Ludhiana, April 22
The sudden change in weather conditions has caused a lot of worries for the farmers, who have started harvesting their wheat crop. Though there has not been an alarming situation as of now, farmers are worried, as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that on April 28 and 29, moderate to heavy rainfall was expected in the region.

The president of the Punjab Agriculture University Kisan Club PS Pangli said presently, farmers were getting excellent yield. "Farmers are getting 24-25 quintals of yield per acre and the quality of grain, too, is very bold. But today's rain has caused worries among the farmers, who had to cover the heaps of produce lying in the open fields. The IMD has predicted that on April 28, 29 moderate to heavy rainfall is expected and farmers have every reason to panic. Even if we start with the harvesting without taking any rest (for 24 hours), we will not be able to accomplish the task," said Pangli.

A farmer near Mandi Ahmedgarh, Rajbir Singh, said farmers were expecting a bumper wheat crop. But due to the rains, threshers and harvestors were tough to run. "We are too much worried because of bad weather conditions and we can just pray to God. If rains continue to lash the region, the quality of grain will be damaged. It is yellow grain now, but due to moisture and rains, it will turn blackish," said a worried farmer.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 22
Harvesting period is proving thorny for farmers of the area. Those who chose to harvest unripe wheat crop in panic due to intermittently inclement weather during past fortnight, have to beg before the officials of various procurement agencies in the grain markets. Others, who preferred to wait for grains to ripe, apprehend losses due to delayed harvesting.

The commission agents also feel sandwiched between producers and officials of procurement agencies. While the farmers bully them to ‘manage’ immediate procurement and lifting, officials threaten to initiate action against them (commission agents) in case producers are allowed to dump moisture laden heaps in the yards.

Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali said he had advised the authorities in various procurement agencies to realise problems of the peasants and get needful done for drying the produce if brought in markets with reasonably higher content of moisture.

“At the same time, we have asked the office bearers of our party to sensitise farmers against harvesting unripe crops,” said Ayali maintaining that team of volunteers had already taken a round of the villages for the purpose.

Referring to the information collected from various villages falling under Ludhiana and Sangrur districts, Baldev Singh Latala and Sikandar Singh Jartauli, general secretary and vice-president of Punjab Kissan Sabha, regretted that the officials of market committees had failed to impress upon the commission agents to make necessary arrangements for protecting heaps of wheat from adversaries of weather. Situation is worse in those markets and purchase centers where the produce has been dumped on katcha ground in open.

Ludhiana, April 22
Even as the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has planned to install a floral clock near Sherpur Chowk, besides beautifying all entry points to the city, the existing prominent landmark of the city, Clock Tower, is in a shambles.

The four clocks installed on this prominent landmark, also known as the Ghanta Ghar, are out of order for the past several days, and the MC seems least bothered about it.

In February last year, the MC had spent around Rs 7 lakh on the beautification and maintenance of Clock Tower. At that time, the MC got the interiors and exteriors of the Clock Tower whitewashed. Similarly, the building and roads (B&R) branch installed fancy grills to give it an aesthetic look. Again in June last year, the tourism and cultural affairs ministry of the state government had spent around Rs 12 lakh for the restoration and beautification work of Clock Tower.

After around Rs 19 lakh were “spent” on this landmark, the arms of one of the four clocks installed on Clock Tower went missing in September last year. Ironically, the MC officials, who are responsible for the upkeep of this landmark, had no knowledge about it and when The Tribune reported this matter, the clock arms were fixed.

But now, the clock has stopped working and, once again, the MC is having no knowledge about it.

The tourism ministry, which at that time (June last year) was headed by Hira Singh Gabria, a city resident, had planned to open a helpdesk inside the monument for travellers visiting the city. “We would depute staff there, who would also make sure that the Clock Tower remains well managed and give a much cleaner look 24X7,” Gabria had said in June last year.

It’s not only Clock Tower which is facing the MC apathy. Several other landmarks as well as places of entertainment have “vanished” over the years. The city once had a boating facility in Nehru Rose Garden in the Civil Lines area, which disappeared over the years and a zoo is on the verge of disappearance. The state government is also planning to restore these facilities and polish it into a major attraction for city residents.

