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Urea shortage: Pvt dealers ‘blackmailing’ farmers
Three injured as PRTC bus falls into drain
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Badal terms defection as political crime
CM gives assurance to EGS teachers
Kushaldeep induction splits Cong in Faridkot
Contractual staff of sports dept beg for alms
SBBJ crosses landmark
Social activist, wife killed in road mishap
Slapgate victim’s statement recorded with NHRC
Protest of Unemployed Physical Teachers’ Union enters Day 3
Held for passing info to Pak
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Urea shortage: Pvt dealers ‘blackmailing’ farmers
Muktsar, December 20 At this time of the season, when growing wheat crop immediately requires urea, the scarcity of this fertiliser at all cooperative societies has left the farmers with no other option but to become the victims of the autocracy of private dealers. After meeting a number of farmers across the district, it was learnt that the private dealers were now forcing them to buy pesticides of about 40 per cent of the total amount of the urea bills. Having 20 acres of agricultural land at village Doda, a farmer, Harjinder Singh said that the state government had virtually failed to provide urea to the wheat growers. “There is acute shortage of the urea fertilizer and the depots of all cooperative societies are running out of stock. Now, the farmers are totally dependent on the private dealers, who have found a novel way of blackmailing. If we require 10 bags of urea, which cost around Rs 2,680, then we also have to buy pesticides worth Rs 1,000 from them,” alleged Harjinder. Similarly, another farmer, Baltej Singh of village Aulakh, said, “The wheat field generally requires urea on the first two waters. This is the time to give first water to the land and urea has to be sprinkled before giving water. But, the autocracy of private dealers, who are asking us to purchase pesticide along urea, has destabilized our budget.” He added that the pesticides would be required in
February, but the farmers had no other option to meet the requirement than go by the blackmailing tactics of the pesticide dealers. A number of farmers said that the new method adopted by the dealers to pressurise the farmers was going on and the authorities had not only failed to provide urea in time, but had also failed to keep a check on this illegal practice. Chief Agriculture Officer, Bakshish Singh Chahal, said, “There is some shortage of urea, but we are trying our best to provide the farmers with as many bags of urea fertilizer as we can.” Asked if the department was aware of the fact that the private dealers were compelling farmers to buy pesticides for getting urea, he said, “There may be some private dealers involved in this illegal act. But, none has complained us as of now. We will definitely take action against the dealers indulged in this illegal act, but only if a farmer lodges complaint with us.” |
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Three injured as PRTC bus falls into drain
Ferozepur, December 20 Thereafter, when the bus moved further towards Faridkot, the bus driver who was allegedly under the influence of liquor, lost control over the vehicle while passing through Fidde drain near Mudki. The bus rammed into the railing before falling into the drain. As the water level in the drain was not so high, the passengers could be rescued. Otherwise, it would have proved fatal, said one of the passengers. Three passengers, including Hardeep Singh of Amritsar and Mandeep Singh of Mudki, received major injuries and were rushed to a local hospital. The passengers told the police officials who reached the spot that the driver was allegedly drunk and was driving the bus recklessly due to which the incident happened. The driver of the bus escaped after the accident. The police registered a case in this connection. |
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Badal terms defection as political crime
Bathinda, December 20 He made these comments in reply to a question, related to joining of Congress party by two founder members of the People's Party of Punjab (PPP), Jagbir Singh Brar and Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon. Badal, who was here in connection with inauguration of three development projects, Tehsil office, Cooperative Bank, government quarters' complex, and the laying of foundation stone of Short Stay Home for cancer patients and their attendants, further said Jagbir and Kushaldeep had first left the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to form the PPP and now they had left the PPP to join the Congress. Regarding entry of the Balwant Singh Ramoowalia to the SAD, Badal said he had not defected to the SAD as he had merged his party with the SAD. He also said that Manpreet Badal had committed a blunder by leaving the SAD and till elections no body would remain with him in his party. Badal called upon Anna Hazare to raise voice for a strong "anti-defection" law so that no elected person could defect to any other party easily. Badal also flayed the Union government, saying it had failed on security front of the country. He said due to lenient policies of the government, Naxalism had also spread at various places in the country. Besides, attacks by the terrorists had also increased, he added. He also criticised the Centre for its policies towards the farming sector. He said that due to the 'wrong polices' of the Centre, the agriculture had not remained a profitable profession now, due to which the farmers were now under Rs 32,000 crore debt. |
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CM gives assurance to EGS teachers
