Punjab Diary: Promoting football in villages

Gurdaspur: Two social organisations — one Mumbai-based and the other in Bangalore — have joined hands to promote football among youngsters in villages of Gurdaspur district. The first thing these organisations did was to distribute T-shirts on which Ronaldo was printed on the back. The participants were apprised about who was Ronaldo. The participants were told they too should do great things like Ronaldo to make a mark in life. A villager, wizened by age, sitting in the stands shouted, “Ronaldo is OK but from where will jobs come for our children? When will drugs stop coming from Pakistan?” His tone was realistic. The villager proved that he was indeed a practical man.

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Donating land for a cause

Abohar: Since the laying of Abohar-Fazilka rail line about a decade ago, residents of Nihalkhera village, 10-km from Abohar, had been facing odds besides risking their lives while crossing the rail track to reach the cremation ground. When Dr Ankur Chowdhary and Akshay Chowdhary, Chandigarh-based grandsons of farmer Fakir Chand Chowdhary, came to know about this, they decided to donate land from their agricultural farm for a road. They got the road constructed till the crematorium. As they came from Chandigarh last week for the inauguration of the road, the villagers accorded them a warm welcome. People said siblings of the late farmer had resolved a major problem. “The Fakir Chand Marg will keep the memory of our father alive forever,” the siblings said in the presence of their mother Dr Amita Chowdhary, who had served in the Health Department in Abohar for a long time.

In news for wrong reasons

Amritsar: The right-hand man of SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, Talbir Singh Gill, who contested unsuccessfully from the Amritsar South constituency, is in news for long for criticising the SGPC-run medical college and hospital. Gill had recently upped the ante against the SGPC after a devotee died at Shaheed Sahib Gurdwara in an accident. His continuous criticism of the SGPC has given rise to the gossip that he might be leaving the SAD soon to join the BJP. While SAD leaders and workers usually refrain from criticising the SGPC and its institutions, the open rebellion of Gill is not going down well with party workers.

Acute shortage of officers

Muktsar: The district is facing acute shortage of officers. The ADC (Development), who was also holding the additional charge of the ADC (General), was transferred earlier this week. However, no one has been posted in his place. Further, the post of the Malout SDM is vacant since a long time. The Muktsar SDM is holding the additional charge of the Malout SDM. District Revenue Officer is holding additional charges of Assistant Commissioner and Chief Minister’s Field Officer.

Exception for liquor vends

Amritsar: Everything can be closed during strikes and bandh but not liquor vends. This was proved during the recent bandh call given by a community to protest against the Manipur violence and failure of the state and Centre to control it. During the bandh, several activists of a community were seen asking shopkeepers to down their shutters, but they did not even look at open liquor vends. Liquor vends remained open even during the Covid pandemic.

40-minute wait at level crossing

Jalandhar: Travelling from Kartarpur to Kapurthala via highway? Make sure you have 30 to 40 spare minutes to cross the busy railway crossing on the route. A bevy of vehicles from the city can often be seen at the railway crossing near the Kartarpur railway station. Commuters wait for over half an hour for the crossing to open. During this time, four trains pass through the crossing while hundreds of vehicles create a traffic jam on the stretch. The railway crossings in the rural areas have indeed become a headache for commuters.

All out to flatter CM

Patiala: Leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are leaving no stone unturned to flatter Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. They have gone back to the ways of former ruling dispensations. They are illegally installing flex-boards on roadsides and electricity poles across the city. Residents said, “Illegally installed political flex boards dot the city. The leaders of the party are following ways of their predecessors to show loyalty to the CM. We want political leaders to be more dedicated to the rules of the land during the Independence Day celebrations.”

Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal, Raj Sadosh, Charanjit Singh Teja, Archit Watts, PK Jaiswar, Aparna Banerji and Ravneet Singh