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Farmers to step up stir against land acquisition
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Dengue fever grips Bathinda
Yet another Indian faces death sentence in UAE
SGPC’s US projects fail to take off
Govt hikes scales of teaching employees
National seminar on pharmacy
Bathinda centre gives a ray of hope to AIDS patients
Govt docs to stage protest in Patiala on October 17
Capt Amarinder demands bonus
on paddy
Sukhbir hits out at Centre over inflation
Australia is new address of sham marriages
Councillors to get more
Chopping dog’s tail can land you behind bars
INTACH to restore maharaja’s kothi Right to Service Act comes into force in Punjab Raise state quota in armed forces: Badal Aggarwal is new AG
Court rejects Ankhi’s plea against ouster
Combine operators harvesting paddy at night to be booked
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Farmers to step up stir against land acquisition
Bathinda, October 10 BKU general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said the decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the unions’ leaders. Kokri said the farmers were not against setting up of the thermal plant but the government should accept the demands of the protesting farmers of the village for setting aside a piece of 95 acres that was disputed, as its owners had not accepted compensation. These 95 acres lie scattered within the 880 acres of land that have been acquired for the thermal plant, to be set up in the private sector. Notably, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, during negotiations with the farmers recently, had offered to “de-notify” the disputed 91 acres of land. Meanwhile, 130 persons, including 33 women, were rounded up by the police today when they attempted to stop the levelling work of agricultural land in Gobindpura village of Mansa that has been acquired by the government for setting up a thermal power plant in the private sector. The police also used water cannons to disperse the protesting villagers who were advancing towards the JCB machines and tractors that were engaged in levelling the land for raising the compound wall. Workers of Poena Electricity Development Ltd, a subsidiary of Indiabulls, were since yesterday engaged in levelling of the acquired land that has caused tension in the village. A strong posse of police first tried to persuade the protesting farmers not to create hurdles in the work but when their pleadings failed, the cops resorted to using water cannons at them. The rounded up villagers were whisked away to Breta police station. Another group of over 60 farmers, led by Ram Singh, president of the Mansa district BKU unit, was rounded up in Mansa while they were heading towards Gobindpura, said Kokri. Meanwhile, DIG PS Grewal took stock of the situation at a meeting in Mansa. SPS Parmar, Mansa SSP, said the situation was under control and the rounded up persons would be released by the evening.
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Dengue fever grips Bathinda
Bathinda, October 10 The district health authorities have called doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians from the neighbouring districts to assist the doctors at the Civil Hospital here. Satish Goyal, SMO, said three medical officers and three pharmacists had arrived at the Civil Hospital from Sangrur district, two medical officers, three nurses and two labtechnicians from Barnala district and five pharmacists, two nurses and three lab technicians from Mansa district. The residents blame the Bathinda Municipal Corporation for have ‘failed’ to carry out fogging in several areas of the city. Some NGOs have extended support to the civic body in the fogging operations with the municipal corporation providing three fogging machines with drivers and machine operators for the purpose. A medical specialist at the local Civil Hospital, Dr KK Goyal, said people should not panic. District Health Officer Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa today met Bathinda MC Commissioner Uma Shanker. It was decided that 25 teams of the Health Department and the corporation would jointle conduct a door-to-door survey to counsel people on the dos and donts. Barnala: Dr Balvir Singh, civil surgeon, said three dengue patients, two from Dhanaula and one from Barnala, had been referred to the Rajindra Medical Hospital, Patiala. The Chief Medical officer, Barnala, said that a special ward had been made for those suspected to be suffering from dengue fever. The locals have demanded that tests for dengue be run at the Civil Hospital here. Ludhiana: At least 2,000 dengue patients have been admitted to various hospitals in the city and more are pouring in. Dr Sandeep Puri, Medical Superintendent, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital said they had received 1,160 patients since May and there had been 13 casualties.” ”At least 50 per cent cases are from Bathinda and Muktsar districts,” he said. The Christian Medical College and Hospital has received 280 patients till now. At Gurdev Hospital, 70 patients have tested positive for dengue fever and are undergoing treatment. Dr Deepak Bhatia, State Nodal Officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Punjab, said: ”We have received 789 samples which tested positive for dengue. No causality has been reported so far. Most of the samples are from Bathinda, Muktsar and Ludhiana.” Jalandhar: The Civil Hospital authorities here said that beginning June, they had received only 46 suspected dengue case. Six patients were non-specific dengue cases and only one had tested positive. Amritsar: The city has reported just two cases of dengue so far. “Out of a total of 13 suspected cases, only two have been found suffering from the disease,” said Dr Charanjit Singh, district malaria officer. Dr Avtar Singh Jrewal, Civil Surgeon, said: “We have divided the city into 15 sectors and anti-larva teams are fogging various parts of the city.”
