Ferozepur, October 16
Even as Manpreet Badal has been trying to mobilise support for him by holding meetings of the SAD (Badal) workers, a large section of party’s rank and file is of the strong opinion that the party would emerge stronger in Malwa belt especially in Ferozepur, Faridkot and Muktsar district without him.

A section of the party leaders including MLAs, to whom the TNS talked to today, while alleging that Manpreet Badal tried to implement his personal agenda by asking the party leadership to compromise its people-oriented welfare policies, claimed that former finance minister had been exposed and people would not join his ‘politics of opportunism’.

They claimed that action of Manpreet would push him into political isolation in the coming days and he would find it difficult to find buyers of his theory of making Punjab government anti-farmers and anti-weaker sections entity.

Sanjeev Godara, political advisor, SAD (B), asked Manpreet to tell the people that how and with whose support Manpreet became MLA in 1995. Was he elected to Vidhan Sabha in 1995 without the support and blessings of Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal.

“Manpreet should also tell the people that how he got political stature in Punjab and how he became finance minister in 2007,” asked Godara, adding that no one was above the party and no one could be allowed to fulfilment of his own vested interests at the cost of party’s survival.

Gurtej Singh Ghuriana, MLA, Balluana, said what Manpreet had done in the past few days, was a strong evidence that he harboured animosity against party and its president Sukhbir Badal.

It also proved that Manpreet was never sincere towards his uncle Parkash Singh Badal.

It had also established the fact that Manpreet had been causing damage to the party clandestinely by indirectly implementing the agenda of the Congress party, which always discriminated against Punjab in every sphere of life.

He also questioned as to why Manpreet had been holding meetings as show of strength, if he was still in the SAD (B) as per his claims.

Satinder Singh Savi, former vice-president, municipal council (Fazilka) said whatever had happened in the past few days was bad. He said no true solider of the party would take any step which would weaken the same. Manpreet must have used party’s platform to air his point of view.

Prithi Raj, senior activists of SAD (B) and a big landlord of Abohar region asked Manpreet as to why he became finance minister when he was not in favour of extending subsidies to the farmers, who were the mainstay of Punjab’s economy. 

Bathinda, October 16
With the detection of seven new dengue positive cases from the Bathinda city during the Mac Elisa test (a confirmatory test for dengue), conducted last evening at the sentinel surveillance hospital (SSH) situated on the premises of Civil Hospital here, it seems that the prediction of health officials, made in August this year, may prove correct to some extent.

In the beginning of August this year, the health officials had viewed that due to cyclic pattern of the dengue fever the disease might affect a large number of persons this year in 2010 in the city as compared to 2009 in which only five cases of dengue fever had been reported from the district, including Bathinda city.

While during the year 2008 as many as 359 cases, including 305 cases from the Bathinda city alone, were reported from the entire district.

The rapid test is considered as the preliminary test for dengue which takes a time of 30 minutes to 45 minutes while the Mac Elisa test takes several hours to finally ascertain whether the patient is suffering from dengue fever or not. However, the health authorities do not consider the suspected dengue case as a dengue positive case till it is proved by the Mac Elisa test.

The seven patients, who were tested positive for dengue last evening during Mac Elisa test, belong to different localities of the Bathinda city, namely Police Lines, Bhai Mati Dass Nagar, Mansa road, Kamla Nehru colony, Barnala road, Arjun Nagar and Hazura Kapura colony.

The local SSH last evening conducted the Mac Elisa test on total 26 blood samples of suspected dengue patients from Bathinda, Mansa and Muktsar districts. However, seven patients from Bathinda city and two each from Mansa and Muktsar districts were tested positive for dengue while remaining 15 patients were tested negative for dengue.

Earlier on October 12, as many as 14 residents of the Bathinda city had been tested positive for dengue during Mac Elisa test at the SSH here while two patients, one each from Kanakwal and Faridkot Kotli villages of Bathinda district, were tested positive for dengue on the same day. Before this, on October 5 and October 8, three patients, including an Additional Sessions Judge, from Bathinda district had been tested positive for dengue at the SSH here. 

Zira (Ferozepur), October 16
Hundreds of farmers belonging to the Bharti Kisan Union (BKU), Lakhowal group, today blocked traffic on the Ferozepur-Zira road near Khosa Dal Singh Wala village of this district to press the authorities concerned to start procurement of paddy crop.

The farmers were agitated over the fact that the procurement of paddy crop was not started at Khosa Dal Singh Wala village for the past about one week.

Though the farmers had appealed to officials of the state government to start procuring paddy, which had been reaching the purchase centre, they failed to get any positive response.

This is the second incident in the past about ten days in this district, where the farmers had to opt for agitational path to press the government agencies concerned to procure their paddy crop.

Earlier, hundreds of farmers staged a dharna and blocked rail traffic on the Ferozepur-Fazilka rail section near Dod station for hours to lodge their protest against the non-procurement of paddy unloaded by them in Tara Singh Wala grain market by the officials of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on October 7.

Information gathered by the TNS revealed that the farmers got frustrated over the fact that they had been waiting for the past many days to get their produce procured without any delay. However, the farmers alleged that they were being harassed by the officials concerned on flimsy grounds. When their repeated pleas failed to move the authorities concerned, they felt that they had no other option but to block traffic on the main road.

The farmers also raised slogans against the procurement agencies. Information revealed that the farmers lifted the blockade only after the senior district officials reached the spot and started the procurement operations. Meanwhile, vehicular traffic was diverted from different routes to avoid jam on the main road. 

Sriganganagar, October 16
The BSF jawan Deep Chand Meghwal, who had died near the LoC in Rajouri sector in Kashmir valley, was cremated with full state honors in native village Anoopshehar.Family sources said 40-year-old Deep Chand of 76 Bn of the BSF suffered cardiac arrest immediately after finishing the daily parade near the LoC.

His body was escorted by sub-inspector Munna Ram to the village where he was otherwise scheduled to arrive on October 21 on annual leave.

Floral tributes were paid by sarpanch Hemlata, retired magistrate PP Singh, former sarpanches Chander Verma, Pala Ram and Mewa Singh Kataria, tehsildar Manohar Lal and SHO Dinesh Rajaura. BSF sub-inspector Megha Ram led the contingent in giving state honor to the deceased. Ashok, son of the deceased, lit the pyre amidst heart-rending scenes. 

Abohar, October 16
With the death of one more pilgrim last evening, the death toll during the ongoing Salasar Dhaam yatra has risen to six.As per the details available, Rahul (18) of Bazidpur Kattianwali village was crushed to death by a truck while crossing the road. He was returning along with his parents after paying obeisance at the temple.

Earlier, Vicky Gandhi, a youth hailing from Nai Abadi locality here, was killed in a road mishap yesterday as the motorcycle by which he was travelling was allegedly hit by a pick-up van near Pallu while his friend Sanjeev Bathla sustained injuries. He was admitted to the local hospital.

Ludhiana, October 16
State Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla denied having taken any individual stand for former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, adding that she will stand by the decisions of her party.

When asked about her letter written to CM Parkash Singh Badal that appeared in a vernacular daily, Chawla said, “I am shocked about the leak of the letter as it was confidential and was written to the CM almost 25 days back, before the Finance Minister episode.” — TNS