Bathinda, January 27
On the occasion of 62nd Republic Day, after hoisting the national flag at the Sports Stadium here yesterday, the Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla announced that the State Health Department was going to implement 'Dial 108' free ambulance service in the state to meet the emergency medical needs of the patients.

Students perform Gidha during the cultural programme organised to mark the Republic Day celebrations at the Sports Stadium in Bathinda on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

The minister said that by March 2011, as many as 90 such ambulances would be deployed at different places in the state. In the first phase, 154 such vehicles would be deployed while the remaining ambulances would be deployed in the second phase to provide 'Dial 108' service to the people, she added.

As per information, for providing this service, the city of Amritsar has been made the headquarters. The global positioning system (GPS) will be installed at Amritsar and in the ambulances. When a patient, like an accident victim, dials 108, his or her call will reach the Amritsar GPS first. Then the patient will inform about his location to the staff.

After that, the staff manning the GPS will ask the nearby ambulance to reach the accident victim. As many as 90 ambulances have been provided by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) so far.

After hoisting the national flag, Laxmi Kanta Chawla also inspected the parade and took a salute at the march past. She also recalled the contributions of the freedom fighters. The children presented a PT show and cultural programme.

The minister also honoured 24 persons for their excellent performancec in various fields.

She also gave certificates to 21 national award winning scouts and honoured freedom fighters. On behalf of the District Red Cross Society, Chawla also distributed 60 sewing machines among the needy women and 20 tricycles among the physically challenged. She also announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh for the Mahant Gurbanta Dass School for Deaf and Dumb here.

Meanwhile, the Republic Day was also celebrated by the staff and students of Central University of Punjab, Bathinda. The Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the university Dr Jai Rup Singh unfurled the national flag. Prof P. Ramarao, Dean, School of Basic and Applied Sciences and Prof R. L. Hangloo, Dean, School of Global Relations, were also present. An exhibition of paintings was also organised.

The local Millennium School also celebrated the Republic Day. Principal of the school Beena Rao hoisted the national flag. Another local school, Shri Narayan Bal Vidya Mandir, also celebrated the Republic Day. The school students recited patriotic poems on the occasion.

A local NGO, Sahara Jan Sewa also celebrated the Republic Day at the local Arya Samaj Chowk. Another local NGO, Goodwill Society also celebrated the occasion at Paras Ram Nagar here. Shaheed Jarnail Singh Memorial Welfare Society, Bathinda also hoisted the national flag at Shaheed Jarnail Singh Chowk, Grain Market road here.

Bathinda District Congress Committee also celebrated the Republic Day at its office here. A senior Congress leader Chaudhary Sham Lal unfurled the national flag. District president of Congress Committee (Urban) Ashok Kumar was also present.

The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the Dalit Sena celebrated the Republic Day, dedicating it to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, at Bathinda. State president of the LJP Kiranjit Singh Gehri hoisted the national flag. The Rajiv Gandhi Lok Bhalai Manch, Bathinda, released a calendar for the masses on Republic Day. Nathana MLA Ajaib Singh Bhatti released the calendar. 

Bathinda, January 27
The Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP) at Lehra Mohabbat near here has achieved the ever highest daily generation of 125.60 lakh units. According to RPS Saini, chief engineer, the highest ever generation was achieved in the unit-II on January 25 at a plant load factor of 104.67 per cent surpassing the previous best of 124.84 lakh units at a plant load factor of 104.03 per cent. The GHTP was given the first National Energy Conservation Award 2010 by the Union Power Minister on December 14.

Meanwhile, the dharna by the members and activists of the Grasim Cement Workers Union, Lehra Mohabat, on Thursday entered its eighth day. The workers were demanding reinstatement of their ousted colleagues. They also warned of holding a big rally. — TNS

Bathinda, January 27
Despite a bumper pluck of the cotton crop this season, its procurement price has been on the rise touching Rs 5,535 per quintal today thereby giving another reason to the growers to smile.

This trend of the price of cotton making a constant upward move was never seen before, say the middlemen trading in the main market here. The entire Malwa region of Punjab has witnessed a bumper cotton crop this season.

The purchase price yesterday was Rs 5,400 per quintal and it jumped by Rs 135 this morning as growers with their trolleys loaded with cotton reached the market place.

A prominent trader Ashok Dhunikey said that the cotton season started in September last with the average price ranging between Rs 3,500 and Rs 3,700 per quintal which was in average higher by about Rs 400 than the previous year.

The local marketing committee officials said that against the total procurement of 2.67 lakh quintals in Bathinda town, the arrival this season till Monday last was 3.49 lakh quintals. Besides, more than 10,000 quintals of cotton has arrived here during the past three days.

