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Rain, hail flatten wheat crop, farmers fear huge loss
Rain fury: Special girdawari ordered to assess loss to crops
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Delay in ripening of wheat crop delays cotton sowing
Harvesting of wheat crop
Manpreet’s resignation
Hanspal’s effigy burnt
Mosquito Menace
Attack on scribe
Fake weapons
New area office of NFL inaugurated
Eye camp Gurbani writing contest
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Rain, hail flatten wheat crop, farmers fear huge loss
Loss assessed
Moga, April 18 Chief Agriculture Officer of the district Dr Ravi Kumar Sabbarwal said Moga witnessed 38 mm of rainfall, maximum across the state, yesterday. Today, it continued to rain in Moga as well as its surrounding areas, he said. As per the report gathered by the Agriculture Department, rain and hailstorm has caused damage ranging from 10 to 35 per cent at many villages in the district. The total area under wheat in Moga stands at 1.75 lakh hectares. In Moga (1) block, damage to wheat crop in 525 acres of land at Talwandi Bhangerian villages was reported at 45 per cent, Rauli 475 acre (45 per cent), Kapure 370 acre (35 per cent) and in the adjoining villages, the loss was estimated at 15 to 25 per cent. In the Moga (2) block damage to the wheat crop in about 2000 acres of land at Daroli Bhai, Daddhoor, Bhekha, Vadda Ghar, Chota Ghar and other villages was reported at more than 10 per cent. In the Kot-ise-Khan block damage to the wheat crop in 800 acres of land at Talwandi Mallian, Bhinder Kalan Bhinder Khurd, Kishanpura, Jalalabad, Kokri, Umriwala, Chuhar Chak, Balkhandi, Karahewala and other villages has been reported at 10 to 15 per cent. Similarly, in Baghapurana block the villages affected had been identified as Demru Khurd, Demru Kalan, Langeana Khurd, Langeana Kalan, Nathewala, where the loss has been estimated at less than 10 per cent. Meanwhile, Commissioner of the Ferozepur division, Raminder Singh has ordered revenue assessment or ‘girdawari’ of the damaged wheat and other crops in Moga so that adequate compensation could be given to the farmers, accordingly. He visited the worst affected villages of Balkhandi, Attari and Karahewala where the rain and hailstorm has flattened the wheat crop in a huge chunk of the area besides damaging green fodder (barseen) meant for cattle. Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar, an agro-scientist based here, said there were only a few pockets in the district where the damage was high. However, in the other parts of the district including the Nihalsinghwala sub-division, the wheat crop has fallen to the ground, which could be harvested, if the rains do not come in the next couple of days. “We need strong sunlight to dry the crop as well as the fields to complete the process of harvesting,” he said. Regarding continuous rain on Monday evening, he said it could add to the losses causing discolour to the grains, degrading its quality. |
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Rain fury: Special girdawari ordered to assess loss to crops
Zira (Ferozepur), April 18 Yadav said after the special girdawari would be completed, the report would be sent to the state government for further action. He said the state government would decide as to how much compensation was to be paid to the affected farmers. Hailstorms followed with heavy rains and strong winds flattened the standing wheat, mustards and other crops. Though some of the farmers today tried to save their crops, which were affected by hailstorms yesterday, their attempts went in vain when hailstorms again lashed the region late afternoon today. The crops in over 50 villages had been damaged to a large extent in the sub-division. The affected villages today included Shah Wala, Sirhali, Padri, Battu Bhatti, Nihal Ke, Jhamke, Varpal, Mithe Gatta Badshah, Behak Fattu and Peer Mohommad. The hailstorm lashed the said villages as well as others yesterday also. A section of the affected farmers said they had paid advance money to the owners of combine harvesters for carrying out harvesting of wheat. But before the harvesters could be pressed into service, untimely rains followed with hailstorm, changed their fate. ML Puri, Tehsildar, Zira, said the preliminary survey revealed that standing crops in 7133 acres of land in 18 villages of Zira area had been damaged due to hailstorm yesterday. The fresh damage to the crops caused by today's rain and hailstorms would be assessed later. Varinder Garg, Naib Tehsildar, Makhu, said the standing crops in 8586 acres of land in 13 villages of Makhu sub-tehsil, had suffered damages due to rains followed with hailstorms for two days consecutively. Bakhshish Singh Chahal, Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO), said according to the information provided to him by the field staff, the extent of damage to wheat and crops ranged from five per cent to 50 per cent. |
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Delay in ripening of wheat crop delays cotton sowing
Abohar, April 18 As a large chunk of the land is still occupied by the ripening wheat crop, the farmers of the cotton belt of Punjab find it difficult to vacate their respective fields soon to
