B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Farmers dread more rain
Bathinda, August 6
The rain gods have been benevolent on the Malwa region of the state this year with the agriculture experts saying only one or two spell of rain would be enough for the Kharif crops. People hardened by the rough weather in the semi-arid zone of the state are highly contented and don’t want more rain as crops may be damaged.

Missing Ludhiana property dealer found dead in Moga village
Moga, August 6
The body of a property dealer missing from Ludhiana for the last few days was recovered from a canal near Fatehgarh Panchtoor village of Moga district on Monday.

RTI activist assaulted
Barnala, August 6
A local RTI activist Tarsem Lal “Neelee Chhatriwala” was today “beaten up” by some unidentified persons here. He sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the local Civil Hospital, from where he was shifted to the DMC Hospital, Ludhiana. However, the assailants managed to flee from the spot.

Farmers dread more rain
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 6
The rain gods have been benevolent on the Malwa region of the state this year with the agriculture experts saying only one or two spell of rain would be enough for the Kharif crops. People hardened by the rough weather in the semi-arid zone of the state are highly contented and don’t want more rain as crops may be damaged.

Bathinda recorded 60.2 mm rain till 3:30 pm today as the heavy downpour continued all day. Barring Mansa district, rain has been good all over the region. Figures from the PAU regional station and various districts reveal that more rain was recorded this year than the last. Mansa though had a dry July but it had good rainfall in June providing hopes of a better gwar and cotton crops.

But heavy rains have proved to be a bane for residents in the urban areas. With a non-existent rainwater drainage system, choked drains and sewer pipes, water gets accumulated on roads causing misery to the people. Reports from Faridkot, Ferozepur, Muktsar, Moga, Abohar, Fazilka, Mansa and Bathinda reveal that the authorities have failed miserably in preventing the accumulation of water.

Bathinda city is the worst hit with the Deputy Commissioner’s house and that of other officials becoming inaccessible during the rains. Sand bags outside their houses have become a permanent feature. Similarly, all urban towns report failure of the municipal officials in taking remedial measures against the accumulation of rainwater.

The only readiness of the administration is that two boats are permanently stationed at the residence of the Deputy Commissioner and the SSP. Old timers recall that when the Army built a new cantonment in the 1980s here, they made an excellent drainage system in it. They offered help to the then civil administration for laying a similar drainage system but the bureaucracy did not agree. Bathinda still has no rain drainage system to boast of.

Ferozepur recorded 208 mm of rains against only 58 mm last year.

Bathinda recorded 106 mm while last year, it received only 36 mm of rain.

Faridkot recorded the highest rainfall in the last four years. It received 366 mm of rain while last year, it was only 140 mm. Muktsar, this season, measured 170 mm of rainfall while it was less than 130 mm last year. Moga recorded as much as 140 mm of rainfall in the month of June only while last year during the same month, it had 4 mm of rainfall.

Though exact figures from Abohar and Fazilka were not available, agriculture officials in these towns said the rainfall was sufficient and any more may be good for recharging the groundwater but harmful for the cotton and gwar crops.

Experts feel that areas under cotton and gwar may do without any further rain. They were of the opinion that paddy too does not need much rain now.

Dr Rajinder Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer, Bathinda, said an area of nearly one lakh hectare was covered under the gwar crop and one and a half under the cotton due to which more rains can be harmful, “We thank the heavens for the good rain and don’t want more though showers here and there may not harm the crops. Even paddy doesn’t need more rain and can be grown with canal water.”

“The timely rain has warded off the furious attack of pest like white fly, aphids and jesid on sown cotton plants at this stage," said Agriculture Development Officer, Fazilka, Ram Swaroop.

The rain has been quite beneficial for green fodder and moong lentil.

With inputs by Nikhila Pant Dhawan, Kulwinder Sandhu, Archit Watts, Balwant Garg, Praful Nagpal and Raj Sadosh

Missing Ludhiana property dealer found dead in Moga village
Tribune News Service

Moga, August 6
The body of a property dealer missing from Ludhiana for the last few days was recovered from a canal near Fatehgarh Panchtoor village of Moga district on Monday.

The Ludhiana police has initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC but the two sons of the deceased have alleged that their father was murdered due to business rivalry.

The SHO of Dugri police station, Satwinder Singh, said a property dealer, Amar Singh, a resident of Guru Nanak Colony in Ludhiana, went missing on August 2 and a report in this regard was recorded in the daily dairy register of the police station.

“Yesterday, we got information from the Moga police that the body of Amar Singh has been recovered from Sidhwan branch of a canal, which flows through Ludhiana and Moga districts. I went to Moga along with the two sons of the missing property dealer who identified the body. A three-member board of doctors was constituted to conduct the post-mortem examination in which it has been confirmed that Amar Singh died of drowning and we initiated inquest proceedings into the incident,” the SHO said. He said the samples of viscera had been taken from the body and sent to a government laboratory for chemical examination.

“As of now, there appears to be no foul play,” the SHO said.

On the other hand, the sons of the deceased, Karam Singh and Dharam Singh, alleged that their father went to meet another property dealer on August 2 and did not return home. “We suspect our father has been murdered but the police is not taking legal action," they said.

Preliminary investigations had also revealed that Amar Singh was heavily drunk on the day he went missing. “There could be every possibility of a suicide or an accidental fall in the canal or a murder but action will be taken only after receiving the viscera examination report,” the SHO added. 

RTI activist assaulted
Tribune News Service

Barnala, August 6
A local RTI activist Tarsem Lal “Neelee Chhatriwala” was today “beaten up” by some unidentified persons here. He sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the local Civil Hospital, from where he was shifted to the DMC Hospital, Ludhiana. However, the assailants managed to flee from the spot.

Some masked men attacked Tarsem Lal with rods and sticks when he was returning home in the afternoon. Tarsem’s family members asked the police to locate the accused and initiate action against them.

Barnala DSP Swaran Singh Khanna said a police official had been sent to record the statement of the injured. Later, a case would be registered and proceedings would be initiated to nab the accused, he added.