Dhunikey said that the demand of cotton in the international market has sharply increased because of damage to the crop in Pakistan and Bangladesh, thereby pushing up the price.

The last cotton season had begun with a price of Rs 2,745 per quintal that subsequently dipped to Rs 2,500 and later touched Rs 3,300 per quintal that remained static.

However, this time, the cotton growers never looked back as the price of their produce kept leaping forward. It went up by Rs 700 per quintal in October last with another jump of Rs 600 within a month in November.

The rising price of cotton has made several farmers revert to cotton cultivation from paddy to which they had switched over because of the high expenditure they had to incur in protecting their cotton crop from pests.

Harnek Singh, a grower of the Deon village, said that he had earlier switched over to paddy as the cotton crop required several costly sprays of pesticides, but this season, he cultivated cotton that has yielded a good amount of money for him.

Bathinda, January 27
The uncertainty over the venue of Captain Amrinder Singh's February 11 rally in the Bathinda district ended this afternoon following a meeting that was held here under the presidentship of OP Soni, party MLA from Amritsar.

It was decided at the meeting that the Congress rally on February 11 would be organised at Grain Market on Phul road at Rampura Phul. In the meeting, besides Soni, four Congress MLAs from Bathinda district and presidents of district Congress committees (urban and rural) took part.

Earlier, a joint meeting of various units of the district Congress was held at the office of the District Congress Committee here to discuss issues, relating to the February 11 rally. The meeting was presided over by Soni.

At the meeting, almost all the speakers emphasised on making this rally a big show in the light of the ensuing Assembly elections. Several speakers also urged the leaders to provide the requisite numbers of vehicles for transporting workers and supporters from various parts of the district to the venue of the rally.

Soni said that they had fixed a target of one lakh people for the rally. Answering a question, he said there was no factionalism in the district unit of the Congress as all leaders were here. He said everyone knew that people were very unhappy with the SAD-BJP government, so they would come to the Congress rally in large numbers.

He said the Congress would particularly expose the SAD-BJP government in a big way, especially about the atrocities, faced by the Congress workers at the hands of the SAD-BJP government. He also appealed to the Congress MLAs to make arrangements to transport the maximum number of people to the rally. He also said that those who would perform well in organising the rally would be the claimants for the party ticket during Assembly elections.

Those who attended the meeting included MLA Harminder Sing Jassi, MLA Ajaib Singh Bhatti, MLA Makhan Singh, Harbans Singh Sidhu, Gulzar Singh, Sukhdev Singh Dhillon, Narinder Singh Bhuleria, Roopinder Singh Bindra, KK Aggarwal and Inder Singh Sahni. 

Ferozepur, January 27
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal addressed the function organised in connection with the 62nd Republic Day after unfurling the national flag. He said the first target of the Punjab government is the overall development of the state and then to make it free from drug addiction.

“Yet huge efforts are required to be made to take Punjab to pinnacles to fulfill the dreams of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, who laid down their lives to secure independence for the countrymen,” said Sukhbir.

Sukhbir Badal, who reached the local stadium after paying tributes to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at the national martyrs memorial at Hussainiwala, pointed out that while the Congress had connived with multi-national companies to crush the commoners, the SAD-BJP combine took care of them by providing food items at subsidised rates.

“Administrative reforms and the proposal to introduce the Right to Service Act are other big achievements of the Punjab government as these steps are bound to empower the commoners,” he said.

He added that the year 2011 would bring the fruits of development projects, initiated by the Punjab government in the past three years, to the people.

Earlier, Badal inspected the parade, before taking salute at an impressive march past led by DSP Jasbir Singh. A cultural programme mesmerised the audience. Badal also honoured freedom fighters and family members of Kargil martyrs on the occasion. Sukhbir also distributed commendation certificates to the sportsmen, social workers and talented children. 

Abohar/Sriganganagar, January 27
A dozen persons were killed while many were hurt in different road mishaps in Abohar sub-division and neighbouring region of the west Rajasthan last night. One Kaur Singh, a resident of village 21-GG (Burjanwali-Sriganganagar) and his sister Guran Kaur died on the spot as the jeep by which they were travelling, collided head-on last night with a canter near village Sayeedwala on the Abohar-Sriganganagar road (NH 15). The Khuyiansarwar police in Abohar sub-division have registered a case against the canter driver.

Meanwhile, eight persons who were travelling by a jeep were killed as the over-loaded vehicle collided with a truck that had been parked on the Ratangarh-Bhaleri road in between village Togawas and Buchawas late last night. DSP Naresh Meena and SHO Mohinder Kumar said three were found dead while five others succumbed to their injuries later. The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 20,000 each for the deceased while Rs 5,000 was given to each of the injured person as medical relief. — OC