sow the cotton crop within its optimum sowing period which ranges between April 15-May 15. Low temperature than needed for expediting the ripening of wheat crop in the first two weeks had put the farmers in trouble. So far harvesting of wheat had been completed in 20-30 per cent of the area. Agriculture officials say delay in sowing of the cotton crop could adversely affect the yield. As the mercury rises in the mid of May, the cotton growers may face another problem due to non-germination of cotton seeds due to high temperature, Jasvir Singh, Deputy Director, State Agriculture Department, said so far only one per cent of the total area, expected to be brought under the cotton crop this season, had been sown with cotton seeds. Last year, by April 18, the farmers had brought 10 per cent of the total area, sown under the cotton crop. He said the state agriculture authorities had fixed the target of bringing 5.5 lakh hectares area under the cotton crop this season by motivating the farmers to divert from paddy cultivation to white gold. Last year, the area under the cotton crop was 4.83 lakh hectares. The area under the cotton crop was expected to increase this year as the farmers had fetched remunerative prices of the raw cotton in just the concluded season when its prices touched around Rs 7500 per quintal. Moreover, the availability of the Bt cotton seeds had been easy for them. Bakhshish Singh Chahal, Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO), Ferozepur, said cotton sowing had been carried out in only those fields where sarson crop was grown last season and which had been harvested two weeks ago. He said so far 4500 hectares of area falling in Abohar, Fazilka and Khuian Sarwar blocks had been brought under the cotton crop. |
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Harvesting of wheat crop
Abohar, April 18 The Council had been courting controversies over the expenses made on maintenance of the vehicles. The total expenses made on this account had exceeded the actual market value of the fire tenders. Some of the Congress members of the Council had faced allegations for their involvement in the alleged repair scam but nothing could be established. Again two years back, an industrialist publicised it widely that he had sponsored renovation of both the fire tenders. Later, the BJP lodged a complaint to the state government that more than Rs one lakh had been siphoned off on account of repair when the Congress was in power. The vigilance cell of the Local Bodies Department has not so far made its findings public even when its officials had carried raids here thrice. Officials confirmed that both the fire tenders were in dilapidated condition. As no competent workshop was available in Punjab, one of these has been dispatched to Ambala in Haryana for renovation. The pipes that were found leaking while controlling fire in the past are yet to be replaced. Even when the 1983 model vehicles were to be disposed of by open auction as per the technical norms, the Council has not taken it up so far. Inquiries revealed that eight drivers and 16 firemen were required at the fire station to justify the duty chart but the Council has got only a driver and six firemen. Two of the three sheds earmarked for safe parking of the fire fighting equipment are being used as parking place for a car and two-wheelers. The district officials said they would take it up with the head of the department. Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) feared that the existing equipment would be of no use, if standing crop in fields catches fire. The farmers had suffered losses lakhs of rupees last year but no compensation had so far been released, the BKU regretted. |
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Metalled road along Sirhind canal likely
Bathinda, April 18 The service road of the 152 km-long canal is being seen as having the potential to provide an alternate route for the region. Besides lessening the heavy volume of traffic on the main road (Bathinda-Barnala), the advocates of the project claim that it can also help the canal and forest department in monitoring their jurisdiction. Bathinda Tehsildar Avtar Singh Makkar has conducted a feasibility survey of the project and brought the matter to the notice of the higher authorities. In his letter, the Tehsildar claims that besides solving the problem of traffic snarls on the main road it would provide a new and better connectivity to dozens of villages. After a metalled road is constructed along the canal, it will decrease the risk of a breach in the canal, which is otherwise, very high at present. Meanwhile, the traffic movement on the road will itself work as a check on the illegal cutting of trees and theft of wood along the canal, the letter mentions. Terming it as a big advantage for the state government, the Tehsildar states that the land required for the road is already available with the state irrigation department. When asked, the executive engineer of the irrigation department, Nirmal Singh Brar denied there was any objection to the project and mentioned that the department has sufficient space on the sides of the canal for the construction of road. He accepted that the metalled road would decrease the risk of breach to a great extent. It is learnt that the Bathinda branch of the canal is more than a century old. It takes off from the Sirhind canal, that originates in Ropar. The irrigation department has nearly a dozen canal rest-houses, with great potential to be developed as tourism spots. Though the Divisional Forest Officer SP Anandh Kumar claimed the project would be beneficial in nabbing the wood stealers, who otherwise find the canal bank an easy target, he feigned ignorance about the project. “Once the project comes to us for our comments, we will study all pros and cons in detail and submit our report to department concerned,” the DFO mentioned. Though the move is at an early stage, it has brought a ray of hope for all. |
