Bathinda, March 21
Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University Campus, Bathinda, today called off cultural events from the upcoming tech fest and also declared a half-day off after it received the news of the demise of one of its students, Kapil Goyal. Kapil was seriously injured in a road accident on Thursday night.

Blaming the faulty construction of the Dabwali railway overbridge, where Kapil met with an accident Director of the GZS-PTU campus Dr Prof Jasbir Singh Hundal said, “The planning of the ROB was faulty as while the road is four-lane, the ROB is a two-lane and sans a divider which is accident prone. Had there been a divider on the ROB, Kapil would have been alive.”

Kapil, a student of BTech (textile) at the GZS PTU campus, was riding pillion on a mobike which hit a car coming from the opposite direction on the ROB. His two friends, who were also riding the bike, sustained fractures. Kapil hailed from Anoopgarh in Rajasthan and was staying on the campus hostel.

Youngest of four siblings, Kapil is survived by his mother, two married sisters and an elder brother who runs a small mobile phone shop in Anoopgarh.

The family also couldn’t believe the uncanny similarity in which it lost two of its male members. Ten years ago, Kapil’s father had also met with an accident and succumbed to his injuries.

While Kapil’s family members couldn’t hold back their tears when they saw his body, their eyes also welled up as they couldn’t afford an ambulance to take the body to Anoopgarh and had to accept monetary help from the college authorities.

Bathinda, March 21
Paddy seeds, vegetable kits and cereals of worth nearly Rs 25 lakh were sold today to farmers from Bathinda and surrounding areas during the Kisan Mela organised by the Punjab Agriculture Department (PAU). As many as 143 stalls of the various private and government departments was also put on display during the Kisan Mela, which was held today at the Regional Station on the Dabwali Road.

The PAU earned a sum of nearly Rs 9.5 lakh from the one-day revenue collected from the rent of the different stalls. Out of 143 stalls, 116 were given to the private companies who displayed their private products ranging from pesticides, tractors, cars, agricultural tools and other products. Rs 100 per stall was charged from the roadside vends in and outside the venue of the Kisan Mela.

The government departments, including the agriculture department, the fishery department, the health department, polyclinic and others also put up their stalls to answer farmers’ queries, free of charge.

Apart from other variety seeds, maximum sale of basmati seed of PUSA-1121-100 quintal-was witnessed during the mela. 100 quintal of PUSA-1509, 90 quintal of PR-123, 100 quintal of PR-118, 100 quintal of PR-11, 2000 vegetable kits, 15 quintal moong, 75 bags (4 kg) of maize variety of J1006 was sold to various farmers during the mela.

The number of private stalls was more this time as compared to the previous mela in view of the private companies who are to meet their targets in view of this financial year ahead of March 31.

The university charged Rs 7,866 from the private companies who put up their stalls at the mela which include sales tax and education cess. The university last year, increased the rent charged to put up stalls during melas, by nearly Rs 500.

Meanwhile, the Farm Advisory Service Station (FASS) in-charge, Jatinder Brar said that a private company has donated an RO for the FASS office. He said the Vice-Chancellor of the PAU Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon also appreciated the initiative by a progressive farmer, Darshan Singh Sidhu for his role to get rid of paddy burning by incorporating paddy residue in soil using a self designed tractor run machine.

Bathinda, March 21
A high-rise, indigenously built tractor remained the centre of attraction for a large number of farmers visiting the Kisan Mela today at the Regional Station on the Dabwali Road.

Farmers enquire about a modified agriculture fodder plant-cutter during the Kisan Mela in Bathinda on Friday

The tractor moves in cotton fields to grow wheat seeds, enters standing wheat crop, spreads compost and sprays pesticides without damaging the plants.

The tractor, known as called High Clearance Tractor, was put on display for the farmers first time by the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA). Its senior research engineer, Harminder Singh Sidhu said the self-designed tractor is a multipurpose vehicle which helps in accomplishing various tasks to increase per acre yield of various crops.

“We replaced the rear wide tyres with slim tyres and the tractor’s upper body is raised using special high-pivot axles to enable the vehicle to move in cotton or wheat fields without damaging the crops,” Harminder said.

He added that the basic concept to make vehicle was to sow seeds of the second crop while harvesting the standing crop to give ample time for the next crop to increase yield.

“For instance, the machine could be used to sow wheat in standing cotton crop. The high platform, slim tyre tractor easily enters the cotton crop to sow seeds with minimal damage to the cotton plants,” Sidhu said.

He added that at present, 10 field trials have been successfully executed in various villages of the Bathinda district in consultation of Punjab Agriculture University (PAU). “Today, we received 40 more queries during the mela wherein farmers were keen to have a field trial using this tractor in their respective fields,” he said.

The farmers were told that the use of this tractor was possible only in those fields where crop is already grown to accommodate the high-rise movements of tractors. “With little changes in the pattern of traditional sowing keeping in mind the use of high rise tractor, the seeds are planted by maintaining particular distance,” Sidhu said.

He pointed out that though the tractor is equipped to save time in sowing seeds to increase per acre yield, still they have open options for changes.

“This is the reason we have put it on display to get maximum queries from the farmers to make alterations based on farmers’ requirement. If proved successful in more trials, then the design and technique would be presented to the state government,” Sidhu said.

Bathinda, March 21
Farmers from Bathinda and surrounding areas today thronged at the Kisan Mela organised by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, at the Regional Station situated on the Dabwali Road.

Member of the PAU Board of Management, Karamjit Kaur Danewalia, was the chief guest on the occasion and the PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon presided over the function. This was the last Mela of the series of seven kisan melas organised by PAU during this month.

