Fazilka Ecocabs : NTDTV

Fazilite Rajinder Singh Bedi: Legend of Urdu writing

Fazilite Rajinder Singh Bedi (1915-1984) was an imminent progressive Urdu writer, playwright and a Hindi film director, screenwriter and noted dialogue writer. Some of his best work as a dialogue writer can be seen in Hrishikesh Mujherjee's films Abhimaan, Anupama and Satyakam; and Bimal Roy's Madhumati. As a director he is most known for his films 'Dastak' (1970), starring Sanjeev Kumar and Rehana Sultan and 'Phagun', starring Dharmendra, Waheda Rehman, Jaya Bhaduri and Vijay Arora.
Rajinder Singh Bedi is considered one of the greatest 20th century progressive writers of Urdu fiction, and second most prominent Urdu fiction writer, after Saadat Hasan Manto, and like Manto he is most known for his haunting Partition tales.
Rajinder Singh Bedi was born near Sialkot, Punjab (now in Pakistan). He spent his early years in Lahore, where he received his education in Urdu, as it was common to most Punjabi families, though he never graduated from a college.. After Partition his other Family Members settled in Fazilka, Indian side of Punjab.
His first short story "Maharani ka Tohfa" won the the best Short Story of the Year, given by 'Adabi Dunya', a prominent Urdu monthly, published from Lahore.
He started his career working as a clerk at Lahore Post Office in 1933. In 1941he joined the Urdu section of All India Radio, Lahore, while working at Lahore radio he wrote many plays including, his famous drama ‘Khawaja Sara’ and 'Nakl-i-Makaani', which he later adapted into his film Dastak in 1970. His first collection of short stories, 'Daan-O-Daam' (The Catch), featuring his prominent story 'Garam Coat' (Warm Coat) was published in 1940. In 1942, he published his second collection of short stories, 'Grehan' (The Eclipse).
In 1943, he joined Maheshwari Films, a small Lahore film studio, though just after one and half years he joined All India Radio back and was posted to Jammu, where he worked till 1947. By the time of Partition Rajinder Singh Bedi had published numerous more short stories, and had made a name for himself as a prolific writer. His Urdu novel, 'Ek Chadar Maili Si', translated into English as 'I Take This Woman', received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1965.The book was later translated into Hindi, Kashmiri and Bengali.
His literary career spanning fifty years and 72 short stories was marked with versatility and represented the finest creative writing in Urdu literature. His stories ‘Garm Kot’ and ‘Lajvanti’ are considered among the masterpieces of Urdu short story. His later collections of short stories were 'Kokh Jali' and 'Apne Dukh Mujhe Dedo' and a collection of plays 'Saat Khel’.

Films
After partition he moved to Bombay, and started working with D. D. Kashyap and got his first screen credit for dialogue, in the 1949 film Badi Bahen. Though he got greater recognition for his second film Daag, a 1952 film.
In 1954, he joined hands with Amar Kumar, Balraj Sahni, Geeta Bali and others to create a new company called 'Cine Cooperative', and together they produced their first film, Garam Coat in 1955. Based on his own short story Garam Coat, starring Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy, and directed by Aman Kumar, the film gave Rajinder Singh Bedi, chance write a first entire screenplay.
Their second film Rangoli (1962), starring Kishore Kumar, Vyjayntimala, and Durga Khote, was also directed by Amar Kumar.
He continued to display his exemplary range in dialogue writing styles in many classic Hindi films, starting with Sohrab Modi's Mirza Ghalib (1954), Bimal Roy’s Devdas (1955), and Madhumati (1958); Amar Kumar and Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s best films, Anuradha (1960), Anupama (1966), Satyakam (1969) and Abh a4c imaan (1973).
But his greater accomplishment in films has been pioneering straight forward and down-to-earth dialogues in Hindi cinema, which were known for its melodrama and extreme rhetoric content.
He made his directorial debut with Hindi classic Dastak (1970), starring Sanjeev Kumar and Rehana Sultan, with music by Madan Mohan, and in the following decade he directed three more films, Phagun (1973), Nawab Sahib (1978) and Aankhin Dekhi (1978).
His writing was known for its sensitivity and earthiness. His classic novella Ek Chadar Maili Si was first made into a film in Pakistan, Mutthi Bhar Chawal (1978) [13]and later in India, as Ek Chadar Maili Si (1986), a rare distinction for an Indian author to have his work picturised on both sides of the border.
His son Narender Bedi was also a Film director and the maker of films like Jawani Diwani (1972), Benaam (1974), Rafoo Chakkar (1975), Sanam Teri Kasam, he died in the 1982. Two years later in 1984, Rajinder Singh Bedi also died, in Bombay.
His short story 'Lajwanti' was made into a telefilm, by Neena Gupta in 2006.
In his memory, the Government of Punjab has started a 'Rajinder Singh Bedi Award' in the field of Urdu Literature.
Literary Awards
1965 Sahitya Akademi Award - 'Ek Chadar Maili Si', English trans. - 'I Take This Woman'.