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Troubles trail GNDTP’s renovated unit II
Bathinda, April 18 Though K. Lal, chief engineer, GNDTP, declined to make any comment when asked why the unit had developed snag when crores were spent on its renovation and modernisation, information gathered by TNS revealed that the snag developed after one set of bushing of LT side of its transformer got damaged. Later, the oil from transformer leaked and subsequently fire broke out in that area, which further damaged the marshal chamber of protection and controlling cables of the unit. It is learnt that though the authorities concerned were trying to bring the unit into operation by tomorrow, a senior functionary, on the condition of anonymity, said the unit might take about a week to start producing electricity. He added that today, the GNDTP authorities had brought a dehydrating machine from Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP), Lehra Mohabbat, to dehydrate the water, which had gone into the oil chamber of transformer when fire tenders were pressed into service to extinguish the fire that broke out. However, GS Chabra, Director, Generation, Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd, said all parts of the unit number II were not renovated and modernised in 2006. Only some parts were renovated and modernised then. He said the bushing of transformer got damaged due to the fact that it was 36 years old and was fitted in the transformer since 1976. He added that the bushing of transformers of other units would also be changed in a phased manner to avoid recurrence of such incidents and necessary directions in this connection had been given to the chief engineer of the GNDTP. He, however, claimed that non-generation of electricity by the GNDTP unit did not cause any problem in maintaining the supply of electricity to its consumers as per their requirement. Even 100 lakh units were being exported to other states daily. |
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Manpreet’s resignation
Gidderbaha, April 18 Manpreet Badal had submitted his resignation to Kahlon in the last week of March before floating the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) at Khatkar Kalan. He submitted his resignation despite the fact that his supporters from this Assembly segment had asked him not to do so when he had organised workers’ meeting in a gurdwara located in Guptsar village immediately after his dropping from cabinet. While Manpreet Badal will make efforts to stabilise and expand the base of the PPP, his uncle and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has already initiated the exercise to keep the stronghold of the SAD (B) in this segment intact. CM Badal has already held two rounds of Sangat Darshan in this segment in the second week of this month to revive his old ties with people. Manpreet Badal was elected as MLA for the first time from this segment, which had been represented by CM Badal a number of times, in 1995 by-elections that were necessitated after the then Congress MLA Raghubir Singh was unseated by the Supreme Court. Since 1995, Manpreet Badal remained the MLA from this segment till today. Raghubir Singh said it was good for the people that Manpreet Badal’s resignation had been accepted. He said for the past about four years, the residents of this Assembly segment faced every kind of harassment and atrocities at the hands of their elected representative. While claiming that he would give a crushing defeat to Manpreet Badal in the next Assembly elections if the Congress high-command nominated him, he said Manpreet had also been exposed for using the names of national martyrs for his (Manpreet) political gains. A sizeable section of the people of this segment remained indifferent to today’s development and declined to make any comment over the same. Attempts were repeatedly made to contact Manpreet Badal over his mobile phone this evening, but his mobile phone remained unanswered. |
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Hanspal’s effigy burnt
Bathinda, April 18 The protesters alleged that Hanspal had tried to “buy” a prime witness Nirpreet Kaur in a case related to anti-Sikhs riots, to retract from her statement against a senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar. They demanded removal of Hanspal from his post in the National Minority Commission and said a case should be registered against Hanspal for the alleged disgraceful act of buying a witness. Before burning the effigy, the Akali workers, led by national general secretary of the SAD’s youth wing Gurpreet Singh Malooka and district president Balkar Singh
Brar, also held a protest rally in the Ambedkar Park outside the Mini-secretariat here. Those present were in-charge of SAD for Bathinda Assembly constituency (Urban) Sarup Chand
Singla, area in-charge of the constituency (Rural) Darshan Singh Kotfatta, SGPC member Sukhdev Singh
