B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Commemoration Day
Tributes paid to martyrs
Bathinda October 21
Paying a rich tribute to the sacrifice of martyrs from the police, para-military forces and their families, the district police observed the Commemoration Day ceremony at the Police Lines here this morning. A police contingent paid homage by reversing arms and a two-minute silence was observed to pay tributes to the martyrs who fell to the bullets of anti-national elements.

DIG Bathinda range, Lok Nath Angra, distributing souvenirs to kin of police martyrs during the Commemoration Day ceremony held at Police Lines in Bathinda on Thursday. Photo by writer

Medical college to have modern house
Faridkot, October 21 Having operated in a shabby accommodation for the past about 30 years, the medical college of the Punjab government here would soon be shifted to a spacious modern building that has been designed by the Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation of India. A portion of the government medical college building that is coming up at Faridkot. A Tribune photograph

Fungal attack on paddy
CM to hold meeting today to discuss issue
Moga, October 21
The PUSA-44 variety of paddy, which has been sown in as much as 35 per cent of the area in Punjab, has been hit in Ludhiana, Moga, Barnala, Sangrur and in some parts of Faridkot, Muktsar and Ferozepur districts. Besides, the PR-111 and PR-118 varieties of paddy have also been affected in these areas.

Bhog ceremony
Farmers flay govt
Chak Ali Sher (Mansa), Oct 21
Hundreds of farmers, who assembled under the joint banner of 17 farmers and farm worker unions, today attended the bhog ceremony of a Bharti Kisan Union (Dakonda) leader Pirthi Pal Singh (35), who was allegedly shot dead by an Arhtiya and his goons at village Veero Ke Khurd of Mansa district.

Salt samples fail iodine test in Bathinda
Bathinda, October 21
Out of the 2,515 samples of the salt, collected from houses in Bhagta block of this district by the health department from June to September, as many as 415 samples failed the test, conducted for checking the presence of iodine content in the salt.

Commemoration Day
Tributes paid to martyrs
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda October 21
Paying a rich tribute to the sacrifice of martyrs from the police, para-military forces and their families, the district police observed the Commemoration Day ceremony at the Police Lines here this morning.

A police contingent paid homage by reversing arms and a two-minute silence was observed to pay tributes to the martyrs who fell to the bullets of anti-national elements. The families of the martyrs were also present on the occasion.

It was an unusual scene, as on the one hand, the cops were observing the day by paying homage to the martyrs, and on the other, many of the family members of the martyrs were full of complaints against the department for doing nothing for them except for presenting annual souvenir.

Speaking to The Tribune, they rued that they had come up with the same complaints and requests at functions held in previous years, but nothing could be done to help them out.

Malkeet Kaur, an alederly woman, rued, "A travel agent duped us of Rs 10 lakh. We lodged a police complaint. After a lot of efforts, we managed to get him behind the bars but soon after, he was released and we got nothing. Now the department is not even ready to listen to me."

"Presenting these gifts (souvenir) is good but it is not enough to help and honour the families of martyrs. We know if the department actually wants to help us, it should look into our actual condition and lend a helping hand in our routine lives also," said the elderly father of a deceased youth.

Meanwhile, placing their grievances before the SSP Bathinda, a woman lamented that she was a martyr's widow and was now ill but her sons were not paying attention to her. The SSP assured her of providing medical assistance.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, DIG Bathinda range, Lok Nath Angra said the state police had always proved its professionalism as well as exemplary courage to counter any challenge posed by the anti-national elements.

Giving details, police officials informed that while fighting the militancy, the state police had sacrificed two of its DIG, three SSPs, 12 DSPs, 32 inspectors, 61 sub-inspectors, 111 ASI, 268 head constables, 817 constables, 294 PHGs and 180 SPOs. Besides, 262 members of the families of police personnel were also killed by the militants to demoralize the force.

It may be mentioned that out of the 786 police officers and jawans of various police and para- military forces who laid down their lives last year, 57 were from the Punjab Police.

Medical college to have modern house
SP Sharma
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 21
Having operated in a shabby accommodation for the past about 30 years, the medical college of the Punjab government here would soon be shifted to a spacious modern building that has been designed by the Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation of India.

