Punjab diary: Remembering Prince Charles' PAU visit

Ludhiana: As Charles III was crowned Britain’s King on Saturday, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) nostalgically recalled the royal’s visit in 1980. Back then, he visited Uppal Museum of Land, Water and Power Resources of North Western India, where he was captivated by the three-dimensional physiographic model showcasing the entire geographic landscape of the region. Reminiscing about his visit, Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, shared that as a PhD student he witnessed the then Prince Charles’ curiosity in the Green Revolution that was primarily engineered by the university. Trilochan Singh Sandhu, former Estate Officer, PAU, still remembers the first glimpse of Prince Charles’ cheerful smile, dashing looks and gentle personality.

No end to morning blues

Ferozepur: Following the state government changing the timings of all offices in an attempt to save power consumption, on the first day all senior officers and staff reported on time to hog the media limelight. However, the scenario seems to be changing with every passing day. Most offices were found either locked or vacant at 7:30 am during subsequent days with officials making all kinds of excuses. Many are seemingly unhappy with the change of schedule as they have to drop their children at schools or come from distant places while a section of the “babus” is happy that they can now tend to their other works and businesses after lunch. “Now, post afternoon we are free,” quipped one of them.

In father’s footsteps

Muktsar: Following in the footsteps of his late father Parkash Singh Badal, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal has decided to keep his beard flowing and not tie it in future. He is campaigning for the SAD-BSP alliance candidate for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll with his changed look. “Pardhan ji (Sukhbir) has decided not to tie his beard in an attempt to look like Badal sahib,” said a SAD leader. Although SAD leaders are happy with Sukhbir’s new look, only time will tell how much success he gets.

Save boys from drugs

Muktsar: Concerned over boys lagging behind girls in the board examination, Jaspal Monga, Principal, Government Senior Secondary Smart School, Kauni village, has coined the slogan “Beta bachao, beta padhao”, which is contrary to the Central government’s slogan “Beti bachao, beti padhao”. Monga says earlier there was the need to save the girl child at birth and educate her, but nowadays boys have to be saved from drugs and ensure they studied. “Education is important for all. But now the focus should be on educating boys. It doesn’t mean that education is not important for girls. It has been observed that boys usually neglect studies,” says Monga.

Basements not being used for parking

Gurdaspur: Shopkeepers and commercial establishment owners, including banks and private hospitals, are happy that for the time being the administration has dropped the plan of making them use basements for parking purposes. Ninety per cent of them are using their basements for purposes other than parking. The administration says it has not shelved the plan, only postponed it. On their part, the business owners are adamant that they would not allow the plan to materialise. Residents are keenly watching the development because the implementation of the plan will provide them space to park their vehicles with ease.

AAP leaders told to show results

Gurdaspur: In the Lok Sabha bypoll, most AAP MLAs and ministers have to slog in the scorching sun. The party’s Delhi high command has given targets to its Punjab leaders. Without mincing any words, they have been told either to get the desired results or get ready to face the consequences. An audio recording had gone viral in which a senior minister of the state government was heard being pulled up by a Delhi-based leader.

Litmus test for Mann, Bajwa

Chandigarh: The Jalandhar parliamentary bypoll on May 10 is not only a litmus test for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to re-establish him as the undisputed leader in the AAP, but also for the Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress. After facing the worst drubbing in the 2022 Assembly elections due to serious infighting, Bajwa has been working behind the scenes and advising the party high command on the strategy for the bypoll. So far, he appears to be successful in carrying along all leaders, be it Navjot Singh Sidhu, Charanjit Singh Channi and others. A win in the bypoll would pave the way for Bajwa as the “undisputed leader” of the Punjab Congress in run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections.

Cool weather a relief for PSPCL

Amritsar: Estimates of reduction in the fat subsidy bill of free power supply up to 600 units to domestic consumers in the bimonthly billing cycle this summer has gone haywire. Its reason is that the searing heat has remained elusive in the region. A short span of heat wave for few days was halted by shower. Nights have been comparatively cold. “So, a large number of domestic consumers have not used air conditioners. Hence, they will continue to avail free power supply,” said a highly placed official of the PSPCL.