B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Staff crunch hits healthcare facilities in Muktsar villages
Muktsar, August 16
The acute shortage of rural medical officers has been affecting healthcare services in Muktsar district. For instance, to run as many as 44 health centres in the district, there are only 18 doctors working at present.

Forest cover increased in state, says minister
Barnala, August 16
With the efforts made by the state government during the past several years, 100 sq km area has been brought under forest cover in Punjab whereas in other states the area under forests has decreased.

Showers mars celebrations in Muktsar
Muktsar, August 16
Heavy rain marred the Independence Day celebrations at Muktsar town on Thursday. Students, who had prepared for a number of cultural items, had to return without performance. Only two cultural items were presented and thereafter, it started raining heavily.

I-Day celebrated with fervour in Barnala
Barnala, August 16
On the 67th Independence Day, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Balbir Singh Ghunas unfurled the National Flag at the Baba Kala Mahir Stadium here yesterday. Deputy Commissioner Dr Indu Malhotra and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Snehdeep Sharma were among those present.

Woman ends life in Moga village
Moga, August 16
A 30-year-old woman has allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her residence in Singhawala village on the outskirts of Moga city on Thursday.

Protesters seek drainage of rainwater from farmland
Muktsar, August 16
Residents of a number of villages today blocked the Muktsar-Kotkapura and the Muktsar-Ferozepur highways demanding immediate drainage of stagnant rainwater from their fields.

Staff crunch hits healthcare facilities in Muktsar villages
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 16
The acute shortage of rural medical officers has been affecting healthcare services in Muktsar district. For instance, to run as many as 44 health centres in the district, there are only 18 doctors working at present.

According to the latest data procured from the Zila Parishad office, 26 more MBBS and MD doctors are required to run the dispensaries, but the situation has turned such that some doctors have been given charge of three dispensaries.

"Though it is not possible for a doctor to run three dispensaries at the same time, no other option is available," said an official working under the Zila Parishad. He further said that some time ago, four doctors were transferred to other districts and two had recently availed of study leave.

The maximum number of 14 health centres are in Lambi block, 12 in Muktsar block, 11 in Gidderbaha block and seven in Malout block.

Giving reasons behind the shortage of medicos, an MBBS doctor said that hardly any outsider was willing to join rural health centres belonging to the Zila Parishad and those already deployed too were lobbying hard for transfers.

Similarly, villagers in these areas said the state government had failed to provide healthcare facilities in the villages. "Go either to the dispensaries being run by state health department or the dispensaries belonging to the Zila Parishad. The situation is almost the same everywhere, leaving people with no other option but to travel to nearby towns for treatment," said the residents.

Ramvir Singh, ADC (D), Muktsar, said, "We have informed the higher authorities about the problems affecting the rural dispensaries. Presently, we have given additional charge to each doctor of one or two dispensaries."

The ADC (D) admitted that this was affecting the health services. "It is not possible for every doctor to daily visit two or three dispensaries. As a result, rural healthcare facilities are getting affected," added Ramvir.

Dearth of docs

• To run as many as 44 health centres in the district, there are only 18 doctors.
• As many as 26 more MBBS and MD doctors are required to run the dispensaries, but the situation has turned such that some doctors have been given charge of three dispensaries.

Forest cover increased in state, says minister
Tribune News Service

Barnala, August 16
With the efforts made by the state government during the past several years, 100 sq km area has been brought under forest cover in Punjab whereas in other states the area under forests has decreased.

Stating this at the PWD Rest House here today, Forest Minister of the state Surjit Kumar Jyani said the Forest Department had fixed a target of planting 4.75 crore saplings during this monsoon to bring more area under forests. The government had earmarked Rs 70 crore for the purpose, he added. He claimed that about 88 per cent saplings, planted last year in the state, had survived as forest officials and people had been nursing them.

The minister said his department had been supplying saplings of various trees free of cost to educational institutions, NGOs, religious organisations and others to increase the forest area from the present seven per cent to 15 per cent during the next seven years.

He said the Forest Department had chalked out a programme relating to plantation of saplings in assistance with the Department of Rural Development on vacant lands lying in villages.

Jyani said under the programme, 90,000 hectares of vacant land had been identified in 9,145 villages of the state where saplings would be planted.

He also appealed to people to plant at least five saplings on the birth of a daughter in their respective homes.

Showers mars celebrations in Muktsar
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 16
Heavy rain marred the Independence Day celebrations at Muktsar town on Thursday. Students, who had prepared for a number of cultural items, had to return without performance. Only two cultural items were presented and thereafter, it started raining heavily.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mohinder Kaur Josh unfurled the National Flag and took salute from a march past comprising contingents of Muktsar police, home guards, NCC cadets, scouts and guides.

The CPS also highlighted the achievements of Muktsar district.

Meanwhile, members of the District Congress Committee too celebrated the Independence Day.

In Malout and Gidderbaha sub-divisional towns, Sub-divisional Magistrates Amandeep Bansal and Kumar Amit unfurled the National Flag, respectively, during functions organised to mark the occasion.

I-Day celebrated with fervour in Barnala
Tribune News Service

Barnala, August 16
On the 67th Independence Day, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Balbir Singh Ghunas unfurled the National Flag at the Baba Kala Mahir Stadium here yesterday. Deputy Commissioner Dr Indu Malhotra and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Snehdeep Sharma were among those present.

Ghunas inspected the parade and took salute from a march past comprising contingents of police, NCC and Scouts.

He also remembered freedom fighters and the sacrifices made by them for the freedom of the country.

PT show and cultural programme were also presented by children. As many as 19 freedom fighters and 23 other persons were honoured on the occasion. Twelve women belonging to weaker sections were given sewing machines while eight poor differently abled persons were given tricycles by the District Red Cross Society, Barnala.

The CPS also announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh from his discretionary fund for erecting sheds on the stage of the Baba Kala Mahir Stadium here.

Woman ends life in Moga village
Tribune News Service

Moga, August 16
A 30-year-old woman has allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her residence in Singhawala village on the outskirts of Moga city on Thursday.

The deceased’s father, Satpal of Mallanwala village (Ferozepur), alleged that his daughter Renu Bala was being harassed by her husband and in-laws for the past couple of years for not conceiving. The couple already has a male child. Her husband and in-laws wanted another child but she was having some health problem. “She was being regularly harassed over the issue and it forced her to commit suicide,” he alleged.

The City (South) police has booked the deceased’s husband Ranjit Kumar, father-in-law Krishan Kumar and two other members of their family on the charge of abetment to suicide.

Protesters seek drainage of rainwater from farmland
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 16
Residents of a number of villages today blocked the Muktsar-Kotkapura and the Muktsar-Ferozepur highways demanding immediate drainage of stagnant rainwater from their fields.

The residents of Jhabelwali village blocked the Muktsar-Kotkapura road for almost two-and-a-half hours alleging that since the drains were not cleaned properly, their agricultural fields got inundated after rain. They sought action against the erring officials of the Drainage Department.

Similarly, the residents of Lubanianwali and Seerwali villages blocked the Muktsar-Ferozepur road for almost four hours. The reports of a road blockade were also received from Warring village and also from Gidderbaha sub-division.

Meanwhile, a breach in minor at Madhir village inundated crops on nearly 60 acres.

An official in the Irrigation Department said the department had received nearly 10 complaints of breaches in minors, which occurred due to the incessant rain.

The rainwater also inundated all major roads and streets in Muktsar town.