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Destroying crop residue remains a burning issue
nasha mukti abhiyan
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Harassed by aunt, 22-yr-old woman commits suicide
One killed in mishap
NGOs adopt areas to manage solid waste
Women & child helpline in distress
Better services sought at Bebe Nanki health centre
Look hot in cool cotton fabrics
Purse snatched
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Destroying crop residue remains a burning issue
Amritsar, April 29 The main reason is that the government has failed to equip farmers with economically viable methods to destroy crop residue. Though the district administration initiated a move to implement the Paddy Burning Act, but it was shot down by the state government, on the pretext that no other alternatives were available. In Amritsar, the district administration had introduced baler machine imported from the US, which could recycle the paddy residue into fuel generating source and to generate animal feed as well. The same was not cost effective. Even as the district administration had made arrangements with the firm to provide this machinery on the subsidised rate of Rs 85,000, yet there were not many takers. Thereafter, more ‘crop shredding machines’, which were ten-times cheaper than the baler machines were launched which used to shred the stubble and straw of the crop into small pieces and spread them back into the fields. But this machine too could not catch the fancy of the farmers, and they preferred matchstick to destroy the stubble. “We are aware that burning of wheat stubble is banned and we also know about its adverse impact, but we have no alternative. All government’s inventions of stubble removing methods are costly. The subsidies remain only on paper whereas nothing happens on the ground,” a farmer from a village near Attari alleged. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that ever since harvesting began in Punjab, a thick cloud of smoke soaring towards the sky is a common sight. Apart from causing harm to the atmosphere and creating imbalances, the burning of wheat stubble has become a major factor in road accidents. During every wheat and paddy season, thousands of trees on both sides of the main and link roads and in farms get burnt with the burning of stubble. Stubble burning is not only injurious to health of humans but the process is also harmful for the farmers as well. Experts believe that several crop-friendly pests that save crops from harmful insects get destroyed in the fire. The heat generated by the fire also decreases the fertility of the soil by burning micro nutrients, said Dr Inderjeet Singh, an agriculture department official. Dr SS Shergill, principal of Government Medical College said every post harvesting season, the hospitals get more patients with chest related problems as the smoke leads to asphyxia or asthma in patients. Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said, “It is true that there is no economical medium available with us to dispose of the crop refuse. Yet, in collaboration with the agriculture department, we are in the process of launching awareness campaign among the farmers. The wheat stubble burning is banned and the district had issued orders prohibiting the same. We have already issued an advisory and warnings in this regard.”
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nasha mukti abhiyan
Amritsar, April 29 Ajaibir, an employee of the railways, bagged the top prize of Rs 1 lakh in the men’s 20 km open race. In the school children’s category (girls), Amandeep Kaur and Seema Devi from the city bagged the first two positions in the 10 km race. They won cash prizes of Rs 50,000 and 10,000, respectively. The third place went to Komal Rani of Ambala who won Rs 4,000. In the school boys’ category, Amritsar’s Ranjit Kumar won the first position as well as a cash prize of Rs 50,000. The second and third places went to Amritsar’s Chandermani Singh and Shamsher Singh. They also won cash prizes of Rs 10,000 and Rs 4,000, respectively. In the senior citizens category, the first place (Rs 50,000) went to Amritsar’s Gurpal Singh and the second prize (Rs 10,000) to Paramjit Singh of Zirakpur and the third place (Rs 4,000) to Jarnail Singh of Amritsar. In the girls’ category, participants from PAP Jalandhar stole the limelight. The first place carrying a cash prize of Rs 50,000 went to Sarbjit Kaur, the second (Rs 10,000) and the third place (Rs 4,000) went to Asha Rani and Sandeep Kaur. In the 20-km mens’ category, the second (Rs 10,000) and third place (Rs 4,000) went to Pritam Kumar of Dehradun and Ram Milan of Bhopal. MLA Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu gave away the prizes.
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Harassed by aunt, 22-yr-old woman commits suicide
Amritsar, April 29 Dilbagh Singh, the victim’s father in his complaint to the police alleged that the accused used to file false cases against him and his daughter without any provocation. He alleged his daughter and the accused quarreled on April 26 following which she consumed poison. Arjun Kumar, in charge Sultanwind police chowki and the investigating officer said Manjit Kaur and her family were absconding after the registration of the case. He said raids are on to nab the accused.
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One killed in mishap
Amritsar, April 29 The victims were on
their way to Amritsar in their tractor trolley laden with wooden logs.
Sardool told the police that Jatinder parked the trolley on the roadside
near Rokhe village to check the air pressure in the tyres when a
speeding bus hit the trolley as a result the tractor trolley started
moving and crushed him. He died on way to the hospital.
— TNS
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NGOs adopt areas to manage solid waste
Amritsar, April 29 “We had a meeting with the MC officials and we decided to adopt these two areas to show the way,” said Deepak Babbar of Mission Aagaaz. He said the NGO will help in the segregation of solid waste in the two areas besides develop green belts. “If we can segregate solid waste, it will decrease the load on the waste disposal site at Bhaktanwala. Bio-degradable waste such as vegetables and fruits can easily be used as manure in kitchen gardens,” said Deepak Babbar. He said a review meeting will be held on May 13.