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Yet another Indian faces death sentence in UAE
Chandigarh, October 10 Of the 13 convicts, 12 are from India and one is from Pakistan. And with the apex court reviewing Amarjit Singh’s sentence, two convicts (both from India) now face death -- Major Singh being the other one. Those who would have to serve life imprisonment are Sukhjit Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Sukhwinder Singh, Surjit Singh, Manjit Singh, Rashpal Singh, Balwinder Singh, Surinder Singh, Balwinder Singh, Sarabjit Singh (all Indians) and Mohammed Rafat Akram (from Pakistan). The convicts had killed the two co-workers from Kerala on January 1, 2009. In its latest judgment, the apex court ruled that both Amarjit and Major were actually responsible for the twin murders. The killings, as per the court, were a result of a violent clash between two groups engaged in bootlegging. The apex court, however, ordered some relief to two other convicts, Surinder Singh and Balwinder Singh, whose life sentence was reduced to 15-year term. Notably, 17 Indian boys are already awaiting the UAE Supreme Court endorsement of the Sharjah Appeal Court order last month that waived their death sentence in the infamous Mishri Khan murder case. The sentence was waived after the victim’s family in Pakistan agreed to accept “diya” (blood money) and apology tendered by the families of those convicted. Meanwhile, today’s order in the double murder case has again dampened the spirits in the Indian camp, which had been awaiting fixing of the date for amendment to the judgment of the Sharjah Court. The amendment had been sought by the public prosecutor in the Mishri Khan murder case. In fact, nine boys convicted in the double murder case also stand convicted in the murder of another expatriate worker from Kerala who lost his life in a similar drunken brawl on January 10, 2009. Besides 10 Indian boys, one Pakistani worker was also convicted in that case. SP Singh Oberoi, a Dubai-based businessman and hotelier who has been following the cases of all expatriate workers, especially from India, told The Tribune that a battery of top lawyers had been hired to pursue both the cases. “We have offered to pay blood money (diya) to the families of the slain workers from Kerala. Since the identity of the killed workers could not be established, we informed the court that we are ready to deposit the blood money as determined by the court so that it can be given to the bereaved families as and when the identity of the victims is established,” Oberoi added.
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SGPC’s US projects fail to take off
SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said, "We have sent our case regarding the Sikh Mission to the RBI and other ministries concerned in the Union Government, but are yet to get a clearance." The SGPC was contemplating to set up a Sikh Mission after taking over the National Gurdwara, located close to the White House in Washington DC. The gurdwara was in a financial crisis as its management had failed to pay back a loan of US$ 2 million and subsequently offered the SGPC to take its control on payment of loan. The SGPC needed to transfer funds to the US to bail out the gurdwara, but is still awaiting the clearance required from the RBI. The idea of the Sikh Mission in the US was aimed at propagating Sikhism and helping the Sikhs settled abroad to deal with the problems they were facing on account of mistaken identity and security barriers. Similarly, there has been no headway on proposal of setting up the printing facility for Guru Granth Sahib at North Carolina province in the US for the reasons best known to the SGPC. Gurdwara Sahib Charlotte at North Carolina in the US had offered 2.5 acres to the SGPC for setting up the printing facility for Guru Granth Sahib. The project, which will cost the SGPC around Rs 5 crore, will be the first such facility outside India. It will enable the SGPC to facilitate 'birs' and other Gurmat literature in the US and Canada, both of which have the most Sikh population outside India. Earlier, the SGPC used to transport 'birs' of Guru Granth Sahib through chartered flights from the country. The SGPC had even sent its delegations to the US twice to take an account of these projects. Sikh Mission n
To be set up after the SGPC takes over National Gurdwara, located near the White House, Washington DC n
The Sikh body awaits the clearance required from the RBI for transferring money to the US Aim: Propagating Sikhism and helping the Sikhs settled abroad to deal with the problems they were facing on account of mistaken identity and security barriers Printing Facility n The SGPC plans to set up a printing facility for Guru Granth Sahib at North Carolina province in the US Aim: It will enable the SGPC to facilitate 'birs' and other Gurmat literature in the US and Canada
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SAD gen secy joins Cong
Kotli Surat Malhi (Gurdaspur), October 10 Slamming the Chief Minister and his son for exploiting loopholes in the transport policy for financial benefits, he promised to review the policy if voted to power in the coming assembly elections. There was an ugly scuffle between supporters of former minister SS Chottepur and District Congress Committee chief Sukhjinder Randhawa when the former tried to force their way to the venue. The situation was defused by senior Congress leader Gurmeet Singh Pahra. Talking to the media, Amarinder Singh said: “We will plug the loopholes in the transport policy when we come to power and will ensure a uniform playing field for all.” The PCC chief said: “Like the transport policy, the state’s industrial policy is skewed too with a only a favoured few setting up industry.” Sukhjinder Randhawa seems to have stolen a march over his political rivals by managing to get the PPC chief to visit his assembly segment, a move, which observers say, is likely to pay him rich dividends in the elections.
