26122020-JTR-01.qxd 12/25/2020 11:34 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar TRIBUNE SANKALP EASES INTO FINALS AT STATE TT CHAMPIONSHIPS PAGE 2 16-year-old lived up to the billing by reaching finals of the state table tennis championships in the U-18 category. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY INBRIEF ONE SUCCUMBS IN HOSHIARPUR Hoshiarpur: The health authorities reported 15 new positive patients in the district on Friday. The authorities reported one death today. With this, the death toll has reached 304 in the district. Civil Surgeon Dr Jasvir Singh said the total number of samples taken so far in the district has reached 2,27,612 with 742 new samples received from people with suspected flu-like symptoms today. Out of 15 patients, five are from the city while remaining are from other health blocks of the district. The number of active cases in the district is 183, while the number of patients who have recovered is 7,143. OC A TUNE OF RESISTANCE: BELLA CIAO— FARM LAWS WAPAS JAO PAGE 3 Poojan Sahil’s Punjabi rendition of Italian folk song Bella Ciao—Farm Laws Wapas Jao, has become a big hit MAX 19°C | MIN 4°C | YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 3°C SUNSET SATURDAY 5:32 PM RAHUL DEV’S NEXT WEB SERIES —DUNIYA GAYI BHAAD ME Rahul Dev spotted on the sets of Duniya Gayi Bhaad Me. He will play a role of a Chief Narcotics Officer. SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:25 AM SATURDAY | 26 DECEMBER 2020 | JALANDHAR ‘Lost husband, but zeal to pressurise Centre alive’ FARMERS’ STIR FALLOUT Surinder 55, was hit by tractor-trailer on Delhi border Ajay Joshi left for his heavenly abode, ❝Though he hasthe Centre to revoke the farmour zeal to pressurise laws Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 25 Around 20 km ahead of Nawanshahar lies Hasanpur Khurd village in Balachaur. Surinder Singh (55), of this village is among one of the casualties, which took place during the farmers’ stir on Delhi border. The deceased had joined the protest on November 30. With a little landholding, Surinder used to grow crop for 10 family members and a dozen head of cattle. Now, his son, Manpreet Singh (29), has taken the baton to continue farming. Manpreet said, “My father used to is unshakable. In fact, it has doubled with the sacrifice of my husband. Villagers say they won’t come back till the farm laws were withdrawn. ❞ Balbir Kaur, WIFE OF DECEASED there’s a of hustle in ❝These daysstand withdifferent kindprotect their villages. Kindly farmers to rights. ❞ Gurdeep Kaur, MOTHER OF DECEASED wake up at dawn to work in the fields and feed cattle.” Having left for the protest site with fellow villagers, Surinder succumbed to his injuries on December 4, PAGE 4 ment’s attitude towards their agitation and casualties, villagers said they won’t come back till the farm laws were withdrawn added Balbir, whose one hand had got chopped off in a fodder machine a few years ago. The death of Surinder has shocked Gurdeep Kaur (80), whose another son had died around two years ago in an accident. Narrating the importance of farming for development of the country, Gurdeep said these days there’s a different kind of hustle in villages. Kindly stand with farmers to protect their rights, she appealed. Reduction in fare of Metro bus underway Amritsar, December 25 After taking over the Bus Rapid Transit System from the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) two months ago, the Local Government Department has devised a strategy to make the Metro bus service more efficient. Inderjeet Singh Chawala, CEO, BRTS, said, “We have made a proposal to revise the bus fare to attract more passengers. The fare slabs will be revised. Now, we are charging ~5 for a distance of 0 to 3 km. After the revision, passengers have to pay ~5 for 0 to 6 km. — TNS after a speeding tractor-trailer hit him near Tikri border while he was answering the call of nature. Shattered by his sudden demise, his wife, Balbir Kaur (54), blamed the Centre for enacting such laws that has forced farmers to camp on the roads. “Though he has left for heavenly abode, our zeal to pressurise the Central Government to revoke the farm laws is unshakable. In fact, it has doubled with the sacrifice of my husband.” she said. Furious over the govern- Farmers block Som Parkash’s route to BJP event venue Farm unions decide further course of action Power supply to seven Jio towers snapped in district Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, December 25 Hoshiarpur MP and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash had to change his route to reach the venue to attend a function organised by the BJP on the occasion of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday here on Friday. Earlier, the event was to be held by the BJP in the Shastri Market area but later the venue was shifted to the Valmik janj ghar. When the protesters came to know that the function would not be held at the district BJP office (Shastri Market), they marched towards the Valmik janj ghar at Bahadurpur, the new venue of the function. The minister had to pass streets to reach the venue. As the farmers approached near the venue, they were stopped by the police