The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Illegal sand mining continues unabated in F’pur, Moga Kulwinder Sandhu/TNS Moga, November 8 With the state government yet to introduce the new mining policy as per the instructions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC), illegal sand mining in the Sutlej river belt in Ferozepur and Moga districts continues unabated even as the police have registered more than 100 criminal cases and seized many trucks and trailers in the last two months. As a result, shortage of sand has been created in the area and the common man is finding it difficult to get sand at an affordable price to carry out the construction work. In Moga, Ferozepur and other towns, trolleys containing about 160 square feet of sand are easily available at Rs 4,500 per trolley. They get off-loaded at the required destinations at night. Last year, these trolleys of sand were available at Rs 1,200 to Rs 2000, as per the distance of the destination. The rise in the price of sand has also simultaneously pushed up the rates of stone crusher. In January, this year, the price of crusher was Rs 20 to Rs 22 per square feet, which is now available at Rs 31 to Rs 35 per square feet, as per its quality and the distance of the destination. Inquiries revealed that many local-level leaders of the ruling party are carrying out this illegal business in connivance with the land owners by offering monetary benefits or by threatening them in areas like Peer Mohammad, Waris Wala Jattan, Khurki, Kareem Wala, Malang Shah Wala and its adjoining villages in Ferozepur district. In Moga district, such activities have been reported from Karaiwala, Kot Mohammad Khan and nearby villages. The land of farmers Bachitter Singh, Balwinder Singh, Swaran Singh and Kulbir Singh, all residents of Peer Mohammad village, has lost fertility, indicating a danger to the ecology of the area. District Magistrate of Moga, Arshdeep Singh Thind said he has asked the mining department to take stern legal action against the sand mafia but the department seems to have failed to curb the illegal mining of sand and its transportation. SSP Surjit Singh Grewal said he has asked the SHOs to constitute teams and set up special check posts to stop the transportation of sand at odd hours. “We have registered more than 60 criminal cases and impounded many vehicles,” he claimed. “The state government should comply with the orders of the HC and frame the mining policy at the earliest so as to pave the way for the auction of identified sites for scientific and regulated mining to put an end to the sand mafia and preserve the ecology of the area,” said Gurmej Singh, a resident of Kalu Arain village of Ferozepur district.
	Basmati growers taste handsome gains In comparison to last year, earn `900 more for a quintal of aromatic rice Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, November 8 A year after it dashed the hopes of farmers with its low price in the market, the long-grained Basmati rice, known for its aroma and flavour, is again reaping profit for its cultivators in the region. The price of Basmati which fell to Rs 1,500-Rs 1,600 per quintal last season, is witnessing a bullish trend this season with a rise of Rs 700-Rs 900 per quintal. PUSA 1121, a superior variety of Basmati, which had fetched the farmers between Rs 1,500-Rs 1,600 per quintal last season, yesterday got the farmers a rate as high as Rs 2459 per quintal in Kotkapura market of Faridkot. About 8000 quintals of Basmati crop reached Kotkapura mandia day earlier. Because of the rise in demand and price, Basmati growers faced no problems in selling and lifting their crop vis a vis the paddy growers who are facing troubles in the selling and lifting of their crop. As there is no MSP for Basmati, so all the stock of this aromatic rice is being purchased by the private traders, said Kaur Singh Dhillon, Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO), Faridkot. Because of the low price of Basmati last season, a large number of farmers did not go for this aromatic variety this season. Against the 9,000 hectares under Basmati cultivation in Faridkot last season, this year, the area decreased to about 5000 hectares under Basmati cultivation. Most of the farmers who opted for Basmati this season did not go voluntarily for this crop. It was the deficient rainfall and erratic power supply that drove them to Basmati because it needs less water and is a late sowing variety of rice. But it proved to be blessing in disguise for these farmers. Besides the comparatively less cost of inputs, the sale of Basmati is hassle-free, said Avtar Singh Sandhu, a farmer in Kameana village. Basmati traders attribute the upbeat price to the decreased domestic production and the increase in export demand for the crop. Last season, the trend was reverse. Increase in domestic production and lower export resulted in abundant availability in the domestic market. Last year, all Basmati varieties were showing a dip in prices but this season, there has been an upward trend, said the traders. They said as the Central Government has allowed free export of Basmati this season, so the country will be among the largest exporters of rice this year and more improvement in the price of this aromatic rice is expected. Against an area of 91000 hectares under paddy cultivation in Faridkot district, the area under Basmati cultivation was only 5,000 hectares and 18,000 hectares under cotton during the current season.