MC Commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi stated that he was not aware of the matter. “I will get it checked and if there is any problem in the clocks of Clock Tower, we would get them fixed immediately,” claimed Jaggi.

Ludhiana, April 22
Mystery surrounds the lost-and-found case of seven-year-old boy Jashan who went missing while he was playing outside his house in the Gandhi Nagar area last night and was found near Green Land School near Jalandhar Bypass at midnight.

Though the police maintained that the boy lost his way while playing with his friends on the street and reached near Green Land School, sources tell a different story. According to the sources, two men travelling in a white Tata Indica car allegedly abducted the boy. They then headed towards Jalandhar Bypass.

Suddenly the car of the abductors broke down near Green Land School. It is learnt that the abductors administered two injections to the boy, following which the victim fell unconscious. The suspects then threw the boy in a vacant plot and fled from the scene.

A lot of engine oil was splattered on the street, from where the child was recovered, also indicateD that something went wrong.

It was during midnight that a bakery owner spotted the child sobbing behind the bushes and informed the police. The cops who were conducting a frantic search reached the spot and reuniteD the boy with HIS family. The boy was in a state of panic, but his condition was reported to out of danger.

The family was, meanwhile, tight-lipped about the entire incident and refused to share any information. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP- North) Swapan Sharma rubbished the story of abduction and claimed that the boy lost his way and went missing. He was spotted standing by some Good Samaritans, who further informed the police.

He further said to double check he would visit the house and meet the boy. On the other hand, SHO Salem Tabri Bittan Kumar said the police was investigating the matter.

Ludhiana, April 22
In an exemplary display of bravery, a 70-year-old man foiled a burglary attempt in his house in Jhande village and nabbed the three assailants who trespassed into his house.

The incident took place this evening when the trio entered the house of the septuagenarian and told him to hand over cash and valuables. Before the trio could react, the man pulled out a gun from under the bed-sheet and detained the suspects on gunpoint.

He then raised an alarm and informed the police about it. Soon after receiving the information, police reached the spot and arrested the trio. SHO Sadar Harinder Singh said he was unable to provide details.

Sources said the trio were part of a highway robbery gang.

Ludhiana, April 22
With the arrest of three persons, the city police has claimed to have busted a gang of vehicle-lifters, who were stealing vehicles from different parts of the city.

The accused, identified as Suresh, Sonu and Chintu, were arrested from the Division No 4 area. Two stolen motorcycles were recovered from the accused. The police got a tip-off that the accused were planning to commit yet another theft in the area. It laid a trap and nabbed the accused. One of their accomplices Vikram managed to flee from the scene.

Jagraon, April 22
The near collapsing bridge at a drain near Kothe Khajura village at the road connecting Raikot Road with Ludhiana-Ferozepur highway, also known as Raikot-Ludhiana bypass, has been posing high risk to the lives of the commuters. The residents fear that the bridge may collapse anytime if not repaired, immediately.

A large number of vehicles including the heavy vehicles pass over this bridge everyday and the risk of bridge collapsing always looms large over the drivers and commuters traveling in these vehicles. But the authorities concerned have not paid any attention towards this serious issue so far.

According to the residents of this village, the Panchayat members of this village constructed the bridge on this drain more than 15 years ago following repeated requests. But since then the bridge has not been repaired for even a single time, rue the villagers.

“The road on which this bridge is situated offers a traffic free passage to the people commuting to Ludhiana side from Raikot road. Besides, the heavy vehicles have to pass from this bridge when their entry is banned during the busy hours in the traffic congested roads of the town,” says Navdeep Singh, a resident of Kothe Khajura village.

“But due to utterly bad condition of the bridge, many people have started avoiding using this road. But still a large number of vehicles pass over this bridge and the lives of commuters always remain on risk”, he adds.

During a visit to this bridge today, it was found that the bridge was in utterly bad condition. Moreover, the railing on the both sides of the bridge had also collapsed with the passage of time therefore, the risk of vehicles falling in the drain also looms constantly.

The risk increases manifolds during the night as the bridge is situated on a sharp curve on the road and many a times the drivers fail to see the sides of the bridge due to which the commuters always remain under constant fear of meeting an accident.