Addressing the gathering, Karamjit Danewalia said farmers should pay attention and learn about the latest technologies in the field of agriculture during such melas.

PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Baldev Dhillon said kisan melas are beneficial for both farmers as well as PAU scientists. The exchange of knowledge between farmers and scientists is very vital for deciding future focus of research, he added.

Bathinda, March 21
Late on Thursday evening, the Congress-PPP candidate for the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, Manpreet Singh Badal, opened his office at Harchand Cinema in Bathinda and addressed a large gathering of the Congress and the PPP workers.

Addressing the gathering, Manpreet said the SAD-BJP government had been using a stick to rule the state. He added that a proof of the bad governance was the fact that the employees of government and other departments and organisations were left with no option but to sit on the roads to ask the government to heed to their demands and lend an ear to their problems.

Supporting various protests staged in the past in the city, he added that the government had failed to implement the terms and condition of the Fifth Pay Commission and the employees were fighting for what was rightfully theirs.

Also present during the meeting were general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Harminder Singh Jassi, MLA Ajaib Singh Bhatti, MLA Ajit Binder Singh Mofar, Gurpreet Kangar, Jasvir Singh Dimpa.

Addressing the gathering, Dimpa stated that although the Congress and the PPP parties have chosen Manpreet Badal as their joint candidate for the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, the victory on the seat will be the victory of Rahul Gandhi and hence, all the party workers should work at booth level to make sure that the Congress-PPP joint candidate wins the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat.

He also shared that the PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa will reach Bathinda to begin the poll campaigning and will pay obeisance at Takht Damdama Sahib and temple at Maiserkhana before addressing the gathering in Bathinda.

Bathinda, March 21
Two companies of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) have been deployed in Bathinda today in view of the 16th Lok Sabha elections.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the two companies comprising of nearly 150 men and will be stationed in Bathinda, Maur, Budhlada and other areas falling under the Bathinda parliamentary constituency.

Apart from expenditure surveillance on roads to check carrying of illegal money, the force will also be put on to keep a tab over the law and order situation.

The SSP said the force has already been deployed and is working in tandem with the Bathinda police.

Bhullar added that efforts are being made to conduct the Lok Sabha elections with peace, keeping a tab over unscrupulous elements. The SSP claimed that they have got sufficient manpower and machine to handle any kind of situation.

Bathinda, March 21
Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav has banned use of plastic-made national flags, which is disrespect to the tricolor.

In a press release issued here today, DC Kamal Kishore Yadav stated that the plastic flags do not decompose for a long time and at times end up littering the areas. Being non-biodegradable, they also pose threat to the environment.

He said that only paper flags be used while observing national days, at cultural events, sports meets and other public functions.

After the functions, the flags should not be thrown away but should be rolled properly and stacked neatly. 

Bathinda, March 21
Waiting compartments at all the polling stations will have National Voters’ Day Polling Oath promptly displayed on it urging people to vote fairly without any bias.

District Election Officer has directed the offices to ensure that oath is displayed. The oath reiterates casting ones vote without any fear or bias. — TNS

Students of Government Rajindra College during a farwell party in Bathinda on Friday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Bathinda, March 21
The Department of Physical Education of Government Rajindra College today organised a function to felicitate its students who excelled in the field of sports in the past academic year. The function was organised under the supervision of Porf Surjit Singh and Prof Jagjivan Kaur. Gurjeet Singh Romana, DSP, was present as the chief guest.

Elegant moves: A student of Government Rajindra College performs dance during a farewell party in Bathinda on Friday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Vice-principal of the college, Prof Ramesh Chander Pasrija, welcomed the guests, while Prof Surjit Singh presented a report on the achievements of the students in various competitions and tournaments during the academic year 2013-14.

Yadwinder Singh (judo), Sukhpreet Kaur and Gagandeep (archery), Rajpreet Kaur and Harpreet Pal (tug-of-war), Jaswinder Singh (rowing), Mandeep Kaur (kaykaying), Jaspreet Singh and Jagjeet Singh (taekwando) were felicitated on the occasion.

As many as 20 students who bagged various positions and 80 students for their commendable performance at university-level in different sports were also felicitated.

After giving away the prizes, Romana addressed the students and spoke on the importance of sports in their life. He also exhorted the students to stay away from habit-forming substances and excel in whatever they do.

Also present during the function, were Prof Sukhdev Singh, Prof Kamlesh Rani, Prof Jagdish, Prof Balvir Kaur, Prof Harjit Kaur, Rishi Raj and Harjinder Singh, kabaddi coach.

Bathinda, March 21
Gurukul Vidyapeeth Institute of Engineering and Technology today announced introduction of two new courses - mining engineering and automobile engineering. In a press briefing, held here today, Dr Manmohan Kumar Garg, chairman of the institution, said mining and automobile engineers were in demand globally.

He said mining engineers were mainly responsible for extraction of various mines from the earth keeping the environment intact and are highly paid.

Dr SC Jain, vice-president of the institution, said Gurukul Vidyapeeth aimed to provide specialised technocrats and enable students to explore newer vistas of opportunities. Rajinder Sharma, head operations, Punjab, said with the ever expanding demand of the automobile industry in the country and the entry of various multinational companies in automobile manufacturing sector has increased the demand of the recruitment of automobile engineers.

Navneet Chaudhary, in-charge, academics, said various mining companies offer a starting stipend of Rs 25,000 per month to the mining engineers and the automobile companies hire the manpower at a handsome package of Rs 5 lakh per annum upwards.