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Govt hikes scales of teaching employees
Chandigarh, October 10 An official spokesman said the government had revised the pay scales of JBT, ETT and head teachers with effect from October 1, 2011. The JBT, ETT and head teachers who were earlier in the pay band of Rs 5,910-20,200 with grade pay of Rs 3,000 and initial pay of Rs 11,470 with effect from January 1, 2006, have been put in the pay band of Rs 10,300-34,800 plus GP Rs 4,200 with initial pay of Rs 16,290 with effect from October 1, 2011. Similarly, classical and vernacular teachers who were in the pay band of Rs 10,300-34,800 with grade pay of Rs 3,200 and initial pay of Rs 13,500 with effect from January 1, 2006, have been put in the pay scale of Rs 10,300-34800 with grade pay of Rs 4,400. The scales of centre head teacher, master and mistress that has been revised to Rs 10,300-34800 + Rs 4,600 GP with initial pay of Rs 18,030. The pay scale of BPEO, school lecturer and vocational masters has been revised to Rs 10,300-34,800+5,000 GP with initial pay of Rs 18,450. The scale of head masters that was Rs 10,300-34,800 with GP Rs 2,000 and initial pay of Rs 17,420 with effect from January 1, 2006, has been revised to Rs 10,300-34800+5400 GP.
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National seminar on pharmacy
Moga, October 10 As many as 500 pharmacy scientists and teachers gathered here from across the country for the three-day seminar on “Bringing reforms in pharmacy education at the global pattern”. The Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (APTI) organised the event, which concluded last night. Speaking to The Tribune, renowned pharmacy academic SL Nasa said the pharmacists were technically trained for the safety of patients with regard to prescription, medication system and distribution of medicines. The very existence of this profession was rooted in the fundamental tenets of medication safety, he said. Professor SK Kulkarni was of the view that pharmacists were accustomed to systems designed for promoting accurate dispensation of medicines as diagnosed by the physicians and specialists. He said the involvement of a pharmacist on rounds in intensive care units and general medicine units could reduce the adverse impact of drugs because pharmacist-managed anticoagulation therapy was safer than traditional care. “We in pharmacy education have been preparing our graduates for these roles. Students on hospital rotations are trained to provide doctors with useful information for better care of patients,” he added.
