Bathinda, July 10
Hundreds of residents of village Bhokhra gheroed the Nehianwala police station late this evening.

The agitating villagers accused the Nehianwala police of falsely implicating a social activist and his sons on the charge of misbehaving with some traffic cops and causing disruption in the discharge of their official duty.

Some of the fuming protesters, while raising anti-establishment slogans, even threatened to set the police station on fire. Getting alert over the threat, a large number of cops were hurriedly deployed in and around the police station to check any untoward incident.

According to information available, Jagmeet Singh and Gurjeet Singh, sons of Sarabjeet Singh of Bhokhra village, after organising a mass marriage ceremony of girls from poor families, were transporting the ceremonial articles on a tractor-trolley to return them to a tent-house at Goniana Mandi.

However, finding Gurjeet talking over the phone while driving the vehicle, traffic cops stationed at Bhupinder chowk in Goniana intercepted the vehicle.

The arguments over the issue turned into a verbal duel between the cops and Gurjeet and Jagmeet. As some the cops were reportedly in an inebriated condition, they manhandled the two brothers. Irked over the attitude of the policemen, they called their father Sarabjeet to the spot.

The situation took an ugly turn when the cops, without paying heed to the pleadings of Sarabjeet, started abusing him that led his sons to get involved in a scuffle with the cops.

Meanwhile, cops from the Nehianwala police station also reached the spot and took the two to the police station.

Immediately after the news spread in the village that the police had manhandled Sarabjeet and rounded up his sons after registering a false case, hundreds of villagers reached the police station.

Finding that the cops were not in a mood to listen to any of them, they launched an indefinite dharna outside the police station.

The SHO Nehianwala Gurpreet Singh refused to give his version saying he was much busy in handling the situation.

Ferozpur, July 10
The slogan ‘industrialise or perish’, seems to have eluded this border town, which was one of the most prosperous, during the pre-partition era.

Neither the governments, both at the state and the Centre, have taken up cudgels to set up industrial base here nor has the genius of any entrepreneur gone towards setting up industry here.

Established in the early eighties, the Local Industrial Development Colony (IDC) with 62 plots and 18 industrial sheds, supposed to be hub of the industrial activity, today wears a deserted look with most small-scale units which started here, either closed or on the brink of shutdown.

The owner of Dollance Engineers, Parvinder Sodhi, who has an AC manufacturing unit here, rued that the government has offered no facility in the form of tax sops, subsidy or soft loans. Besides, the infrastructure here is in a state of neglect with roads, sewerage system, streetlights, all in bad shape. "At times, it is even difficult for us to reach the factory due to the dilapidated roads," says Sodhi, adding that only some units were functional and the rest have been closed.

Apart than the government's lack of concern over setting up an industrial base here, the close proximity to the Indo-Pakistan border has also proved to be a major hindrance in the industrial growth as eruption of conflict with the hostile neighbor carried with it the risk of wiping out the investments of the entrepreneur.

Even the fury of the might Sutlej which has the tendency to overrun the area during the rainy season has proved to be a dampener. The closure of the Indo-Pakistan border at Hussainiwala for trade and transit in the aftermath of the 1971 war proved to be the proverbial last straw for the industrial prospects.

Ravikant Gupta, Chairman, Ferozpur Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said the unavailability of raw material, poor connectivity with other major cities and lack of skilled manpower were the other major issues responsible for the lack of industries here. Gupta demanded that special concessions should be given to the industrialists keen on making investments in border areas like Ferozpur.

General Manager, Industries, RL Bagga said a lot of agro-based industries like agricultural equipment, rice machinery besides cotton, rice and wheat based industry including rice and oil mills have been established here. However, no major industry has been set up in recent times, he added. About the poor roads and drainage system in the IDC, Bagga said he has already taken up the issue with the department.

At present, there are 4347 small-scale industries in the district with a total investment of a meagre Rs 244.41 crores besides 12 large medium industries which is much less as compared to other Punjab districts.

Social worker PC Kumar said in the absence of employment generating institutions, unemployment and drug addiction were rampant and the educated youths were getting disillusioned. "Not all can afford to go out and search for jobs in bigger towns," Kumar said, adding that there was a need for vocational training centres in the urban areas and villages along the border besides setting up some heavy and medium industries here.

Bathinda, July 10
Perturbed over the experience of floods last year, the state government seems to be extra-cautious this time.

Besides making pre-arrangements to tackle the flood threats on its part, the revenue, rehabilitation and disaster management department, Punjab, has sought the help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

This time, the government wants the NDRF authorities to train groups of volunteers (minimum 30) in each of the flood-prone districts of the state so that an immediate flood rescue operation could be launched if a need arises.

The 7th Battalion of the NDRF, which is stationed at Bathinda, has initiated the task. Beginning with two districts — Roopnagar and Sangrur — the officials of the NDRF started seven-day flood rescue training course on Saturday.

Selecting 17 districts for the purpose, the state government has directed the deputy commissioners-cum-district magistrates of the remaining districts also to quickly make the necessary arrangements for the NDRF experts to start the training programme.

As per the statewide plan of the training course, the teams for the districts, namely Ferozepur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Moga, Fatehgarh Sahib and Faridkot, will be imparted training at Harike, while the team of Hoshiarpur will get training at Beas river and for the volunteers from Kapurthala, the government has selected the Kanjli wetlands.

Meanwhile, thermal lakes in Bathinda have been selected for teams from Bathinda and Muktsar, while volunteers of Barnala, Mansa and Sangrur will get training at Sangrur.

Further, the department has selected the Sutlej (at Phillaur) for Jalandhar and Ludhiana teams and the Sutlej (head works) for Roopnagar and SBS Nagar.

Confirming the details, commandant, 7th Battalion of the NDRF, RK Verma, said, “It is an appreciable gesture on the part of the state government as the trained volunteers can provide much help in the rescue operation.”

About the seven-day programme, the commandant informed that it included aqua code, different techniques of swimming, rescue, tow and lifting.

Meanwhile, he informed that sensing the flood threats looming large, the whole Battalion comprising 18 teams of 45 experts each with a well-equipped infrastructure, including 72 boats, was on alert to tackle any untoward situation.

Sriganganagar, July 10
The recovery of a US-made prohibited weapon from four youths of the border villages of Ferozepur and Tarn Taran districts by the BSF has prompted the authorities to put them before the joint investigation team for further interrogation. The youths reportedly continued to assert that their intention to visit the border area was confined to purchasing poppy husk only. The jawans of 192 Battalion of the BSF had intercepted them as they reached the rural bus stop of Kotha Pakki border village on the Abohar-Hindumalkot road on two motorbikes. They were carrying a US-made prohibited pistol along with six live cartridges, two knives, four mobile phones and three SIM cards.

The youths have been identified as Kulwant Singh and Gurbachan Singh of border village Pallamegha in Ferozepur, Kuldeep Singh of border village Bakayanwala and Nishan Singh of village Havelia Dala (Tarn Taran). — OC