Books on Rajinder Singh Bedi
· Rajinder Singh Bedi: A Study - Varis Hussain Alvi. 2006.
· India Partitioned: The Other Face of Freedom/edited by Mushirul Hasan. *New Delhi, Roli Books, 1995
· Shadow Lives — Writings on Widowhood. Edited by Uma Chakravarti and Preeti Gill. Kali for Women, New Delhi. 2002.
Courtesy : http://www.hallagulla.com/urdu/biography-urdu-writers-947/rajinder-singh-bedi-229790.html

Life on the edge

Sandeep Sinha recalls his visit to the international border at Bhaini Dilawar village in the Fazilka sector

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080621/saturday/main1.htm

The Tribune, Saturday Extra, 21st June, 2008
Living in a border state and the charm of discovering what it is like to be living on the edge had been gnawing at me. Finally, I found myself staring across the fencing with its floodlights and the dreaded Cobra wire with a pair of binoculars in my hand.

Residents of Bhaini Dilawar village have to cross the Pattan checkpost, often
several times a day, for routine jobs

We were at Ground Zero. BSF Assistant Commandant S.B. Mukherjee was to be our friend, philosopher and guide in that tough terrain. Mukherjee has been decorated twice with the President’s Medal for Gallantry in 1997 and 1999 for having killed seven terrorists in two counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
We reached the BSF post at Mohar Sona, Bhaini Dilawar, after a short ride from Fazilka. Mohar Sona is famous for the battle of Asafwala during the 1971 war where the 4 Jat Regiment lost 82 of its troops in combat. Here, the Sutlej flows in a narrow stretch and is barely 15 feet in depth, forming a creek area called Pattan by the locals.

Congress grass and sarkandas grow in abundance on the
Pakistani side. In India, villagers are not allowed to grow tall crops to check
infiltration

The Fazilka sector has a peculiar geographical position. It was India’s sentimental attachment to the memorial of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Hussainiwala and the resultant exchange of territory by which Pakistan agreed to return Hussainiwala to India in return for concessions in this sector.
In military parlance, it is called ‘chicken’s neck’. Most border villages in this area are surrounded by Pakistan on three sides with only a jutting strip connecting them to the mainland. In case of a conflict the villages can be easily cut off by the enemy leaving the villagers to fend for themselves. Here the Sutlej River enters India from Pakistan and then again flows into Pakistan, making it a unique local geographical feature.
The three Pakistani posts surrounding the area are at Wali Mohammed, Beriyanwali and Qadir Jaan.
Locals say that the Fazilka sector can only be defended in case of an attack, as an offensive is not possible from here. Due to the impact of this territorial settlement between India and Pakistan, Fazilka, once among the three biggest sub-divisions of Punjab, has not been able to grow. Infrastructure, a pre-requisite for development of any area, is non-existent. As the area is constantly under the shadow of the gun, growth has lagged behind.
Having entered our names in the BSF register, we made our way to the village but not before the troops treated us to cups of piping hot chai and pakoras. The hands that wielded the guns could work the stove with equal felicity. It was followed by a recce in the area with sten gun-toting jawans shadowing us. We also had motorboat ride in the Sutlej. While I marvelled at the experience, I could feel the hair rising at the back of my neck at the thought that we could be under the enemy gaze.