According to villagers, some accidents have also taken place on this bridge in the past due to the absence of railing on bridge. The residents of the area have demanded from the government to at least repair the bridge and install the railing on both the sides to avoid accidents.

Punjab Mandi Board secretary Gurmel Singh said, "A proposal for the approval of a grant for the repair of the bridge has already been sent to the government and hopefully it will be approved very soon. As soon as we receive the funds from the government, the work of repairing the bridge would be started."

Ludhiana, April 22
Though District Administration has asked the PCS and IAS officers to visit the tehsils to make sure that the common man was not unnecessarily "harassed" by the tehsildars or the attending staff, "under the table" amounts continue to exchange hands due to large number of "middlemen" involved in the process of registration of land sale deeds.

While the administration is putting in efforts to control the corruption prevailing in tehsils, section of the society feels the state government must legalise everything so that there is a set fees to be given to the middlemen (they should unemployed, educated youth) and the common man is not exploited either by the tehsildars or by the middlemen.

According to available information, a majority of the agents involved in getting the registrations done in a smooth manner ask the buyer or seller to cough up astronomical amounts.

Their "fees" range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh or even more (commercial establishments) and the common man continues to suffer at their hands. And these agents are none other than relatives of political leaders and staff at tehsildar offices, lawyers who ask for a "fees" to save from "inconvenience" being caused to the general public.

Congress Councillor Parminder Mehta however feels if the system is legalised by the state government, the public could be saved from inconvenience.

“The agents are near and dear ones of influential people, who fill their own pockets in connivance with the officials involved in land deal sale process. If government employs five or six unemployed, educated youth, who are given lumpsum for getting the work done for common man, there will be less chances of corruption and harassment. Secondly, youth will then get an opportunity to get a job. And the common man will not be asked to pay unnecessarily to the officials, agents or middlemen. There will be no fraud or blackmail if government employs its own persons on merit, who take fixed amount for getting land deals registered,” said Mehta.

Sources at tehsildar office disclosed that for registry of agricultural land, less amount was asked for while for posh residential and commercial establishments, the public was asked to pay up to Rs 2 lakh “under the table”. For getting a General Power of Attorney, visitors are asked to shell out extra bucks (up to Rs 10,000) for getting the document.

Inderpreet Singh, a private practicing lawyer at Civil Courts here, said lawyers/advocates had every right to draft the document and present it before the Registrar for registration.

"We take the fees from the clients (visitors), check all the documents and ask the officials to do the registry. In most cases, the official staff at Sub-Registrar office puts one objection or another on the documents and unnecessarily harasses the public. And for getting the land deal registered, they ask for money. To avoid unnecessary botheration at the hands of staff at Sub-Registrar office, public prefers to bear extra burden and hire the services of lawyers or agents,” said the advocate.

Sources at the Sub-registrar office said land deals between 100 and 150 (on an average) were registered every day at the main Sub Registrar offices- East, West and South, and on each registry, common man was asked to pay "extra" for getting the work done. To make the system clean and transparent, DC Rahul Tiwari had recently issued instructions that it will be mandatory for PCS officers in the district to sit in Sub-Registrar offices for at least two hours every day, which has not gone down well with the staff at the Sub-registrar office.

Doraha, April 22
As the world is celebrating Earth Day today, the Municipal council, Doraha, seems to look the other way. The reasons being the continuous open discharge of sewerage water in and around those places that are either centers of learning or have been chosen to be.

A particular road, on which the sewer water was being discharged as a matter of routine, leads to four major schools of Doraha viz Shakti Public School, Saraswati Public School, Guru Teg Bahadur School and Shri Guru Harkrishan Public School. Principal Shri Guru Harkrishan Public School Manjushah Vinayak said: “We are literally fed up by the ways of the council. The constant discharge of sewerage water in the school building carries every risk of the foundation getting weak to the extent of collapsing one fine day. Apart from foul smell, unhygienic surroundings created by the stagnant water, garbage, which the townsters dump every now and then, has literally converted the place into a virtual hell.”