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Women & child helpline in distress
Amritsar, April 29 The cell was established by the then Senior Superintendent of Police Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh in 2009 to provide round-the-clock help to the victims of marital disputes, domestic violence, eve teasing as well as children in distress. The staff headed by an inspector rank woman police officer was also provided to the cell. Providing help to the victims of ragging in the educational institutes, offensive phone calls and e-mails besides protect girls from eve-teasing and snatchings, were among the prime objectives of the cell. “The cell was provided with a vehicle so that the staff could get to the spot to help victims. The staff also lodged FIR if required. The cell also had counselors to help the victims and the family members to solve any disputes,” said a woman police official attached with the cell earlier. She said the cell received a number of calls everyday and the staff was empowered to take action against the accused unlike today. “At present the cell only has three woman constables to attend to phone calls and then pass the information to the police station concerned. By the time the police team reaches the spot, a lot of time is wasted. Sometimes the officials at the police stations concerned are not available,” said a police official. Police Commissioner, RP Mittal, said ample staff will also be provided to the cell and therefore the cell was shifted to the CPRC centre at Rani Ka Bagh. He said a more appropriate place will be provided to the staff members.
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500 receive degrees at Khalsa College
Amritsar, April 29 He also urged upon educational institutions to frame new courses and syllabi to meet the requirements of the emerging professional-world of expertise, where only quality matters. Addressing Khalsa College’s 106th annual Convocation today he referred to history of the college established in 1892 and stressed upon the need for more such institutions like this to cater to the needs of high quality education. He lauded the grandeur of the architecture of the college. He distributed 500 degrees to graduate students and announced a grant of Rs 50 lakh for the college to strengthen its infrastructure and sought assistance from the social and educational organisations like Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) to help the government achieve the desired results. He said in this age of competition, the required reforms and changes were to be made to make education more job and profession-oriented. Badal admitted that due to his interest in politics he could not study much but the students must aim
higher. Earlier, KCGC president Satyajit Singh Majithia welcomed the Chief Minister. He said it was due to his pro-people policies and vision that the SAD-BJP alliance regained power in the state. KCGC honourary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina congratulated the students. Khalsa College principal Dr Daljit Singh read the annual report describing the achievements of the college and narrated major milestones that the college had accomplished in academics, sports, publication of books, conducting seminars and workshops and setting up new centres of learning. He said his faculty had always strived for excellence and thanked them for their dedication apart from students and their parents for showing immense confidence in the institute. The degrees were distributed to the students belonging to various streams, including science, arts and commerce. Cabinet ministers Gulzar Singh Ranike, KCGC vice-president Charanjit Singh Chadha, joint secretaries Gunbir Singh, Ajmer Singh Heir, Sardul Singh Mannan, Principals of various Khalsa institutions were present.
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Better services sought at Bebe Nanki health centre
He claimed that in case of electricity failure there is no provision to supply electricity to the lift as a result of which it becomes non-functional. “The patients can only be shifted through the stairs,” he said. He said a panel of doctors should be constituted to re-allocate the wards on the basis of ease and utility for the patients. “The gynaecology wards should be on the lower floors and children wards may be shifted to the upper floors,” he said.
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Partition a result of power struggle, says historian from Pakistan
Amritsar, April 29 Dr Ayesha Jalal has many introductions; grandniece of renowned Urdu writer and poet Saadat Hasan Manto, wife of Sugata Bose, prominent writer and scholar who is the grand nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose; recipient of Sitara-e-Imtiaz and a professor of History at Tufts University. But the woman lets her work do the talking. In Amritsar to take part and interact with book lovers at a library here, the scholar talked about the history and Partition, one of her favourite topics. "Partition was all about politics, nothing to do with religion," she said. "It was the result of a power tussle, and even prominent leaders at that time saw it as a way to eliminate competition and cover lack of cohesion amongst themselves," says the scholar whose book, the Sole Spokesman, examines what happened in the years between the 1937 elections and the Partition and Jinnah's Two Nation theory. Coming from a political background, her father was a Pakistani civil servant and inspired by her grand Uncle Manto's writings on Partition, Jalal's aim became clear very soon. All the major works explore the political histories of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Jalal's books 'The Sole Spokesman' and 'Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia' are works that try to trace the history of the subcontinent, including the origins and the tortured legacy of the Partition. She has also co-authored 'Modern South Asia: History, Culture and Political Economy' with her husband Sugata Bose, a book that is considered perhaps the first joint exercise by an Indian and a Pakistani in dissecting the history of modern South Asia. An authority on South Asia she has focused her attentions on the deficiency of historians in her homeland. "The academic growth of history in India has contributed to its development while Pakistan still craves for the same. In my own modest way, I am trying to address this issue by teaching history in Pakistan," she says. Teaching in the US, she says is different though. "People are very interested in history. I get Indian students who want to learn about Islam." Her latest work, 'Partisans of Allah: Jihad in South Asia' traces the discourse on jihad in South Asia over centuries.
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Look hot in cool cotton fabrics
Chic, elegant and casual have one of each kind in makes your summer wardrobe complete. “Long kurtas in Indian wear and casual western cut kurtas are a hit in summers. We have pants and capris in linen and cotton, which are comfortable as well as add style to summer dressing," says Shweta from a major retail outlet. Cool summer dresses and skirts in bandini cotton, batiks and handloom weave are also up for grabs. Smart Indo-western cotton and linen tops and kurtis are also available. Khadi outlets in the city too are major shopping hot spots for cotton lovers. Organic cotton clothes are also gaining popularity among the eco-conscious.
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Purse snatched
Amritsar, April 29 The Circuit House police chowki is located a few meters away from the spot. She had Rs 8,000 cash besides important documents in her purse.
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Amritsar, April 29
Amritsar, April 29