The sprawling four-storey structure is being built at a cost of Rs 71.36 crores.

Work on the hospital building started in January last year and is expected to be completed by the end of the current year or early next year. The new building would have modern operation theatres and other infrastructure built over an area of 26,200 square meters.

According to engineers of the PWD supervising the construction work, it would also have a fully air-conditioned auditorium with a seating capacity of 800 and lecture theatres. The two top floors would consist of an air-conditioned library.

The clinical and non-clinical teaching departments will be housed on the two lower floors. Several departments of the medical college at present were so far functioning in temporary sheds.

The Baba Farid University of Medical Sciences would also have separate accommodation covering 6300 square meters, besides an academic block over an area of 6800 square meters. The university that monitors all medical and dental colleges across Punjab has been functioning in the building that was actually built for OPD in the medical college. A state-of-the art senate hall is also being built.

Fungal attack on paddy
CM to hold meeting today to discuss issue
Kulwinder Sandhu/TNS

Moga, October 21
The PUSA-44 variety of paddy, which has been sown in as much as 35 per cent of the area in Punjab, has been hit in Ludhiana, Moga, Barnala, Sangrur and in some parts of Faridkot, Muktsar and Ferozepur districts. Besides, the PR-111 and PR-118 varieties of paddy have also been affected in these areas.

The state government has sprung into action fearing refusal of purchase by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Darbara Singh Guru, principal secretary to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, revealed to The Tribune that the CM has called an emergency meeting at his residence in Chandigarh on Friday to discuss the problem.

“The principal secretaries of the agriculture department, food & civil supplies department, general manager (Punjab circle) of the FCI and other senior officials of the state government have been called by the CM,” Guru said.

“After getting official reports from the agriculture department, the state government would take up the issue with the union government seeking relaxation in procurement,” Guru added.

The general manager (Punjab circle) Neelkanth Awahad and deputy general manager (quality control) AS Arunachalam, while talking to The Tribune on phone, said the fungal attack on PUSA-44 variety has damaged the grains 8 to 10 per cent on an average in the worst hit areas.

Arunachalam, who visited the affected areas in Sangrur district in the past couple of days, said “As far as the present guidelines are concerned, the FCI would purchase paddy with relaxation of just four per cent damage.”

Bhog ceremony
Farmers flay govt
Rajay Deep/TNS

Chak Ali Sher (Mansa), Oct 21
Hundreds of farmers, who assembled under the joint banner of 17 farmers and farm worker unions, today attended the bhog ceremony of a Bharti Kisan Union (Dakonda) leader Pirthi Pal Singh (35), who was allegedly shot dead by an Arhtiya and his goons at village Veero Ke Khurd of Mansa district.

The union leaders termed the deceased as 'Jameen Bachao Morche Da Shaheed." Lashing out at the government for allegedly promoting land mafia, the gathering accused the administration of shielding the Naib Tehsildar, the leaders announced that if the police failed to arrest the accused by October 23, they would chalk out a strategy for an aggressive protest. The farmer leaders recounted the incident as the third in a series of such atrocities on the farmers during the reign SAD-BJP government. They cited the killing of farmer leader Sadhu Singh Takhupura and the Khanna Chamiara incident, where two farmers were killed, as the other instances of the government's apathy towards the farmers.

Salt samples fail iodine test in Bathinda
Sushil Goyal/TNS

Bathinda, October 21
Out of the 2,515 samples of the salt, collected from houses in Bhagta block of this district by the health department from June to September, as many as 415 samples failed the test, conducted for checking the presence of iodine content in the salt.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr RS Randhawa said the ASHA workers collected and tested it on the spot.

Meanwhile, the district health authorities today observed ‘Global Iodine Deficiency Disorders Prevention Day’ at a public school in Jogi Nagar area here.

District Mass Media Officer at the Civil Surgeon’s office here Usha Singla delivered a lecture on the topic.

Deputy Mass Media Officer Rashpal Singh , Dr Pamil Bansal and principal of the school Viney Kumar also spoke on the occasion.