personnel but they were adamant that they would not let them hold the function. Hoshiarpur SSP Navjot Singh Mahal rushed to the spot and tried to persuade the protesting farmers. The farmers then staged a dharna at Bahadurpur Chowk and raised slogans against the BJP They said the . BJP leaders would be Farmers block Bahadurpur Chowk in Hoshiarpur on Friday. opposed till the agriculture laws were repealed. They said the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre was bullying the farmers which would not be tolerated at any cost. Meanwhile, the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry wound up his speech in a few minutes and left the venue. Gurdeep Singh Khun Khun, Harbans Singh, Gurmesh Singh, Gurnam Singh Singriwal, Dr Majhail Singh, Parminder Singh Saj- jan and others were leading the farmers on the occasion. Effigy burnt The farmers’ movement is gaining momentum with each passing day here. Protests, songs, poetry, nukkad nataks, and what not! It’s almost 30 days and not only in Delhi, Punjab’s every district is witnessing protest by the farmers. On Friday, the farmers of Kirti Kisan Union burnt an effigy of Som Parkash, Union Minister of State for Commerce B&R ad-hoc panel one-man show, alleges councillor Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 25 Jaspal Kaur Bhatia, councillor of Ward No.45 and member of the Building and Roads (B&R) Ad-hoc Committee, raised several questions in its meeting held here on Thursday evening. The councillor said complaints regarding the poor condition of roads were being received which must be checked from time to time but the complaints were being ignored. Jaspal Kaur asked during the meeting what actions were taken against the contractors and the officials because of whom, several newly constructed roads were in need of repairs again in the city. Jaspal Kaur targeted the chairman of the committee, Jagdish Gag, saying the committee was like a one-man show because the chairman was not taking along the members of the committee. “We are not invited to any of the events or even the inauguration of the project. This is not fair. I do not understand what our role is then,” she asked Jagdish Gag, the chairman of the committee. Mired in controversies The lack of an adequate number of safai karamcharis in the wards had led to the resignation of Satinderjeet Kaur, a member of the Health and Sanitation Ad Hoc Committee. Chanderjit Kaur, a member of the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Ad hoc Committee, resigned from the committee citing that there was no point in remaining a part of the committee when nobody was going to listen to their members. Some chairmen and members of the Municipal Corporation’s ad-hoc committees have also shared openly that they were furious over being ignored repeatedly by branch heads of the civic body. According to the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, the Municipal Corporation has to constitute the committees on water supply and sewerage disposal, building and roads, and house tax assessment, etc, but since the time these committees came into existence, controversies have been erupting because either the committee members are upset with the branch heads or friction is visible between the members and the chairman. and Industry, at Daulatpur village in Nawanshahr. The farmers along with members of the Physically Handicapped Association marched in the village by holding the effigy of Som Parkash and then burnt it. The members of the unions said that the minister was not supportive of the movement and was not speaking well of the farmers who are taking part actively in the movement. “The place has been chosen because the minister belongs to this village,” Surinder Singh Bains, district president of the Kirti Kisan Union said. Amolak Singh, president, Punjab Lok Sabhyacharak Manch, who had spent more than 15 days with farmers protesting at Singhu and Tikri borders, is organising nukkad nataks to make people aware of the issue. Several poems and songs are also being written for the farmers. Tributes paid to Vajpayee Hearty tributes were paid to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary here on Friday. Under district president Sushil Sharma, an event was organised at the Jalandhar North constituency, continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Aparna Banerji Jalandhar, December 25 During a meeting held under Hans Raj Pabwan, Bibi Surjit Kaur and Devinder Basra members of the Kirti Kisan Union and young students organised a joint meeting here to exhort villagers to participate and play their own roles to extend solidarity to the farmers protests at Delhi. Kirti Kisan Union leader Makkhan Singh Kandola, youth wing leader Devinder Singh Basra and Pendu Mazdoor Union leader Tarsem Peter said during the meeting it was decided that area wise village lists shall be made and in those villages farm-labour women and men 5 to 10 member teams shall be made through which support would be mobilised for farmers’ protests. Speakers shall be put at village saths, chowks and gurdwaras to lend support. At toll plaza, Phillaur, every day one village will be deputed. It was also declared that products of Jio, Ambani, Adani, Ramdev and Patanjali shall be boycotted and on the morning of December 27 at 11 am, PM’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ address shall be opposed by banging thalis. Villagers from various villages gathered to extend full support to the movement. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 25 As many as seven Jio towers have been closed in the ongoing angst against the Jio network amidst the farmers’ protests going on in the district. While at least seven towers at Jandiala, Shahkot and Lohian have been closed, farmer unions looked set to close down more at Jamsher and neighbouring villages until the filing of this report. At a time when many cultivators are busy protesting at the Delhi borders, many union activists have stayed back just to ensure the closure of towers across the state. Members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU Rajewal) severed electricity wires and cables of various Jandiala towers. As a result of the campaign sim cards in huge numbers are being ported out from Jio. Jandiala is now left with only one Jio tower. Amarjot Singh, youth leader of BKU Rajewal, who has been stalling his Delhi visit to get Jio towers closed, said, “At least 600 to 700 people have switched networks in Jandiala alone. Only one tower is left and we plan to get that closed too. In the coming days we shall shut more towers. Towers at Jamsher and Bhode Samrai villages have also been closed today. At Jan- Farmers protest against Reliance in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO diala, the network provided by the one remaining tower is no good to use. ” They are identifying more towers. Amrjot added that during a campaign being run for the coming three days, the farmers of the union shall also get screens put on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee closed, gherao the residences of BJP leaders on December 26 and PM’s Mann Ki Baat address will meet the clamour of thalis on December 27. The gherao of BJP leaders and the ‘thali-battering’ protest are action points were listed in the farmers’ protests bi-weekly newspa- per and mouthpiece ‘Trolley Times’ already. Meanwhile, in Jalandhar, three Jio towers were closed by farmers at Jandiala, one tower at the Panchayat ghar of Samrai village was shut off by the members of the union. Also, members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee got three towers closed at Shahkot, Lohian and Mallian Khurd village. Rajodh Singh, press secretary of the committee, said, “We are here at the Singhu border but our activists are on the job. Towers at various villages have been closed and work is on to get many more closed.” Healthcare sector keeps it real with patients Pandemic has made Covid testing, tracing clinical history of patient’s family imperative Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi Hoshiarpur, December 25 Ever since the pandemic hit, functioning of hospitals has revolved around the dreaded virus. From check-up of the patients to pre-operative diagnostics and post-operative care, the surgeons have brought in a myriad of changes. Not only have the tests for Covid become a must but the viewpoint towards the radio diagnostics, too, changed. The temperature check before a normal check-up has become essential for every patient, apart from going through his/her clinical history; even family’s, is now taken into account which was earlier unruffled. Surgeon Dr Rajinder Sharma told The Tribune, “Checking temperature of each and c m y b Dr Rajesh Mehta Dr Rajinder Sharma Dr Sanjay Narad every patient in OPD and getting their hands sanitised has become a common thing. The testing before surgeries are performed has become an essential part of pre-operative procedure. Separate sanitiser and a thermometer are provided to every inhouse patient. In OPD social distancing, sanitising is a must and masks are provided to every patient who enters without one.” Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Sanjay Narad, said, “The Covid has changed the viewpoint towards diagnostic techniques. Testing has become essential for everyone, the chest X-ray has become all the more important and more careful observation is there because its reports contains indications of Covid. The clinical history of not only the patients but of their family members is sought to ascertain that if the patient or anyone in the family is suffering from Covid already. The postoperative care has to be done mindfully and prophylactic treatment is also provided to prevent any complications if the virus threatens at a later stage. Most of these things are new and were not there before the outbreak.” Surgeon Dr. Rajesh Mehta said, “Thermal scanning and sanitisation along with masks and distancing is normal in OPD now and testing for Covid before routine nonemergent surgeries as well apart from use of not only masks, but also face shields and even the PPE kits by the surgeons. If anyone comes with flu-like symptoms and needs to be admitted for hospital care or surgery, he or she is kept in a pre-emergency ward where primary aid is given and the patient is tested for Covid. If reports are negative, patient is sent to the emergency or the OT, as the case may be.”