“We have a complete file of complaints made to the Municipal Council. Every time we make a complaint they change the course of the sewer discharge. But again after some days the same situation persists. Now we have decided to approach the SDM Payal in this matter. After all it is now assuming dangerous proportions and we cannot allow this at the cost of the security of our children,” she rued.

On the other hand, several acres of land, specifically, allocated for setting up of an Advanced Training Institute, has been transformed into a dumping ground. In the wake of telling weather conditions, an epidemic outbreak is not far to seek.

“The indifference of Pollution Control Board and that of the Municipal Council of Doraha shall surely cost us dear. It seems that the council has not been able to find any better option and space for disposal of the garbage of towns and sewerage water, for which the land allocated for establishing an advanced training institute, has been made the dumping ground,” said Harpratap Brar, general secretary of GNN College, Doraha.

“The Municipal Council may be in a tight spot due to the lack of drainage space but at the same time does it think that it is the duty of the residents to find a permanent solution? It has been hundreds of times that the townsters of various wards, who are facing tough time due to sewerage accumulation in their streets and at times even inside their houses, have asked the council to act sharply over the issue but every time the matter is dissuaded either by temporary evacuation or by false assurances, ” said Jagjiwan Pal Singh Gill.

“The paucity of space for the dumping of sewer water and waste is the gravest problem being faced by the residents at present. Its open dumping has multiplied the sanitary problems of the residents. The Municipal Committee of Doraha has failed to find any concrete solution to the alarming drainage problem faced by the residents for years together,” said Jandeep kaushal, a resident of the area.

“We are already aware of the seriousness of the issue but we are helpless as the space for drainage is less. But we are already in for setting up a water treatment plant for which a total of four sites have been finalised, out of which, two i.e. at Doraha village and Satnam Nagar have been approved, while the other two on Jaipura road and Arraichan road, await approval still,” informed the Council Chief Inderjit Singh Kala.

Ludhiana, April 22
A competition to design the stamps was organised on an event to promotion philately by Ludhiana Philatelic Club at Lion's Club here today. As many as eight schools participated in the event including BCM Arya Model School, Spring Dale Public School, International Public School, Sat Paul Mittal School, Bhartiya Vidta Mandir School.

The themes of the event were save earth, road safety and eye care. The top prizes were won by BCM Arya Model School and Sat Paul Mittal School, said Yashpal Bangia, president of the club.

He said that those who participated were given kits containing stamps, first day cover and information brochures about philately.

Auction of stamps was also organised during the event. It was the first ever auction of stamps organised in the city, siad Mukesh Malhotra, public relations officer of the club.

About 80 items were opened for bidding, and about half were sold. Around 20 collectors participated in the auction. A collector’s pack from the year 91 to 95 opened at the base price of Rs 11,000 was sold at Rs 22,000. Old stamps like an 1852 stamp of Sind Dawk, white were opened for bidding.

Ludhiana, April 22
Four professors of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) joined as new heads of different departments.

Dr PD Juyal, Registrar of the university, said Dr Iqbal Singh Bajwa, senior poultry geneticist has been appointed head of the department (HoD) of animal genetics and breeding. A veterinary graduate from GB Pant University, Pantnagar, he did his PhD in animal genetics and breeding from PAU, Ludhiana, before joining the department in 1985.

Initially as an extension specialist, he motivated poor women of rural areas into acquiring training and setting up poultry and dairy units, which improved their socio-economic condition. With specialisation in poultry breeding, he devoted his career to the development and genetic improvement of poultry stocks at the poultry farm of the university. He had been instrumental in developing and the release of a commercial broiler stock (IBL-80) at the national level, quail stock (Punjab White Quail) at the state level and a tinted egg laying rural bird (Punjab Red).

Dr Baljinder Kumar Bansal has been appointed as the HoD, veterinary medicine. He has more than 22 years of experience in teaching, research and extension activities of the university. He primarily worked on udder health and milk quality in dairy animals. He has handled seven research projects as principal/co-principal investigator, and guided five MVSc and one PhD students.

Bansal has to his credit 67 research papers, 22 invited papers, 20 extension articles and 75 conference presentations. He has attended 29 national and 14 international conferences in Germany, Holland, Denmark, Netherlands, Hungary and New Zealand. He is also a Fellow of National Academy of Veterinary Sciences of India and has been awarded the prestigious German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Scholarship for doctoral studies.

