood, some passersby rushed them to the Civil Hospital, Rama Mandi, where they succumbed to their injuries.

Acting upon the statement of the passersby, who brought them to the hospital, the Rama police lodged a case under sections 304 A and 279 of the IPC against unidentified driver of the canter.

Ferozepur, October 10
The Ferozpur police on Sunday unearthed an adulterated milk manufacturing unit, where the contaminated milk was allegedly mixed with normal milk and then sold in the market for human consumption.

According to the details given by DSP Zira, Balwinder Singh, the person behind the entire racket has been identified as Rajwinder Singh alias Ricky who escaped the police net and is reportedly absconding.

Police sources said that following the raid on the milk godown on Malluke road in Zira, a large quantity of material used in making fake milk including 218 bags of glucose, 122 bags of whey powder, 51 tin refined oil, 14 cans of liquid detergent of 5 litres each besides other item were seized.

The DSP said a case under section 7/1/16 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and sections 272, 273, 420, 511 of the IPC has been registered against the accused at the Zira police station.

The DSP also said that the police was investigating into the matter and the involvement of more people could not be ruled out in the racket.

Earlier, during the onset of summer this year, the health department had traced an outlet manufacturing and selling fake cold drinks in this area.

Chandigarh, October 10
Sustained operations to the world’s highest airfields as well as services rendered in aid to civil authorities during natural calamities, has earned Chandigarh-based 48 Squadron, Chief of the Air Staff’s Citation for the best transport Squadron. The award was presented to the unit at the Air Force Day.

After the maiden landing by an An-32 at Daulat Beg, Oldi two years ago, an unpaved strip located at an altitude of 18,700 feet, making it the world’s highest landing ground, the squadron has been regularly flying to the remote airstrip in the Karakorams in support of ground troops, setting a record of sorts.

Besides, it also activated two more advanced landing grounds, Fukche and Nayoma in Ladakh and is undertaking similar operations to these unpaved strips.

Activation of these airstrips has significantly enhanced the logistics capability of the armed forces in remote areas, besides boosting the morale of troops deployed in the harsh and inhospitable terrain. These airstrips also have strategic implications for national security.

Relief operations, following the devastating cloudburst in Leh earlier this year, saw the squadron in the thick of things being the first to fly in with aid. Along with other units, it carried out sorties relentlessly to carry out relief operations and evacuate casualties. These tasks were undertaken in addition to its regular air maintenance role.

Popularly known as Camels, the squadron was raised was raised at Srinagar in 1959 and moved to Chandigarh in May 1986 after having served in all the operational commands of the IAF.

Chandigarh, October 10
Admissions for most courses at Panjab University would now be done online from the academic session 2011-12. This announcement was made by Vice-Chancellor (VC), RC Sotbi, in the senate meeting held in the Golden Jubilee hall at PU here today. Possibility of an online test was, however, ruled out by the VC due to technical intricacies and loopholes in such online exams.

The House of Fellows was also informed that in future, the University would be required to give a detailed account of “every lecture” to the Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development . A debate was held on permitting faculty members of affiliated colleges to resume guide research work.

After a heated round of discussion on the issue, Dean University Instructions ,PU, informed the house that rules had already been framed for research work to be conducted in affiliated colleges. It was resolved that to approve “research development centers” under which excelling departments of colleges were entitled to carry out research work, inspection committees would visit colleges to decided if they could carry out research work.

A heated discussion was also held on the issue of mandatory learning of Punjabi for teachers in regional centers. Among several issues raised today regarding affiliated colleges, members of the house suggested that PU must observe uniformity in imposing fines on affiliated colleges.

For add-on courses suggested by the UGC, a committee has been formed by the house to look into the issue of giving autonomy to colleges to run the courses. Yet another crucial matter highlighted was about making mathematics compulsory for students to get into BCA and MCA courses. A committee under the chairmanship of AK Bhandari, Head, Department of Mathematics, has been constituted to suggest guidelines on this issue.

Fazilka, October 10
Small children of different schools of Fazilka area have also launched a different campaign on instance of NGO Sarhad Social Welfare Society (SSWS), Fazilka to grant district headquarters status for Fazilka.

The school students have started writing on post cards pleading district headquarters status for Fazilka in their own hand. These post cards addressed to the Chief Minister of Punjab shall be posted by the society through its president Rakesh Nagpal.

About 20,000 post cards were to be posted, added Nagpal. He said that the members of the SSWS were visiting the schools and were motivating the children to write the demand in the town and rural areas. They also apprised the significance of the demand to the children. According to Nagpal in light of the enhanced demand for post cards these have been got arranged from post office Chandigarh as the same are in short supply at Fazilka post office. 

Bathinda, October 10
Accusing the Nehianwala police of shielding an accused in connection with the Goniana Mandi trader’s murder case, family members of the deceased merchant, Hardarshan Singh, gheraoed the police station late on Sunday evening.

Brother of Hardarshan, Barjinder Singh alias Jindi along with some councillors gheraoed the police station alleging that the police was shielding an accused Amandeep Sandhu of Gilpatti.

They alleged that instead of taking action against Amandeep, the police had falsely implicated one Ramandeep Singh in the case as the former is a relative of one Akali leader.

Till the filing of the report, the gherao of the police station was continuing.

Several attempts to contact the Nehianwala SHO proved futile as he did not pick up the phone.