Punjab Diary: Neglected trees

Gurdaspur: In Gurdaspur, every year thousands of saplings are planted to commemorate World Environment Day. The problem, however, begins after the plantation is over and roots start growing. That is the time when plants require care, but most saplings die because of lack of care. The person planting a sapling must dedicate himself to its upkeep. If there are trees, the environment will get better. Otherwise, as American novelist Barbara Kingsolver said, “From a fallen tree everyone makes firewood.”

‘Edupreneur’ felicitated

Abohar: Dr Sameer Mittal of Abohar was among the 29 young “edupreneurs” from India and other countries who were honoured with the Global Prestige Award for outstanding contributions to education at the International Edupreneurs Summit and Awards-2023 held in Dubai last week . Dr Mittal’s family runs a nursing college and organises free eye check-up camps.

Officials rescued

Patiala: Policing is a tough job. One such situation was handled by Patiala IG MS Chinna at the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on late Thursday night. He came to the rescue of around 28 employees held hostage inside the PSPCL headquarters. The SKM (Non-political) had intensified its protests against the PSPCL on Thursday. Twenty seven PSPCL and SBI employees, including 11 women, were ‘held hostage’ till late Thursday night after farmers locked the main gate of the PSPCL ofice. Chinna led deliberations with agitating farmers for almost an hour. “I got the information and spoke to farm leaders. The police ensured that all employees reached their homes safely,” the IG said.

A break from soft drinks

Amritsar: Sardai, a milk-based drink served with dry fruit, has made a comeback a solitary street vendor, dressed in traditional ‘nihang’ attire, on Mall Road caters to the high demand for it. There had been heavy demand for coconut water in the area but now, after a hiatus, people are turning to the conventional sardai. A good break from soft drinks!

Political compulsions

Amritsar: Politicians have strange compulsions. Even though alcohol consumption is widely accepted, they cannot be seen drinking or supporting the culture. At a recent press conference, when AAP MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh came out in support of local hotels and restaurants against the alleged high-handedness of the police, his team members ensured that all wine glasses and beer mugs were removed from plain sight before he arrived. His supporters were right in thinking that his pictures along with wine glasses or beer mugs would have created an unnecessary controversy on social media platforms. The MLA said though he supported hotels and restaurants, he was “personally not in favour of pub and bar culture”.

Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal, Raj Sadosh, Aman Sood, Neeraj Bagga and Manmeet Singh Gill