The pontoon bridge over the Sutlej is a bone of contention between
the villagers and the BSF. When the water level rises, it is dismantled.
Villagers want an all-weather bridge, a demand the Army rejects for security
reasons — Photos by Praful Nagpal

Bhaini Dilawar has roughly 150 houses and its population is approximately 1200. It has a primary school with 20 students and two teachers. To reach the village from the BSF post, one has to cross a pontoon bridge negotiating an uneven slope. We saw a tractor loaded with bricks unable to negotiate the climb. It finally reversed and revved up to climb over the steep incline.
The bridge itself is a bone of contention between the villagers and the BSF. During the monsoon, it is dismantled after the water level rises in the Sutlej. Villagers have to use boats to ferry both men and crop. So, they want a proper all-weather bridge, a demand the Army finds it difficult to accede to because of security reasons, say sources. According to BSF DIG V.K. Sharma, there is no point in constructing something that can be used by the enemy. If there is a pucca bridge, then the enemy will only need to attack the post to facilitate intrusion.
The road in the village, too, is in a dilapidated condition; probably because no VIP visits here and the only vehicles to ply on it are tractors, motorcycles or BSF Gypsies. Wazir Singh, a villager, points out, while handing over a glass of Sutlej water to drink, that the responsibility of maintaining the village road lies with the Block and Panchayat Development Officer (BDPO). But the efforts are obviously lacking!
The villagers, like in other border areas, are forbidden to grow tall crops like sugarcane ostensibly because the enemy can use these to camouflage its movements. During the tenure of the Vajpayee government, the villagers were paid compensation at the rate of Rs 2,500 per acre for not growing tall crops, says Jeet Singh, another villager. This compensation has now been stopped. The villagers want it restored. Their demand ranges from anywhere between Rs 3,500 and Rs 10,000 per acre. BSF sources, however, say that the villagers are not interested in growing crops but only in getting the compensation.
In contrast is the view on the Pakistani side where Congress grass and sarkandas (all tall vegetative growths) are visible. Locals also say that at times the attack by wild boars from the Pakistani side results in crop destruction. Because of which many of the villagers have given up farming. However, BSF officials clarify that the problem was ‘acute’ two years ago but has been checked in recent times with Pakistan clearing the jungles on its side and giving land to retired personnel to settle.
The villagers are also peeved over the strict monitoring of entry of people into the village. They lament that they have to live like prisoners in their own village. At night if someone falls ill they have to plead to the BSF personnel to get the gate opened so as to reach hospital.
But Nanak Singh, another villager, adds that the paramilitary personnel cooperate and even provide their vehicles to take the patient to hospital, in case of emergency.
The villagers also resent the fact that they have to make an entry in the BSF register at the gate every time they need to go out or come back.
The villagers say the security check, too, causes inconvenience and is embarrassing, especially for women. They want women constables posted to tide over the problem. Due to these stringent security checks relatives avoid visiting at late hours, claim villagers. But as BSF officials point out the choice is between generosity and lax security. One can’t take chances in an area where farmers plough land till the last inch of the border, otherwise, one may never know who went and who came back, the officials add.