Bahia, Chamkaur Singh Mann, Rajinder Kaur Brar and Balwinder Singh Bahia. — TNS |
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Mosquito Menace
Bathinda, April 18 During a survey of the city, TNS observed that neither the health department nor the Municipal Corporation authorities have taken any step to carry out fogging to check the menace. While people are forced to shell out money on buying mosquito repellent coils and mats, which are effective only indoors, there is a large section, especially of slum dwellers, who have no option but to sleep in the open. The municipal authorities have not only forgotten to carry out the fogging drive, they have also reportedly not maintained the stocks of anti-mosquito medicines. Sources in the Municipal Corporation informed that the staff had not even checked whether its fogging machines were in working condition or not. Meanwhile, the role of the district health staff is also far from encouraging as their anti-malaria team has hardly taken any steps to create awareness among people. The sample (larva) collection has also so far vfailed to take off. Bathinda Municipal Commissioner Uma Shanker Gupta, when contacted, admitted that the fogging drive was yet to start in the city. However, he assured that the fogging drive would be launched within a day or two. He also claimed that the sweepers have been directed to clean all the untreated and unattended pools of dirty and stagnant water to check the breeding of mosquitoes to prevent any disease outbreak. |
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Attack on scribe
Abohar, April 18 Meanwhile Congress legislator Sunil Jakhar said during a party workers’ meeting that he suspected the involvement of some ruling politicians in the incident. Notably, Ashu along with his brother Deepak Gupta and father Rajesh Gupta had been booked under Sections 323, 324, 380, 452, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC on the basis of the statement of the victim to the investigating officer. The parents of the accused had sought to explain to the Punjab Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal during his visit here that they were not responsible for the incident. Gupta was attacked by some persons, who forced entry carrying iron rods into his Krishna Nagar Road office on April 14 at night when the staff members were had a holiday on Ram Navmi. He was referred to Chandigarh for treatment due to multiple fractures. |
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Fake weapons
Mansa, April 18 The racket came to light a few days ago when the police was investigating a case of fraud allegedly committed by a resident of the district, who had licence for possessing and carrying the arms. A case was registered against him for his alleged involvement in forging and fabricating the documents for entitling himself to possess and carry the arms in the country. During the investigation, the police found that the pistol, which he possessed, was fake and manufactured by unscrupulous elements. Police sources said the main supplier was rounded up from Jhunir area of the district along with four-wheeler today. He was identified as Kamal Kant Singh. The accused belonged to Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh (UP). A few persons involved in the racket had already been taken into custody by the police. Some fake arms, sold by them, had also been recovered. It was learnt that Kamal Kant was supplying fake arms to Anil Midha, an arm dealer of Sirsa and India Gun House, Mansa. Mahesh Kumar, owner of India Gun House, was already in the police custody. Sources said that Kamal Kant had been supplying fake arms to the dealers. The arms dealers sold it to their customers and issued the invoices as well. The dealers were getting invoices issued to their customers from a Moga-based arms dealer. Police said the racket was being run in an organised way by the accused belonging to Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pardesh, Bihar, UP and Delhi. A case in this connection had already been registered at the police station concerned. |
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Hanuman Jayanti celebrated at de-addiction centre
Abohar, April 18 However, a pall of gloom descended over Balmiki Basti here as a youth, identified as Suraj, was killed while returning after paying obeisance at the Salasar Dhaam. His grandfather had a narrow escape as an unidentified vehicle hit the motorcycle that Suraj was driving, near Rawatsar today. Significantly, Sunder Kand recitation was held at Navjiwan Nasha Mukti Kendra in Hanumangarh. Director Daleep Singh Shekhawat was also present.
— OC |
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New area office of NFL inaugurated
Bathinda, April 18 The occasion was attended by the dealers from Bathinda, Mansa and Muktsar districts along with the marketing team of the area office. A meeting was also held on the fertiliser scenario in the country.
— TNS |
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Eye camp
Abohar, April 18
Eighty cataract surgeries would be carried out free of cost. The beneficiaries belong to village Bhagu and Khatwan as well. Chief guest Sunil Jakhar (MLA) was joined by Zila Parishad member Dharamveer Godara and Panchayat Samiti former chairman Ravi Kant Rinwa in inaugurating the camp.
— OC |
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