Tribune Impact
Open Hussainiwala border, MS Gill writes to PC
Chandigarh, October 22
Spurred by The Tribune report highlighting demand of residents of Ferozepore and surrounding areas for re-opening Hussainiwala border post, Union Sports Minister Manohar Singh Gill wants the Home Minister P. Chidambaram to order its reopening.

‘Most doctors can’t probe drowning deaths’
Patiala, October 22
A majority of doctors dealing with post-mortem examination of drowning cases are not familiar with the significance, procedure or necessity of the Diatom test which is carried out to confirm death due to drowning.

COMMUNITY

Chandigarh, October 22
For years, Punjab has been hailing the Swaminathan committee report recommending that farmers should be paid their production cost plus a 50 per cent profit. Now they feel let down by eminent agriculture scientist Dr M S Swaminathan giving his nod to the new wheat minimum support price (MSP), saying that it would ensure a 25 per cent profit to farmers.

Farm leaders and technologists, while claiming that Swaminathan should have stuck to the earlier recommendations made by him keeping in view the economic condition of the farmers, also aver that the method of calculation of per acre cost of cultivation should be revised.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) leader, reacting to Dr Swaminathan’s statement, said, “If such a big person can go back on his words what can we say”. He went on to claim that while there was only a Rs 20 difference in the MSP of wheat (Rs 1,120) as compared to last year, the labour cost had doubled and there had been an increase in diesel as well as fertilisers.

Calling for a scientific system to calculate the cost of production, Rajewal said the Centre should devise how much profit a family with an average land holding of five acres needed for survival. He said the present policy seemed to be aimed at squeezing out farmers from agriculture.

BKU (Mann) president Dr Bhupinder Singh Mann claimed that the Rs 20 increase was nothing with farmers having to pay more for all commodities needed for their survival. He said it was a fact that the purchasing capacity of one quintal of wheat had gone down ever since the start of MSP. The farmer leader said for example one quintal of wheat priced at Rs 75 was equivalent to 121 litres of diesel in 1967. He said now one quintal could buy only 30 litres of diesel.

He said if the “cost price” as also the “wholesale price index” or any other scientific mode were used to calculate the actual MSP, it would not be less than Rs 1,500 per quintal. 

Bathinda, October 22
While winter is still a few months away, the sky in Punjab these days remains covered with a thick smog, billowing out of paddy fields where stubbles are put on fire to clear the fields for the next crop.

The burning of stubbles stands prohibited by the law. At places even farmers are threatened with disconnection of their power connections in case of a violation. But the problem has been magnifying because of the failure of the government machinery to enforce the prohibitory promulgations.

A quick survey conducted by The Tribune makes startling revelations. The air pollution levels have been much higher than the permissible levels in several parts of the state. Makhu and Zira in Ferozepore, for example, have a maximum of 50 m visibility till early noon. Complaints of breathlessness, burning sensation in eyes and suffocation have become frequent in other parts of the state as well.

Despite the ban on burning of paddy straw till November 25 in Bathinda by the district magistrate, the burning of paddy straw continues unabated.

A medical specialist Dr Parminder Bansal admits that smog aggravates respiratory problems among allergic asthma patients and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Because of smog, condition of some patients starts deteriorating for which their normal medicinal dose is increased. Some new patients of allergic asthma too have been reported at clinics in many cities.

A farmer from Burj Sema village Jasbir Singh admits adverse affects of straw burning on the health of common masses but maintains that the farmers have no other option, as lifting of paddy stubble is a costly affair. Farmers want some subsidy and not legislation to solve this problem.

Avinash Bansal, head of the Eye Department at Barnala Civil Hospital, says that patients have started pouring in with chest, eyes and skin diseases. The burning of the straw causes redness of eyes, allergy, itching and burning sensation.

Dr Rahul Gupta and Dr Nidhi of the Sangrur Civil Hospital expressed similar views. They say that smog-related cases have been increasing rapidly.

DCs of Barnala Arshdeep Singh Thind and Sangrur Harkesh Singh Sidhu said the government had recently issued orders empowering the agriculture department and the police to check the straw burning incidents.

Though the government had come up with ‘happy seeders’, the machines that sow wheat among standing rice stubbles, but it has failed to attract farmers. Many farmers who used these did not get a good harvest after using these machines.

If a Patiala doctor is to be believed, this smog is also harmful for pregnant women. It leads to respiratory allergies, breathlessness and provokes asthma. Also it enhances the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease that increases stress on heart. Many persons whose immune status is weak suffer with various lung infections due to this smog, adds Dr Vikas of Patiala.

— With inputs from Chander Parkash, Shariq Majeed, Gagan K. Teja and Kulwinder Sandhu.

