Support for farmers

The farmers ongoing struggle at Delhi borders is more than six months old and it had seen many ups and downs during this period. Inspite of tough conditions, the farming community is getting support from the general masses. The farmers in groups can be seen departing for Delhi with their own contribution. A jatha of farmers which left from Khabbe Dogran village departed with daily usable articles like sugar, tea, milk powder, etc. for the farmers sitting at Delhi borders. Baljinder Singh, a jatha member, said the villagers had decided to collect monthly contribution for morcha members. A jatha of farmers, led by Subeg Singh Dhunn, chairman of the market committee, Tarn Taran, along with Narinder Kaur Dhunn, Bakhshish Singh Sarhali, Gurnam Kaur and other farmers left for Delhi morcha to deliver the farmers turbans cloth. Subeg Singh said the farmers who did not participate in the morcha due to personal reasons were sending their blessing.

Enriching Pbi literature

Age has no significance for this 66-year-old retired teacher Jaswinder Singh Manochahal. He is a mass leader, a literary personality and a social activist with a kind heart. He is still busy in his hobby of writing literature besides social and other activities. He is an established fairy-tale and is seen to do more and more creativity in his favourite fields. His first book of short stories in Punjabi language ‘Verdy Da Mull’ (Price of the uniform) attracted a big number of readers. It came just three years back in the market and was greeted by many sections of the society. His stories were putting light on prevailing corruption, police atrocities, violence against women, problems of Dalit community and people of other sections living below the poverty line. Being a person of leftist thought of school, he heads a leftist political party at the district level and is always seen active in approaching working class at the grassroots. He has sufficient material to give shape of writing regarding the plight of these weaker sections and its living conditions. He has just six kanal of agriculture land and is well aware of the farming dilemma. He had written a number of articles on the working class and the farming community. Manochahal had collected a remarkable material to be given a book shape regarding the half century of Punjabi culture. The changing scenario in the Punjabi culture was focused in the material.

‘Police soft on peddlers’

A video of drug addict’s mother, that went viral on social media, has created ripples in the Police Department. The victim, 55-year-old woman Ninder Kaur of Goindwal Sahib, had raised a finger at the functioning of Police Department, which failed to nail the drug peddlers and break the drug network. She in the video revealed that her younger son who got into bad company, started consuming drugs easily, which were easily available in the area. He died three years ago and her elder son, too, went on the same lines but was somehow saved. Ninder Kaur alleged that the drugs were not only easily available in Goindwal Sahib but in every corner of villages in the area. She said the police were helpless and it was due to this a large number of youths were involved in drug addiction. It is a hard fact that Congress came to the power on the promise that the party would break the backbone of drug peddlers in the state. Amandeep Singh Bhullar, DSP, Goindwal Sahib, said revelation in the video of Ninder Kaur was beyond to be believed as the police had verified all points raised by Ninder Kaur. He said even though the police had cross checked the role of the persons at whom Ninder kaur had pointed her finger in the video but nothing had been found objectionable. In Bugha (near Tarn Taran) a group of 200 residents launched a signature campaign against the then ruling party (SAD-BJP) and extended support to the Congress candidate in Khadoor Sahib constituency in the Vidhan Sabha elections. A woman, who played a key role in campaign against drug peddlers, said 10 days after formation of the Congress government in the state the same drug peddlers were seen on the Congress side. The woman had been regularly raising her voice against the peddlers. The miscreants fired at her house in which her husband was injured.

— Contributed by Gurbaxpuri