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Faridkot villagers exchange fire over flood water drainage
Flood water recedes in Fazilka dist
Two injured in firing at Sriganganagar village |
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RTI Revelation
Two held with heroin worth Rs 5 cr
Tota Singh loyalist elected Moga ZP chief
Mumbai NGO quits mid-day meal project
Engine of goods train derails
2 pilgrims killed in road mishap
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Faridkot villagers exchange fire over flood water drainage
Faridkot, August 25 Beside deploying heavy police force in Qila Nau and Ratti Rori villages, to avoid any clash between the residents of the two flood ravaged villages, the police and the district administration decided to seize the fire-arms of all the residents. Besides stepping up police presence around the perimeter of both the villages, the district administration has urged Sarvesh Kaushal, principal secretary, irrigation department, to help in shifting some water pumps from the flood-affected Muktsar area to Faridkot, so that the accumulated rain water from Qila Nau village could be drained into a canal. For the last three days, tension has been simmering in Qila Nau and Ratti Rori, the two adjoining villages. As the low-lying Qila Nau village was inundated with rainwater, the residents wanted to drain out the flood water after laying pipes in Ratti Rori. But the residents of Ratti Rori village were opposing the move, apprehending it would damage their crops. After the residents of Qila Nau yesterday met the Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, asking him to lay the pipes, a team of the revenue and drainage department, accompanied by the police, reached the village to lay pipes but the farmers in Ratti Rori were up in arms. As a result, the pipes could not be laid. Tension kept running high and today, during an altercation between the residents of the two villages, there was a firing incident but no harm was reported. The DC and the SSP rushed to the village in the evening to pacify the residents. Ravi Bhagat, DC, Faridkot, said keeping in view the interests of the two villages, the drainage department has been directed to drain out the flood water from Qila Nau village with the help of a dozen pumping machines into a water channel and route it further into a drainage canal. “We have requested the principal secretary, irrigation department, to send some water pumping machines from Muktsar to Faridkot, keeping in view the tense situation. The work will start on Monday morning,” said the DC. However, the residents of Qila Nau village said cleaning up flood-damaged homes is a long process. "We requested the district administration to help us in laying the pipes in Ratti Rori village to siphon off the water and a team of the drainage department reached our village. But after receiving a phone call from an Akali MLA, the team members left the village before starting the work," said Gurpreet Singh, a resident of the village. |
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Flood water recedes in Fazilka dist
Fazilka, August 25 According to the villagers, barring the flood prone Mohar Jamsher village, the water level has reduced by at least two to three feet. According to Executive Engineer, Drainage Department, Gulshan Nagpal, 68,000 cusecs of water has been released from Hussainiwala upstream as compared to the maximum release of 1,13,000 cusecs during the peak flood time. “Since the water level has come down to some extent, we have started taking care of motors and crops in the fields,” said Harbans Singh of border village Teja Rohela. The road connecting a dozen villages with Kanwanwali Pattan bridge has also become visible. It had been submerged under three feet deep water resulting in the snapping of road link for these villages. “Hopefully, the situation would become normal in a few days,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner Charandev Singh Maan. But Pakistan continues to play spoilsport for the flood victims of border villages. The backlash of water from the Pakistan side today posed a threat of breach at reduced distance (RD) 28 near the barbed wire fencing on the strategically important Left Marginal Bundh, also known as Kanwanwali bundh. “Efforts are being made on a war footing to save the bundh and a cluster of 16 villages from being inundated,” said Nagpal. Flood has wreaked havoc in Fazilka district as standing crops of cotton, paddy, moong and greed fodder in nearly 45,000 acres of land in 85 villages have been inundated. Five persons have already lost their lives in the flood water. The villagers have also complained of not getting the desired relief material despite the instructions of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal during his visit to flood affected area recently. |
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Two injured in firing at Sriganganagar village
Abohar, August 25 The police said officials of the drainage department, assisted by Buta Singh and other farmers, visited a bundh that had been raised on Ghaggar river by some persons to save their farms located in 18SB village. The officials were convinced that checking natural flow of water could pose immediate threat to hundreds of houses. As they tried to dismantle the bundh with the help of farmers of village Chak 9GB, Hira Ram and his son Gopi Ram allegedly resisted and opened firing indiscriminately resulting in injuries to Saleem and Amarjit. They have been admitted to the civil hospital and their condition has been described as stable. The accused fled after the incident. A case of attempt to murder has been registered against them. |
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RTI Revelation
Faridkot, August 25 Fitted with many ACs and many other electric gadgets at the their residence, the monthly power bill of these officers in Ferozepur railway division was most of times very meager, even below Rs 300 per month in the last two years. Reason being that these officers put the heavy burden of the power consumed at their residence on their offices which are situated adjacent to their residence. While every railway employee has to pay his domestic electricity bill from his own pocket but as the power bill of the office is paid by the Indian Railway, so these officers preferred to adopt the circuitous route of their offices to get power supply and avoid their liability. Thus these officers save their money, shifting the burden of their power bills on Indian Railways, revealed RTI information. So it is not astonishing that the monthly power consumption at the official residences of some senior ranked officers, having three ACs at their residence, as per Punjab State Power Corporation Limited records, is meager Rs 214 per month. The information procured by Surinder Kumar from PSPCL revealed that a senior railway officer, having three 3 ACs installed at his residence paid just Rs 291 per month average bill in the last one year. The average power bill at the residence of a second rung divisional railway officer was mere Rs 199 per month on an average for the last two years. Amazingly a senior officer in the audit department of Indian Railway in Ferozepur Division had an average power bill of Rs 124 per month for the last 24 months. The RTI information revealed that it is not only the Railway officers but even some officials in Railway Protection Force also diverted the power supply to their residence though their offices. While the railway authorities in Ferozepur division skirted the issue, saying they have no knowledge about it, the PSPCL authorities say they were concerned with the metering of the consumed power. “Whether the bill is accounted in the railway budget or in the account of an officer individually, it is not our concern,” he said. |