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Bathinda centre gives a ray of hope to AIDS patients
Bathinda October 10 About three months back, when Mukhtiar came to know about his disease, he started receiving treatment here at the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centre at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda. He is now quite confident that with the therapy, he can be with his family for some more years. "If I had not opted for this treatment, I would have gradually ended my life, crawling to the grave with this disease," said Mukhtiar. Medical Officer Dr Kasturi Lal said, "When we started the ART centre in September 2010, there were only 30 patients. They were given only medicines, which were brought from the other ART centres. Within a year, now, more than 850 patients have been registered. Out of these 850, there are 503 patients on ART medicines while the others are on pre-ART." "The treatment with ART is started when the patient is able to tolerate the medicines. It is dependent on the count of CD-4 cells in the blood of the patient. These cells are the primary target of the AIDS virus and their loss will result in the decrease in the immunity of the person. If the count of these cells is less than 250 per microlitre of blood, the patient is put on Pre-ART and regularly monitored. When the cell count starts increasing, the anti-retroviral therapy (ART) can be started," he explained. "The AIDS virus can be transmitted through four routes-through blood transfusion, sexual route, by using infected syringes and during pregnancy through the infected mother to the child. Here, a majority of the patient got the disease via the sexual route. Most of the patients are from poor families. They are mainly the truckers, cab drivers and sex workers, who usually have more than one sex partner," said the doctor. "The patients from adjoining cities like Mansa, Abohar, Ferozepur and Muktsar also visit for treatment. With the ART medicine, the longevity as well as the quality of life of the patient improves. Here, we have a counsellor too, who motivates the patient to take their treatment properly and calms their anxieties from time to time," he added. The staff at the centre constitutes of seven persons-a medical officer, counsellor, staff nurse, pharmacist, data manager, lab technician and care coordinator. "We maintain a rapport with the patients to build confidence in them. As they are fighting an irreparable disease, some of the patients come without any hope. So, we keep on impinging positivity in them. We call every patient after 15 days and conduct their regular check-up such as measuring their weight, haemoglobin besides checking the side-effects of the medicine," said Jasveer Kaur, who works as a staff nurse at the centre. In Punjab, there are a total of five ART centres-- at Patiala, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Pathankot and Bathinda. Under the National AIDS Control Policy, these are run by the National AIDS Control Society in collaboration with the Community Care Centre. The Community Care Centre is a project of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India. It is managed by the Gunjan Organisation for community development, which is funded by the Himachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society,
Shimla.
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Govt docs to stage protest in Patiala on October 17
Patiala, October 10 While stating this, the president of the Doctors Federation of India (Docsfed), DC Sharma, and chairman of the In-Service Wing of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Punjab, DS Bhullar, have expressed resentment over the dilly-dallying approach of the state government toward their demands. Speaking to The Tribune, they said, “On account of several pay anomalies, the government doctors in Punjab are suffering monetarily”. They added, “What is unfortunate is that the state government has failed to rectify the pay anomalies in the pay fixation formula. Furthermore, the Punjab Government has failed to create a separate ‘specialists’ cadre’ for the government doctors with higher pay scales on the pattern of the Central Government Health Services (CGHS). We strongly demand immediate implementation of the CGHS pattern for the PCMS doctors”. Sharma said, “The decision to bring the rural dispensaries under the purview of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat, Punjab, has failed. Rural Medical Officers (RMOs) employed in dispensaries are being exploited and they have no promotional prospects. The government should transfer 1,200 rural dispensaries in the state to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, and RMO cadre should be merged with the PCMS cadre in order to ensure that RMOs, who are serving in the rural areas, must get all the benefits being given to the PCMS cadre”. Bhullar said the issue of giving time-bound promotions to the teachers working in government medical colleges is also hanging fire from a long time. However, senior officials in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, refused to comment on the matter. Highly placed sources in the department said since there were several associations of doctors, hence the announcement of the protest by two associations does not mean that all the PCMS doctors would be joining the protest.
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Capt Amarinder demands bonus
on paddy
Chandigarh, October 10 In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Capt Amarinder said the input costs in agriculture had increased substantially in the recent times hence there was a need to give bonus on paddy which was currently being procured. He said in order to ensure that agriculture remained remunerative to the farmers, it was important that they should be given adequate MSP and when it was insufficient and not commensurate to the price index, farmers should be given bonus to compensate for their input costs. The former Chief Minister said the diesel prices had gone up and so had the prices of fertilisers like the DAP. Under these circumstances agriculture was becoming less remunerative. He said the farmers’ contribution in ensuring the food security in the country needed to be adequately acknowledged and their interests watched.
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Sukhbir hits out at Centre over inflation
Ludhiana, October 10 “The Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre has failed at all the quarters. While the ministers have been involved in the 2G and CWG scams, the common man is suffering due to the price rise and corruption in the government offices,” he said. While praising his government, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “Introducing the Right to Service (RTS) Act was the highlight of our government. It is a testimony that our government is committed to bring transparency in the state”.
