Muktsar shelter home hits rough patch

Muktsar shelter home goes rough patch

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 9

Though winter has arrived, the lone ‘raen basera’ (shelter home) set up by the Municipal Council, Muktsar, on the premises of the fire brigade office has failed to serve its purpose.

Reason: The authorities concerned had failed to display signboards on the roads to make the homeless aware about the place.

A majority of the needy are not aware of it, thus usually found sleeping on the roadsides.

A storeroom in the fire brigade office, which was converted into a ‘raen basera’, was found was found in a dilapidated condition and was storing documents. Despite the claims by the authorities concerned, the toilets were also found to be in a filthy condition.

Jagsir Singh, Executive Officer (EO), Municipal Council, Muktsar, said, “A room in the fire brigade office building has been converted into a raen basera, but nobody has shown interest in taking shelter there.”

A rag-picker, who was sleeping near the railway station, said, “I am not aware of any raen basera, which provides free shelter to the homeless people. The administration must shift us there, especially during winter.”

A shopkeeper outside the fire safety office said, “If the MC authorities are concerned about the homeless, they must install signboards on “raen basera” in the town. They must shift it to near the bus stand or the railway station, where most of the people are sleeping in the open.”

Courtesy: The Tribune

CM turns 88, keeps it low-key affair

CM turns 88, keeps it low-key affair

Lambi: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who started his political career from sarpanch of his native Badal village, turned 88 on Tuesday. He preferred to keep the occasion a low-key affair, which sources say could be due to sacrilege incidents reported across the state in the past two months. He paid obeisance at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi and spent the rest of the day in Chandigarh holding routine meetings

Deputy CM, harsimrat’s wishes on FB  

CM’s son and his deputy Sukhbir Badal wished him through Facebook post. He wrote: “Badal Sahib continues to amaze all of us. With each passing day, he gets younger in spirit. He works more than any of us and has more enthusiasm to champion the cause of the poor, farmers and the downtrodden.” Harsimrat too wished him on FB.

PM tweets wishes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Badal on his birthday. “Birthday greetings to the veteran politician & Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal,” Modi tweeted.
--Archit Watts


Courtesy: The Tribune

Gidderbaha DSP ‘drives’ official vehicle without number plate

DSP Gurbinder Singh Sangha’s official Bolero without a number plate. Tribune photo

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Gidderbaha, December 7

The DSP Gidderbaha was found driving his official Bolero without a number plate.

The traffic norms state that vehicles without number plates cannot ply on roads.

Last month, the state police had replaced Scorpios (official vehicles) of all DSPs with Bolero. They provided Scorpios to the officers in the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP). Since then, Gidderbaha DSP Gurbinder Singh Sangha is using his Bolero without a number plate.

When asked him the reason of not displaying the vehicle’s registration number, the DSP said, “The temporary registration number must be displayed in the front and rear of the vehicle. But, I will have to check whether the vehicle’s permanent registration number has been issued.”

In April, the wife of Deputy Commissioner Jaskiran Singh too violated rules by using an amber beacon atop an Innova provided to her by the District Red Cross Society.

A social activist of Muktsar said, “What can we expect from such officers who themselves are not even obeying the law.”

Courtesy: The Tribune

Wholesale prices dip, kinnow growers worried

Traders’ cartel, lack of state marketing policy to blame for poor returns

Muktsar has 5,500 hectare under kinnow cultivation. file photo

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 6

Kinnow growers in the region are facing a crisis as the prices have touched a new low of Rs 7-8 per kg on an average in wholesale markets due to the lack of a marketing policy.

Last year, the produce was sold at Rs 11 per kg.

“The size and quality of kinnow is good, but it is fetching low prices in wholesale market as compared to the last year. A cartel of traders is one of the reasons behind it. They have pooled and fixed the price, which is causing loss to orchardists,” said Narinderjit Singh Sidhu, assistant director, Horticulture, Muktsar.

He said the non-functioning of a juice plant at Abohar was a reason behind the low prices. “The fruit is ready and the fluctuation in day and night temperature is resulting into the dropping of fruit. The growers can’t store kinnows, so they have to bring it to the market thus a glut-like situation has become and it has reduced the price, which should have been more than Rs 10 per kg,” he said.

Balwinder Singh Tikka, a horticulturist from Abul Khurana village in Muktsar district, who has been crowned as Kinnow King by the state government, said, “The state government must make a marketing policy for fruits, especially kinnow, otherwise fruit growers will continue to become victims in the hands of traders.”

He said the good quality of kinnow was still fetching Rs 20 per kg and that too in the wholesale market. “If we calculate the average price of the fruit, it would be below Rs 10 per kg in the wholesale market,” Tikka said.

He said due to the problem of waterlogging, some kinnow growers were also uprooting their orchards in Muktsar, Abohar and Fazilka areas. “The government must protect their interests. Even a number of people are daily calling me to seek tips to save their orchards,” he said.

Mohit Setia, a kinnow grower, said, “This year, we were expecting to cover the last year’s loss. But, the situation remains the same. The prices are low in the beginning of the season, giving signs of worries.”