Chandigarh, October 22
Spurred by The Tribune report highlighting demand of residents of Ferozepore and surrounding areas for re-opening Hussainiwala border post, Union Sports Minister Manohar Singh Gill wants the Home Minister P. Chidambaram to order its reopening.

In a letter sent to the Home Minister this morning, Gill said Hussainiwala was the second biggest crossing into Pakistan for trade that was closed about four decades ago.

Till 1971, both Hussainiwala and Wagah were open for trade by the land route. While Wagah has developed into a major trading centre between India and Pakistan, Hussainiwala has been waiting for the Union Government intervention for reviving its pre-1971 position.

Gill wrote that from Ferozepore, a highway came to southern Punjab to Bathinda before entering Haryana at Hisar and reaching New Delhi. On the Pakistan side, the link went through Kasur straight to Lahore. Till the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict, this border post was open and helped economic well-being through trade on both sides of the border. It was closed due to hostilities and had not been opened for almost 40 years now, wrote Gill.

Supporting the demand of people of Ferozepore and surrounding areas, Gill quoted a report in today’s The Tribune, explaining the need to open the border post for the well-being of both countries and expansion of trade to the benefit of the local people.

“It can only benefit the continuous efforts of the Prime Minister and the government to improve relations. I will plead with you, therefore, to order the border opening. I can assure you that it will earn the government, and yourself personally, a great deal of thanks from the people of the Punjab,” wrote Manohar Singh Gill.

Patiala, October 22
A majority of doctors dealing with post-mortem examination of drowning cases are not familiar with the significance, procedure or necessity of the Diatom test which is carried out to confirm death due to drowning.

This was stated by Dr DS Bhullar, president of the Punjab Academy of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, a state body of forensic medicine and medico-legal consultant doctors.

He said, “It has been observed that in most cases doctors either send the required viscera or bones for the Diatom test despite the fact that the post-mortem findings clearly indicate death due to drowning and that there was no need for the test. Also the bones and viscera are sent without a sample of the water to be collected from the alleged site of drowning for comparison of the diatoms in the bone and the water sample”.

Dr Bhullar, who is also the chairman of the In-Service Doctors Wing of the Indian Medical Association, Punjab, stated that in both situations, there might be a considerable delay in declaring the cause of death by the autopsy surgeon, giving undue benefit to the accused.

“Diatom test is not a confirmatory test as presumed by the doctors in general, but just a supportive evidence in cases where the site of drowning is known to the investigating officers,” he added.

He demanded that a special session on details of conducting the test should be held in the annual conference of the academy that would be held next month in Government Medical College, Patiala. 

Amritsar, October 22
SAD MLA from Beas Manjinder Singh Kang today dubbed the claims of the state government regarding his security as “bundle of lies” and claimed that he had only four security personnel and three vehicles.

Kang said a majority of his security personnel and their arms and ammunition were taken away on Wednesday night when a “DSP, accompanied by seven others, barged into his Amritsar residence and ransacked it". He said out of the four guards on duty at his Amritsar home, only one is armed with an SLR. He also produced a copy of the order from the Additional DGP (Security) dated October 20, which enlists his new security setup in view of the threat perception report (TPR) by the Intelligence.

According to it, his security has been rationalised as five guards at his residence in native village, five guards at his Amritsar residence, four pilot, four escort, four PSOs and one NGO I/C security. The order says the remaining police personnel should be withdrawn immediately. However, Kang alleged that he didn’t even have the security as per these orders. In another order dated October 20, the Additional DGP (Security) has ordered the withdrawal of two vehicles from Kang’s security, leaving him with three vehicles, out of which, Kang said, the bullet proof vehicle was in a bad shape.

Chandigarh, October 22
In a surprise of sorts, Punjab, which is gearing up for a fall in paddy production, has witnessed a 10 per cent increase in paddy procurement in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts, giving hope that the total yield will not fall much behind the last year’s figure of 138 lakh metric tonnes (MT).

While reports of figures filtering in from the border belt are comforting, agricultural technologists feel that the procurement figures could see a decline in Patiala, Sangrur, Ropar and Fatehgarh Sahib districts, which witnessed heavy rains this season.

There is also the issue of change of varieties in Punjab with the government banning PAU-201 this season due to problems faced in its milling. Alternative varieties sown by farmers are reported to give lower yields of as much as four to five quintals per acre.

Amidst this gloom, the figures filtering in from Amritsar and Tarn Taran are a cause for cheer.

In Amritsar, against an actual arrival of 2.93 lakh MT last year, 3 lakh MT have already arrived in procurement centres, Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) DS Grewal told TNS. He said in case of Tarn Taran, against arrivals of 3.40 lakh MT last year, 3.75 lakh MT of paddy had already been procured.