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Australia is new address of sham marriages
With more Punjabi girls than boys able to clear the IELTS, they secure admission into Australian colleges and universities with relative ease. They then start looking for a groom willing to pay the hefty fee. There have been several cases of such brides being abandoned by their spouses on reaching Australia. Manpreet Kaur, 25, from Tusse village in Ludhiana, who married Kulvinder Singh of Sujapur, is one such victim. Having scored 5.5 bands in IELTS, she struck a deal with Kulvinder in 2008. The latter agreed to pay her fee for a diploma in management from a Melbourne college. He sent her back to India in January this year, promising that he would join her later. He never returned. “It was then that I realised I was defrauded. He wanted to be in Australia and he used me,” said Manpreet, who reported the matter to the Jagraon police. Jyoti Rani’s tale is no different. Having scored five bands in IELTS, she struck a marriage deal with Rakesh Kumar of Goraya. They flew to Melbourne in April 2009. Rakesh paid her fee for the first semester, but refused to pay for the rest of the course. “Rakesh deserted my daughter in March 2010. Since then she has been living alone there. We have filed a complaint with the Nawanshahar police. The case is pending with the women’s cell,” said Jyoti’s father Harmeet Singh. Amar Singh Chahal, SSP, Ludhiana (Rural), said he had received a large number of complaints regarding such marriages. “I have received applications from at least 20 young girls with IELTS certificates seeking grooms who can fund their study in Australia,” said Kaur Singh Grewal, a travel agent. Lok Bhalai Party chief Balwant Singh Ramoowalia said such marriages were nothing but “deals” and bound to be doomed. He claimed that last month alone he had received at least 10 such complaints. After Jalandhar, Ludhiana district has seen the maximum number of crimes involving
NRIs.
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Councillors to get more
Chandigarh, October 10 Local Bodies Minister Tikshan Sud said the president of Class 1 Municipal Councils would now get an honorarium of Rs 10,000 per month instead whereas the president of Municipal Corporations Class II would get Rs 7500 per month. Presidents of Municipal Councils Class-III would get Rs 6,000 per month. The minister said the government had also increased the meeting allowance of councillors from Rs 300 per day (with a maximum of Rs 3000 per month) to Rs 500 per day (with maximum Rs 5000 per month). He said the area allowance of the president and councillors had also been increased. For Class I Municipal Councils, the area allowance had been increased from Rs 4000 per month to Rs 7000 per month; for Class II from Rs 3000 per month to Rs 5000 per month and for Class III from Rs 2000 per month Rs 4000 per month. The ministerr said the telephone allowance had been increased from Rs 500 per month to Rs 1000 per month. The presidents of municipal councils would get the allowance separately, he added.
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Chopping dog’s tail can land you behind bars
The move comes following a notification sent out by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to veterinary colleges and kennel clubs, asking them not to carry out such procedures on the pets. “Pets with chopped ears or tails will henceforth be made ineligible to be registered with leading kennel clubs in the country,” reads the notification. Veterinary doctors say docking and cropping of ears are common among pet dogs that participate in dog shows. Tails and ears of two to five days old puppies of certain breeds such as Boxer, Doberman, Cocker Spaniel, Great Danes etc are cut so as to make them more attractive ahead of their participation in dog shows. Dog shows that gather a huge crowd in the country had started a race among pet owners to dock their dog’s tail or shape up its ears to seek attention for their pet, said dog lover Sarabjit. “However, this must stop at the earliest as the dogs go through a lot of pain when this procedure is performed on them and leaves it almost handicapped,” he added. Gurcharan Pal Singh Brar, secretary, Patiala Kennel Club, said though their club was yet to get a copy of the recent notification, they had got the information pertaining to the recent ban. “In some countries it is banned while in some others it is allowed to chop off ears and tail of their pets. But now the practice should stop after the recent orders,” said Brar. The recent orders came following highlighting of the issue by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Gujarat, which brought it to the notice of the AWBI. “Usually instead of scientific manner by professional doctors, pet owners try to save money and get it done by layman without proper anaesthesia which is very painful for the pet,” Ravee S Ahluwalia, president, Patiala Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said.