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Two held with heroin worth Rs 5 cr
Ferozepur, August 25 Manminder Singh, SSP, said the police has launched a massive crusade against the drug peddlers. He said today a special police team had laid a barrier on Makhu road when they spotted a white Indica Car coming from Amritsar side. The SSP said on noticing the presence of the police team, the accused tried to flee but were successfully chased and apprehended by the police. During the search, the police team recovered heroin from their possession. The accused were identified as Dharminder Singh, a resident of Chehrata, in Amritsar and Harpal Singh of Kapurthala. A case has been registered against the accused under the NDPS Act. |
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Tota Singh loyalist elected Moga ZP chief
Moga, August 25 A loyalist of senior Akali leader Jathedar Tota Singh, she is the wife of a former head constable Bhupinder Singh Sahoke, who was denied the SAD ticket from Nihalsinghwala (reserved) constituency in the 2012 assembly elections. Then, he was also a councillor in Moga Municipal Council. Amarjit won the Zila Parishad election from Bilaspur zone by a margin of over 7,000 votes. She resigned as a government teacher to successfully contest the polls. Earlier, another woman candidate, Jaswinder Kaur, who won from Gholia zone with the help of Nihalsinghwala MLA Rajwinder Kaur, also locked horns for the chairperson’s post but could not put her candidature strongly. Tota Singh held a series of meetings with the newly elected ZP members and managed to convince them of the need for a consensus on Sahoke’s name. Her name was proposed by Baldev Singh Ghal Kalan, and seconded by Paramjit Singh Tarewala. She was elected to the post unanimously. Similarly, Jasbir Kaur of Vandran village was also elected as the vice-chairperson of the Zila Parishad unanimously. Local observers were of the view that Jathedar Tota Singh has emerged stronger within the party in Moga district after Sahoke’s election to this prestigious post. Sahoke hails from Nihalsinghwala constituency represented by Rajwinder Kaur. Of late, she has emerged as a popular figure in the area, which appears to be a good sign for the party strongman because the woman MLA was not on good terms with Tota Singh whose ancestral village also falls in the area. A former MLA of the area, Ajit Singh Shant, who recently left the Congress to join the SAD has also backed Amarjit Sahoke saying he would extend his full cooperation to her. |
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Mumbai NGO quits mid-day meal project
Fazilka, August 25 A comprehensive survey conducted by this reporter regarding the project for supplying good quality mid-day meal to 93,669 students of 714 primary and elementary schools of the district revealed that the quality of mid-day meal has improved to some extent. But there are bottlenecks with which school heads, teachers and officials of the Education Department are grappling. According to the instructions, the heads have been assigned the job of procuring grains and food articles, if not provided by Punsup, the supplying agency, through loans. Besides, they have to manage the entire cooking material with the help of a cook-cum-helper, to be engaged at a paltry salary of Rs 1,200 per month for every 100 children. This would virtually mean Rs 50 to Rs 60 on each working day. It would entail preparing and serving the meals and cleaning the utensils. The daily wage earned by such helpers constitutes nearly 15 to 20 per cent of the labour charges of labourers who earn Rs 250 to 300 per day. The project of cooking mid-day meal on school premises itself has created problems for the teachers who have to be involved in the process of monitoring and supervising, thereby adversely affecting the studies. “Preparing mid-day meal in schools is a difficult and tardy job. Teachers have to be involved for its orderly preparation,” said the principal of Government Senior Secondary School for Boys, Fazilka, Ashok Chuchra. Besides, the Punjab State Mid-Day Meal Society has directed all District Education Officers, vide its letter dated August 13, that an amount of Rs 3.34 per student for primary and Rs 5 for elementary school be spent. It has also laid down strict quality norms for food articles to be purchased like green vegetable etc. “It is not possible to provide high quality food at such a meagre amount,” said an official engaged in mid-day meal cooking. “The mid-day project is running smoothly and good quality food is being provided to the students in Fazilka district,” claimed District Education Officer Sandeep Dhuria. The schools heads and teachers are scared of any mishap taking place due to unforeseen circumstances. Security of food grains, utensils, gas cylinders, cooking stoves and the timely supply of fresh vegetables is also hazardous, particularly in the remote rural areas. The employees are demanding that a separate agency must be entrusted with the job of providing quality mid-day meal to esnure uninterrupted studies in the schools. |
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Engine of goods train derails
Barnala, August 25 The Station House Officer (SHO) of Government Railway Police (GRP), Sangrur, Gurcharan Singh said after receiving information he immediately rushed to the spot. He said due to derailment of the goods train’s engine, the Bathinda-Ambala bound passenger train was stopped at Tapa railway station while the Ambala-Bathinda passenger train was stopped at Dhuri railway station. |
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2 pilgrims killed in road mishap
Abohar, August 25 The victims were coming from Uttar Pradesh to Gogamedi, near Hanumangarh, to pay obeisance at the tombs of Goga Peer also known as Gogamadi temple. Nihal Singh Bagar (25) of Kasganj and Shrichand Jatav (28) of Afzalpur (Ghaziabad) were killed on the spot as they fell down from the roof of an overloaded bus after they were struck by heavy branches of a tree. Three other co-passengers received injuries and were admitted to the district hospital. The police said a case against the driver of the bus, owned by a private company, has been registered and the vehicle was impounded. |
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