Gidderbaha, December 20 The Chief Minister held parleys with a delegation of the agitating EGS teachers, who are on the warpath for the past 22 days, during a public function in a Bathinda village. “Though Badal has assured us that all issues will be discussed in the Cabinet meeting, yet our protest will continue until we get notification order from him. In the past also, all meetings with the CM have proved to be futile,” said Pritpal Singh, president of the EGS Teachers' Union. He added, "If our demands are not met, the agitation will further intensify even after the imposition of the elections code of conduct in the state." Activists of the Union have been demonstrating at tyhe Husnar chowk here since November 29, demanding immediate notification regarding regular government jobs for those activists who have cleared the ETT course. Meanwhile, the fast-unto-death of the six EGS teachers, including four women, who are camping atop an overhead water tank at Husnar village near Gidderbaha entered the fourth day today, as the local administration failed to mollify them. The EGS teachers are trying their best to put pressure on the state government, as they have adopted all methods of agitation. In the past, they have blocked the highway, begged alms from the public, made abortive attempts to commit suicide by jumping from an overhead water tank, slitting their vein and jumping into the canal. |
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Sports fest for special kids begins
Faridkot, December 20 Most of the contestants are from the Ujala — a school for visually handicapped children, the Umang — a school for special kids and the Umeed — a school for hearing impaired children. All the three schools are run by the Red Cross Society, Faridkot, to provide educational and vocational training to nurture the abilities of these disabled kids and further help them to achieve self-dependence. The sports competition is being organised as part of a 'Scheme of Sports and Games for the Disabled'. This is a scheme of the Government of India and has been introduced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2009-10 during the XI plan period. The scheme aims at broad-basing participative sports among the disabled. Being the India's first-ever sports policy for people with disabilities, the scheme provides grants for coaching, procuring sports equipments and organising district, state and national-level competitions for disabled
sportspersons. The scheme is being implemented on a pilot basis for a five-year period and only in special schools and schools which cater to disabled children. This sports competition will not harness the sporting talent of these children but their participation will help them in overcoming their disabilities, said Faridkot Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat, while inaugurating the sports festival. |
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Kushaldeep induction splits Cong in Faridkot
Faridkot, December 20 But on the other hand, another group of the Congress leaders in Faridkot celebrated the party decision of including Dhillon in the Congress, saying it would further strengthen the party. While officially, so far there has been no decision on Kushaldeep contesting the coming assembly elections from the Faridkot seat but the supporters of Avtar Singh Brar, the sitting Congress MLA, were vocal in their resolution to disrupt the December 28 Congress rally in Faridkot for projecting Dhillon as party candidate from Faridkot. With a look of annoyance on their faces, sitting on dharna, these Congress workers and supporters today said the party decision to include Dhillon in the Congress caught a large number of party supporters in a difficult situation. For the last many years, all these Congress workers and leaders were opposing Dhillon, an Akali leader. But now all of a sudden, these workers are being asked to support Dhillon. Even in the Akali camp, many old time party supporters and Dhillon group members are also facing the same imbroglio, “Support Dhillon or the Akali Dal”. |
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Contractual staff of sports dept beg for alms
Gidderbaha, December 20 The protesters also included the coach of the Women World Cup Kabaddi team, Manjit Kaur. She had played a vital role in making the recently held World Cup successful. The protesters were demanding regular jobs, claiming that the sports department recruited the staff on contractual basis a few years ago, with an assurance that they would be regularised in due course of time, which was not done as yet. They have been staging a protest at Gidderbaha for the past six days. |
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SBBJ crosses landmark
Abohar, December 20 Shiv Kumar, Managing Director of SBBJ, while speaking on the sidelines of a mega loan distribution and financial awareness function for the minority communities at Sadulshehar, said the SBBJ is modernizing its services. SBBJ Deputy General Manager Vinod Kumar Kochar welcomed the guests in chaste Punjabi as a section of the gathering wanted him to speak in their mother tongue. Sriganganagar SP Rupinder Singh too spoke in Punjabi. ADC Ratan Singh Lamba advised the borrowers to avert misuse of the loans on show-biz marriages and other luxuries. Local MLA Santosh Saharan hailed the SBBJ for offering loans for combine harvesters and kinnow grading and waxing plants. SBBJ General Manager JK Dubey said the bank has decided to open 50 more branches to cross the 900 mark.
— OC |
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Social activist, wife killed in road mishap
Abohar, December 20 Family sources said the couple had left Abohar in the morning by car to attend the last rites of a close relative at Faridabad. As the driver tried to avert collision with a stray cattle near village Odha, the car hit the divider on the national highway-10 resulting in the death of Adarsh and Raj Rani. Some passersby later shifted Santosh Bajaj and the car driver to the nearby hospital. Scores of shops in the heart of the town were closed to mourn the tragic incident. |
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Slapgate victim’s statement recorded with NHRC
Muktsar, December 20 Talking over the phone, Varinder said, “Mamta Sharma, member of the
NHRC, has assured me of taking action against the accused Sarpanch, Balwinder Singh
Toti She has further said that the state government would also be asked to clear its point within seven days, why hardly any action was taken in this regard."
— TNS |
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Protest of Unemployed Physical Teachers’ Union enters Day 3
Muktsar, December 20 Two of the union members, namely, Radhey Shyam Abohar and Rajinder Pal
Fazilka, have been fasting-unto-death. The protesters said that they would further intensify their agitation, if their demands were not accepted in the coming days.
— TNS |
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