Prof Parkash Singh Brar has been appointed as the HoD of the department of veterinary gynaecology and obstetrics. His major research interests are nutrition-reproduction interactions and oestrus synchronisation in dairy animals. He has worked as principal investigator in six research projects, including two from FAO/IAEA joint division Vienna, Austria. He has visited more than 10 Asian and European countries under various programmes.

Apart from 70 research, 31 extension and 42 invited papers. He imparted training to fellows from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Tanzania, Myanmar and Mongolia under the International Atomic Energy Agency fellowship programme and received an appreciation certification from IAEA for such activities. Brar has been awarded the Young Scientist award by the ISSAR thrice for best scientific presentations in national symposia. He is a member of several national scientific societies.

Dr Amarjit Singh, professor of veterinary pathology has joined as the in charge, Animal Disease Research Centre (ADRC). He has been working as a veterinary pathologist since 1991. He has guided 6 MVSc students and published 60 original research papers in national and international journals. Recently, Singh has been admitted as Diplomate, ICVP, by the Indian College of Veterinary Pathologists, a new body instituted to conduct the Certification Examination for Veterinary Pathologists in India on the lines of American College of Veterinary Pathologists. The Indian Association of Veterinary Pathologists (IAVP) has conferred the most prestigious fellowship award of the association on him. He has completed several research projects on avian diseases in India and abroad. He did his PhD research at the Institute of Poultry Diseases, Free University, Berlin, Germany.

Ludhiana, April 22
Punjab depot holders held a meeting recently and discussed about the Central Government's decision to slash the kerosene quota of Punjab by 63 per cent.

Speaking on the occasion, Gurjinder Singh Sidhu, member of the action committee said that they would take the matter to the CM and ask him to intervene into it. "The quota has been slashed and this will directly affect those families who cannot even afford gas cylinders.

"Instead of providing facilities to the poor, the Central Government has slashed the kerosene quota. We will present our memorandum to the CM shortly and will request him to intervene into the matter," he said. He added the state govt had said that it had always been supporting the poor by giving wheat and pulses at the affordable prices but this policy of the Central Govt will prove a burden on the poor.— TNS

Ludhiana, April 22
In a novel initiative, the Dehlon Police Station and Salaam Zindagi Foundation organised a blood donation camp at Gurudwara Manji Sahib, Alamgir, near here today.

A total of 140 units of blood were collected for thalassaemia patients during the camp. The blood bank teams of the Civil Hospital and Deep Hospital collected the blood.

Phillaur, April 22
Over 46 acres of wheat crop was reduced to ashes after a fire broke out in the fields in nearby villages Mauli, Pandhwa, Randhirgarh, Phillaur, Goraya, Nakodar.

Phillaur: One motorcyclist borne youth was killed while his pillion rider friend Gaurav Kumar sustained serious injuries, after their motorcycle rammed into a truck loaded with iron rods that was parked truck near Goraya last night.

Ludhiana, April 22
The court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate BK Sharma has summoned two Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited officials in a defamation case.

The court has ordered the officials, namely RK Aggarwal, AGM (legal) and SP Garg, SDE (legal) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Bharat Nagar Chowk, Ludhiana, to appear before the court on April 27. The orders were pronounced in a complaint filed by RD Chhabra, a city-based advocate.

The complainant had submitted before the court that the accused persons defamed him in the eyes of general public by using derogatory language in two letters.

It was submitted that he was counsel for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) since 2003. He conducted thousands of cases favourably for the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and sent a number of bills towards his professional fee. Numerous bills were not cleared. In this connection, he used to approach accused persons for the clearance of his bills. But they kept on delaying the matter on one pretext or another.

“When I insisted on payment, the accused wrote two letters, calling me totally unprofessional,” added the complainant.

The said letters were sent to him not by registered post but through ordinary post. Letters were opened and read by the staff of complainant before placing of the same before him. Some other persons sitting there also read the same, resulting in his defamation. Those people spread this news to others, which lowered his reputation, the complainant further stated.