	Rs 50-lakh ATM theft case in sriganganagar Kingpin belonged to Bathinda, arrested Our Correspondent Abohar, November 8 With the arrest of Ravinder Singh Mann, a former lecturer in a private polytechnic based at Bathinda, the Sriganganagar police hope to crack at least 20 cases of thefts in ATMs in different states, including Punjab and Haryana. Mann was considered as the mastermind in the theft of Rs 50 lakh from four ATMs installed by the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ). Mann, a resident of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar in Bathinda, has been arrested in one case. Police teams are interrogating him to know about his accomplices. One of them, Richhpal Singh Jassa of Deep Singh Nagar in Bathinda, was arrested earlier. It was then that the police got clues to nab Maan. Notably, the images of two persons entering the cabin were spotted during the processing of secret camera footages seized from the ATMs of the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) in the first week of September. It visibly appeared that they snapped the CCTV wires after their entry. Rs 50 lakhs had been stolen without smashing the three ATMs, Chief Manager Lakhwinderjit Singh Dhillon had informed the police. The video footages reportedly indicated that two persons committed theft in between 10 pm to 4.40 am on the intervening night of August 27-28. Surprisingly, the bank officials learned about it only after receiving an SMS from a New Delhi-based company that monitors the ATMs. The SMS said either the ATMs did not have cash or had developed a major problem. It was found that Rs 20.99 lakh had been stolen from the ATM located near the Multipurpose School, 8.42 lakh from another ATM on the main road in Indira Nagari and Rs 19.90 lakh from the ATM on Chahal chowk near a petrol pump. The miscreants had decamped with the currency using secret passwords and there was no smashing of the equipment. The authorities said two officials are always deputed to load the currency and they are given different passwords. The miscreants had removed the feeding shelf also. They had snapped the wires of the CCTV cameras before entering the ATMs to avert recording but footages were vetted by a high-level team of cyber experts.
	CLP leader slams Deputy CM for ‘immature’ offer to Pakistan Our Correspondent Abohar, November 8 Leader of the Opposition in the state, Sunil Jakhar has slammed Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal for offering surplus power to the West Punjab province in Pakistan during a meeting with his counterpart at Lahore. Speaking to media during his march in the local markets to wish the people a happy Diwali, the CLP leader termed Sukhbir's offer as "immature". "East and West Punjab don't share any power transmission line and to make such an offer looks childish," said Jakhar. Recalling that the state-run Powercom had not been able to ensure even six-hour supply to the farmers as well as schools in the rural areas last year, Jakhar said even now supply is confined only to eight hours a day. Urban feeders in Abohar too are shut off daily as power generation doesn't meet the target. Many industries had shifted base to other states due to poor power supply that resulted in shutdowns twice a week. Cotton ginning and pressing factories can't be run round-the-clock due to shortage of power, said Jakhar.
	Ban on sale of crackers Our Correspondent Fazilka, November 8 District Magistrate Dr Basant Garg has imposed a ban on the sale of crackers and fireworks in areas other than those earmarked for the sale of these items to avoid any untoward incidents on or before Diwali. "The administration has identified Sadhu Ashram road in Fazilka, Nehru stadium in Abohar and old Tehsil road and old railway station road at Jalalabad for the sale of crackers," said Dr Garg. He said the setting up of cracker stalls would be allowed only after getting sale certificate from the administration. "Stern action would be taken against persons found selling crackers at any other place in the town," the DC warned. The district magistrate directed that the authorities at the sub-divisional headquarters would ensure the implementation of the order.