He said procurement in both these districts was at its fag end now with only 2,000 to 3,000 MT arriving there everyday now.

The total paddy procured by various state agencies compared to the same day last year indicates there may be a small decline in procurement only. Grewal disclosed that as compared to 60 lakh MT procured till today last year, this year the procurement till today was 58 lakh MT.

However, agricultural technologists maintain the yield may go down due to heavy rains. Ropar Chief Agricultural Officer Dr B S Sohal says delayed rains have affected paddy plants in various areas, including his area, and that increase in vegetative growth has reduced fruiting. He said late rains as well as the current swift winds accompanied by drizzle were affecting harvesting operations and could have an effect on yield.

Director of the State Agriculture Department Dr BS Sidhu, while maintaining that it was too early to say anything, maintains that the ban on PAU-201 could impact yield. He maintained that considering the elements, the yield was satisfactory in the state, adding it was too early to predict whether production would fall. Earlier, projections through feedback from all districts in the state have predicted a shortfall of five to six per cent in production.

Jalandhar, October 22
The Assembly elections in Bihar have hit the agriculture sector hard in Punjab, as there is an acute shortage of labour here. Inflow of labour to Punjab had gone down immediately after the announcement of the Assembly poll in Bihar. However, it almost dried in recent days as the campaigning gained momentum in that state.

Potato sowing season is on in the state but due to labour shortage, the sowing of potato has been hit in most parts of the Doaba and Malwa regions. Doaba is the largest producer of potato. Farmers in the Malwa region, especially in the Rampura phul belt, also sow potato.

“In the absence of adequate labour, we had to buy three potato planting machines, which cost us about Rs 2 lakh, ” said Harvinder Singh Hundal.

He said these planting machines would be used only for 10 days and then these would remain out of use.

He said three Bihari contractors had been working for his family for the past many years to arrange labour. “But this year only one contractor turned up with 10-12 labourers, whereas our demand was of 45 labourers daily to sow potatoes on 360 acres by this month-end, which is considered as the best period to sow potatoes,” he said.

The labour has also jacked up its rates. “Earlier, they used to take Rs 450 to sow one acre but now they have increased the amount to Rs 600 per acre,” said Sukhjit Singh Bhatti, a potato grower.

A group of 15 labourers can sow four-five acres in a day. “Owing to labour shortage, both sowing as well as the harvesting of potato is affected”, said Bhatti.

The industry is also suffering because of labour shortage. “Our production has been severely hit due to labour crisis,” said a local exporter.

Mota Majra (Banur), October 22
The newly found business option at the village — water chestnut farming — has made migratory birds shy away from the village pond that has remained favourite destination for past one decade.

Spread in 32 acres, the village pond has now become a good source of income for the panchayat that has given it on contract to a local person for water chestnut farming. Industrial effluents and sewage waste from Mohali and Chandigarh feeds this village pond wherein chestnuts are grown and sold as far off as to Ludhiana.

“Large scale urbanisation and water chestnut farming in more than 80 per cent area of the pond has led to decline of birds,” said Sukhminder, a resident of Banur. “Nearly 1,000 birds make this village pond - situated on Banur-Landran road - their haven at the onset of every winter. The birds leave by March end,” said Mohana, a village elderly.

However, with increasing area under the water chestnut farming every year, birds have diverted routes as they fail to locate water body covered with chestnuts. Villagers said initially only 15 acres of pond was given on contract but now contractor had occupied more than 25 acres.

Wildlife officials said birds like Common Pochard, Coots, Brahmini Ducks, Purple Moor Hen etc, migrating from Russia, China, Siberia and other European countries reached here. Bird lovers from Chandigarh and adjoining areas had been visiting the village lake but now with the chestnut farming their number is reduced.

Sirhind/Rajpura, October 22
Besides disrupting normal life, untimely rains accompanied by hailstorm lashing at various places have damaged standing paddy crops. It also caused damage to the already arrived crops in various grain markets here.

Farmers tried to cover their produce with plastic sheets. However, the low-lying grain markets were seen inundated with water.

Farmers rued that there was an acute shortage of tarpaulin in grain markets due to which paddy lying there got drenched.

“Now paddy with high moisture content will be sold only when it dries completely,” said Jagir Singh, a resident of Pehar Kalan village, near Rajpura.

Sitting beside his 150 quintal of paddy in Rajpura grain market, Gurmeet Singh of Behlolpur village, Rajpura, said water even entered beneath paddy heaps due to the shortage of tarpaulins.

A farmer from Loha Kheri village said there was a loss of more than 25 to 30 per cent in standing crops, besides nearly 50 per cent damage to the paddy lying in the grain market. SC Khurana, chief agriculture officer, Patiala, having additional charge of Fatehgarh Sahib, said rains during the season would surely harm the standing and the stored paddy.