Courtesy: The Tribune

Over 37% water samples fail potability test in Muktsar

Situation worst in Alamwala block; 30 of 50 samples non-potable

Unfit for drinking

• Of the 275 water samples collected this year for testing, 103 samples have failed and only 172 cleared the potability test
• In Doda block, 22 water samples of 60 samples were found non-potable
• In Lambi block, which is Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home turf, nine water samples of total 30 did not clear the test

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 3

As per records of the state Health Department, over 37% water samples taken from Muktsar district this year have failed to clear the potability test. The samples of underground and canal water (which was being used in schools, reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plants, waterworks, other public places and private eateries) were taken.

As per reports, of the total 275 water samples collected this year, 103 samples failed and only 172 cleared the potability test.

The situation is worst in Alamwala block where 30 samples of total 50 water samples failed to clear the potability test.

Similarly, in Doda block, 22 water samples of 60 samples were found non-potable. In Chak Sherewala block, 17 water samples of total 43 did not clear the potability test. In Lambi block, which is Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home turf, nine water samples of total 30 did not clear the test. In Muktsar urban area, 16 water samples of total 65 were found non-potable. In Malout urban area, nine of total 27 water samples failed to clear the potability test.

Muktsar district is the worst affected from waterlogging and these test reports revealed that the TDS level of water was higher than permissible limit for human consumption.

“Though the exact count of TDS level is not shown in the reports, it is mentioned that the level was beyond the permissible limit,” said the officials of the Health Department, who are engaged in water sample collection. They said the water samples were sent for testing to Chandigarh.

It is pertinent to mention that Muktsar district has the state’s highest average of 136 cancer patients per one lakh people. Besides, nearly 1,100 people have lost their lives due to this deadly disease in the past around 10 years.

A senior official in the Health Department said, “If the water sample is found non-potable, all departments concerned are asked to adopt corrective measures. In some cases, the change of water source is also recommended.”

Dr Jagjivan Lal, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Muktsar, could not be contacted for his comments.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Power corpn fails to realise Rs 44-cr dues from govt depts

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 2

The power department has been unable to collect bills from various government departments.

Various government departments now owe Rs 44.49 crore to the Muktsar circle office of the PSPCL which comprises of six divisions— Muktsar, Malout, Gidderbaha, Badal, Abohar and Fazilka.

As per the data procured from the PSPCL’s Muktsar zonal office till the end of October this year, Abohar division was yet to collect Rs 17.3 crore from government departments. Similarly, Gidderbaha division Rs 7 crore, Malout division Rs 6.19 crore, Muktsar Rs 5.94 crore, Badal division Rs 4.76 crore and Fazilka division Rs 3.3 crore.

The data further revealed that the Water Supply and Sanitation (Public Health) Department was the major defaulter, having an outstanding amount of Rs 21.22 crore. Similarly, the municipalities in these towns too owed Rs 14.7 crore against their water works.

The irrigation department also owed Rs 4.67 crore, which included Rs 3.7 crore to Gidderbaha division, Rs 49.5 lakh to Malout division, Rs 37.49 lakh to Badal division, Rs 6.99 lakh to Abohar division, Rs 2 lakh to Muktsar division and Rs 1 lakh to Fazilka division.

Besides, a number of government hospitals and dispensaries too owed Rs 1.36 crore. The rural development department owed Rs 1.06 crore. The local bodies department was defaulter of Rs 50.71 lakh. The tehsil complexes of Muktsar, Malout, Gidderbaha, Badal and Abohar owed Rs 18.65 lakh.

The state police too figured in the list of defaulters with electricity bills of Rs 17 lakh yet to be paid. The government schools and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) were yet to pay electricity bills of Rs 14.4 lakh. The PWD (electrical wing) office of Badal division owed Rs 9.83 lakh.

Inderjit Singh, Superintending Engineer, PSPCL, Muktsar circle, said: “The correspondence is regularly being made to the defaulters to clear their bills.”

Another senior official said the power connections of some water works, which were the major defaulters of electricity bills, had been disconnected in villages.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Atta-dal beneficiaries await pulses since August last year

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 1

Atta-dal scheme beneficiaries are irate over the delay in the disbursement of subsidised pulses. The situation is almost similar everywhere else in the state.

The subsidised pulses were last supplied in Muktsar district in August 2014. It means nearly 15 months have passed, but the fresh stock of pulses is yet to arrive. In such a situation, the depot holders, who are facing a number of queries, too are feeling harassed. Besides, even wheat is being supplied to beneficiaries for the period of December 2014 to September 2015 and not for the remaining months of the year.

An old woman said, “We are a family of four persons with negligible income. For us, getting two square meals a day is the biggest task. Earlier, the government was providing subsidised wheat and pulses, but the supply of pulses too has been suspended since long. Whenever we ask the depot holder, he gives the same reply that the stock is yet to come.”

Similarly, Suresh Kumar, a depot holder in Muktsar, said, “I am totally fed up with the queries regarding availability of pulses. The department has not provided us pulses since long, but the beneficiaries think we are selling it in the open market.”

When contacted, Geeta Bishambu, District Food and Civil Supplies Controller (DFSC), Muktsar, said, “Pulses have not come since August last year. As soon as we get the stock, it will be distributed among the beneficiaries.”

Muktsar district has over 5 lakh Atta-dal scheme beneficiaries. As per the scheme, wheat has to be given at Re 1 per kg.

There is no upper cap and every member gets 5 kg wheat per month.

Courtesy: The Tribune