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INTACH to restore maharaja’s kothi Chandigarh, October 10 Taking this decision here, the Chief Minister asked Director Tourism and Cultural Affairs to release Rs 80 lakh as initial money to the INTACH immediately to start work on the project. Meanwhile, in another significant decision in a separate meeting of the Tourism Department regarding the Sikh circuit tourism in the state, Badal approved a nine days tour. Principal Secretary, Tourism, Geetika Kalha, said the Ministry of Railways had agreed to provide a luxury train to visit all the Sikh religious
places
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Right to Service Act comes into force in Punjab Ludhiana, October 10 "The Act strikes at the root cause of corruption by taking away discretion of government officials besides binding them to deliver time-bound services," Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said at a function here. "Introducing the Right to Service Act was the highlight of our government. It is a testimony that our government is committed to bring transparency in the state" he said. The public-interaction function was held to seek suggestions from the citizens on further improving the Act. Under the Punjab Right to Service Act-2011, time-bound delivery of 67 citizen-centric services to the public as a matter of right will be ensured. Besides, a provision for punishing civil servants in case they fail to comply with the prescribed time-frame has been incorporated. "The purpose of this act is to empower citizens, to restore their dignity, repose trust of the citizens in the transparency of administration and make administration accountable to the public," Sukhbir said. The Act covers services of the departments of local government, transport, housing and urban development, revenue, health, home, social security, food and civil supplies and rural water supply besides the police department, he said. Meanwhile, finding political support in the shape of team Anna's campaign against the Congress at the Hisar byelection, Sukhbir said he would also launch a similar anti- Congress tirade to counter the Congress aspirations of staging a comeback in the
state
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Raise state quota in armed forces: Badal Mohali, October 10 Addressing a state-level rally of ex-serviceman here, Badal said he even spoke to Union Defence Minister AK Antony in this regard at a recent meeting in New Delhi. "The recruitment should be allowed on the basis of a person's abilities," he said. Badal, who laid the stone of the Sainik Sadan here, said seeing the "dedication and honesty" among the armed forces personnel, he had requested the senior defence officials in Delhi to provide a list of retired Army officers whose services could be availed to monitor various infrastructure and academics-related projects in Punjab. He cited examples of a few ex-servicemen who were already serving with the state government. He also said the state would raise an eco-battalion to protect the environment from pollution. Regarding the Sainik Sadan, Maj Gen US Sidhu (retd), chairman-cum-managing director of Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation, said a government undertaking had been entrusted with the job. The project, spread over an area of 1.77 acres, would be completed at an estimated Rs 4 crore. Also, the CM claimed there was no interference from the government side in the functioning of Punjab Advocate-General Baldev Singh. "I am not aware about the circumstances behind the AG putting in his papers as there is absolutely no conflict with him. I respect him a lot as he has assisted the government on many occasions," he
said
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Aggarwal is new AG Chandigarh, October 10 A government spokesperson said that formal orders on the appointment would be issued shortly. Aggarwal has remained the Advocate-General of Haryana besides the Standing Council to the Government of India, and Special Standing Council to the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Aggarwal is the youngest lawyer to have been designated as Senior Advocate by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
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Court rejects Ankhi’s plea against ouster
Amritsar, October 10 Ankhi had on July 10 served a legal notice through his counsel to the Chief Khalsa Diwan president, Charanjit Singh Chadha, and two executive members, Harminder Singh and Santokh Singh Sethi, while questioning the general house meeting proceedings and his removal from the primary membership. Reacting to the judgment, Ankhi said he would challenge the verdict in the Sessions Court once he gets a copy of the judgment. He said he would not even hesitate in knocking the doors of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
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Combine operators harvesting paddy at night to be booked
Patiala, October 10 This was announced by Divisional Commissioner SR Ladhar following his visits to the mandis in Sanaur and Rajpura today. Ladhar said combine cutting during the night hours led to high moisture content in the yield which resulted in waste of time of the farmers in the market as agencies rejected such crop. “It is advisable that the combines do not operate at night and necessary orders have been passed in all the districts to register police cases against anyone found violating the orders,” he said. Investigations revealed that farmers usually contracted combines to harvest their paddy and the combine owners, in order to make more profits, willingly operated at night in double shifts. However, due to trail conditions at night, paddy usually absorbs more moisture and thus, when farmers approach agencies in the mandis, they are asked to first dry their harvest and then come, wasting their time and labour. During his visit to Rajpura, farmers brought to his notice that clean drinking water in the mandis was not available. Following reports that excess of procured paddy was lying unattended in the mandis due to limited lifting, Ladhar visited the mandis and directed the officials concerned to ensure that all the farmers get their paddy sold in less than 72 hours after its arrival in the mandis. “Officials should further make sure that lifting is also speeded up to avoid jam,” he said. As per official records, 1, 00605 MT of paddy has been procured in various mandis of the district. Meanwhile, on the problems being faced by the arhtiyas, Ladhar said: “I have directed the district food and supply officials to listen to their grievances and ensure time-bound solution”.
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Amritsar, October 10
Chandigarh, October 10
Patiala, October 10