ट्रिंग-ट्रिंग, एक रिक्शा भेज दो

Dainik Jagran, 18th June, 2008 (Front Page), Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda Edition
अमृत सचदेवा
फाजिल्का : मोबाइल सेवाओं, बैंकों, रेलवे इत्यादि के कॉल सेंटरों के बाद अब यदि कोई आपसे कहे कि रिक्शा बुलाने के लिए कॉल सेंटर शुरू किया जा रहा है, तो बड़ा आश्चर्य होगा। शायद आप उसकी बात को पहले-पहल मानेंगे भी नहीं, लेकिन यह सच है। ग्लोबल वार्मिग कम करने के क्षेत्र में पहले ही नाम कमा चुका फिरोजपुर जिले का फाजिल्का शहर अब रिक्शा बुलाने के लिए कॉल सेंटर खोलने वाला देश का पहला शहर बनने जा रहा है। इस कॉल सेंटर से दुपहिया व चौपहिया वाहनों में ईधन की खपत से फैलने वाली ग्लोबल वार्मिग को कम करने में मदद मिलेगी। रिक्शा कॉल सेंटर की शुरुआत दो दिन बाद 20 जून से की जा रही है। ग्लोबल वार्मिग इस समय पूरे विश्व के लिए एक बड़ी समस्या बनी हुई है। दुनिया के हर देश द्वारा लाख प्रयासों के बावजूद ग्लोबल वार्मिग कम करने के प्रयास सफल नहीं हो पा रहे हैं। पर फाजिल्का की ग्रेजुएट वेलफेयर एसोसिएशन एक ऐसी संस्था है, जो सौ देशों की सदस्यता वाले चेक गणराज्य के कार फ्री नेटवर्क के साथ जुड़कर ग्लोबल वार्मिग कम करने में नित नया प्रयास कर रही है। पहले एसोसिएशन के सदस्यों के प्रयासों से शहर के उच्च व मध्यवर्गीय लोगों ने कार पर चलना छोड़कर व साइकिल अपनाकर ग्लोबल वार्मिग कम करने की दिशा में प्रभावी कदम उठाया था। नतीजतन व‌र्ल्ड कार फ्री नेटवर्क ने फाजिल्का को दुनिया का सबसे कम कारों के प्रयोग वाला शहर घोषित कर ग्लोबल वार्मिग कम करने में सहयोगी बताया था। अब एसोसिएशन के संरक्षक आईआईटी, रूढ़की के प्रो. भूपिंदर सिंह व युवा इंजीनियर नवदीप असीजा के प्रयासों से फाजिल्का में रिक्शा बुलाने के लिए पांच कॉल सेंटर शुरू किए जा रहे हैं। असीजा ने बताया कि फाजिल्का में करीब 500 लोग रिक्शा चलाते हैं, लेकिन हर घर में दुपहिया व चौपहिया वाहन की लालसा के चलते रिक्शा चालकों का काम बहुत कम हो गया है। शहर में किसी काम से निकलने वाले व्यक्ति को ज्यादा से ज्यादा तीन किलोमीटर दूर जाना होता है। अब तक रिक्शा आसानी से और वाजिब किराए पर उपलब्ध न होने के चलते लोग दुपहिया वाहन या कार से कहीं आने-जाने में रोजाना 900 लीटर पेट्रोल खपा देते हैं। इस प्रकार पेट्रोल जलने से प्रतिदिन 14 हजार किलो शुद्ध हवा खराब होती है, जो ग्लोबल वार्मिग का कारण बनती है। असीजा के अनुसार, रिक्शा कॉल सर्विस 20 जून शाम छह बजे लांच होगी। फाजिल्का में रिक्शा सर्विस को इस तरह से तैयार किया गया है, जैसे दिल्ली में दो-दो मिनट बाद मेट्रो ट्रेन की सर्विस मिलती है। इसी तह फाजिल्का में एक कॉल करने पर दो मिनट के भीतर रिक्शा घर के बाहर तैयार खड़ा मिलेगा। यह सुविधा लागू करने के लिए फाजिल्का को पांच जोन उत्तरी, पूर्वी, दक्षिणी, पश्चिमी व मध्य में बांटा गया है। हर जोन पर एक फोन उपलब्ध करवाया गया है, जिसे अटेंड करने के बाद ऑपरेटर ज्यादा से ज्यादा आधा किलोमीटर दूर से रिक्शा बुलाने वाले के पास दो मिनट के भीतर रिक्शा भेज देगा। मोटे तौर पर हर 1500 घरों के लिए एक रिक्शा सेंटर उपलब्ध होगा। यह सुविधा मिलने से महिलाओं, खासकर बुजुर्गो को कहीं काम पर आने-जाने में एक लोकल कॉल पर सामान्य किराये पर रिक्शा उपलब्ध हो जाएगा। इस योजना में फाजिल्का रिक्शा यूनियन को साथ लिया गया है।

फाजिल्का को मिलेगा पूरे साल नहरी पानी

http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/news/local/punjab/4_2_4569629.html
Jun 23, 09:42 pm
फाजिल्का : जमीनी पानी में फ्लोराइड की मात्रा अधिक होने व नहरी पानी छह माह मिलने के चलते दशकों से पेयजल किल्लत झेलते आ रहे फाजिल्कावासियों को अब एक साल के भीतर नहरी पानी परियोजना से पूरा साल नहरी पानी उपलब्ध होगा। भाजपा जिलाध्यक्ष महिंदर प्रताप धींगड़ा व मंडल अध्यक्ष सतीश सेतिया ने बताया कि अकाली-भाजपा गठबंधन ने अपने पूर्व कार्यकाल में नहरी पानी परियोजना तैयार करवाई थी। उसके तहत बार्डर रोड वाटर व‌र्क्स बनकर तैयार है, जिसे पूर्व की कांग्रेस सरकार ने नहीं संभाला और लोग पांच साल शुद्ध नहरी पानी को तरसते रहे। अब जब अकाली-भाजपा सरकार सत्ता में आ गई है। इसलिए नहरी पानी परियोजना को छह मासी नहर से काटकर नई बनाई गई न्यू वजीदपुरा माइनर से पूरा साल पानी दिया जाएगा। यह प्रोजेक्ट एक साल के भीतर पूरा हो जाएगा।

Fazilka ECOCAB Project Launched

Dear All,
It gives me immense pleasure to announce that, we have successfully launched the “Dial-a-Rickshaw” facility in Fazilka. We have named it as “ECOCABS”. At present cycle rickshaws are fulfilling the demand of public transport system of our small city Fazilka.

In the last couple of years, we observed the change of modal share in the total trip distribution by personalized motorized mode of transportation instead of our conventional rickshaw. Primarily because of two reasons; inaccessibility of cycle rickshaws and quality of rickshaws. Fazilka, where average trip length is shorter than 3km, it is very easy to promote cycle based public transport system. Narrow street design of Fazilka city encourages the use of cycle based public transport system. As a part of value addition to existing cycle rickshaw project; serving city’s transportation need from last 60 years, we decided to launch “ECOCABS”. Now cycle rickshaws in Fazilka are available on phone call away. It’s our own metro, but on rubber tyres. We have divided the city into five zones, mainly North, South, East, West and Central and started Rickshaw Call centre in each Zone. This zoning was based upon the number of household served. All these locations are near to residential areas of Fazilka city. Now with a phone call, rickshaw is available at your doorstep within five minutes. You all are cordially invited to experience our Rapid Rickshaw Transit system. Residents of Fazilka are very excited about this service. Our Ecocab project is just not only supporting the livelihood of 500 families who are depended on cycle rickshaw but with this pedal power we are saving an estimated 900 liter of fuel and 14000kg fresh air on daily basis. It’s first of its kind citizen effort to control the oil consumption and minimize the effect of global warming on this planet.

World carefree network is associated with for this noble cause. Thanks to Media without them it was not possible to make this project as big success. I am sending you the URL of all leading Print and Electronic Media channels, who covered our ECOCAB launch. Come and enjoy the difference.

Asian Age
http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/india/radio-rickshaws-launched.aspx

Video of Ecocab on CNN
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/67507/now-dialarickshaw-for-a-greener-environment.html

The Statesman
http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:_GLz-FHAkHkJ:www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php%3Fclid%3D2%26theme%3D%26usrsess%3D1%26id%3D209173+Fazilka+Rickshaw&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=in

CNN IBN
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/now-dialarickshaw-for-a-greener-environment/67507-3.html?xml

Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Chandigarh/Radio-ricks_to_ecosystem_rescue/articleshow/3139367.cms

The Tribune
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080619/punjab1.htm#10

All India Radio and Doordarshan

Newstin
http://www.newstin.com/tag/us/63922620
The India Post
http://www.theindiapost.com/?p=2742
Our Fazilka Website
http://lovefazilka.esmartweb.com/ecocab.htm

Fazilka ke Prehri : A Short movie on Asafwala War Memorial Fazilka

A Tribute to 1971 India Pakistan War Heroes- Sulemanki Sector Fazilka

a short movie title " Fazilka Ke Prehri", a tribute by Fazilka people to its defenders (67th Infantry), who fought bravely in 1971 India Pakistan War in Sulemanki sector (Fazilka). Fazilka people built Asafwala War Memorial in the memory of all brave soldiers of 67th Infantry Brigade, who laid down their life to save Fazilka against enemy attack. Please do visit this living temple of Fazilka whenever you visit Fazilka next time.
यह यादगार उन शहीदों के याद में बनाई गई है जिन्होंने 1971 के भारत पाकिस्तान युद्ध में गुर्मिखेरा, सुलेमानकी क्षेत्र (फाजिल्का) में देश के लिए लड़ते हुए वीरगति की प्राप्ति की You tube link of "Fazilka ke Prehri Movie" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1GyIoO8gSw

पंजाबियों के स्वागत के कायल हुए बस अग्निकांड में बचे नवविवाहित जोड़े

http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/news/local/punjab/4_2_4456784.html
May 18, 01:07 am
फाजिल्का : गुजरात के शहर अहमदाबाद से बस में सवार होकर हनीमून टूर पर निकले 16 नवविवाहित जोड़ों की किस्मत अच्छी थी कि शनिवार को फाजिल्का के थेह कलंदर गांव के निकट बस के साइलेंसर गर्म होने से बस के जलकर राख होने के बाद भी वे सकुशल बच गए। लेकिन इस घटना के बाद इस घटना से डरे-सहमे नवविवाहित जोड़ों को गांववासियों ने जो अपनापन दिया उससे वे अभिभूत हो गए और यह कहने से नहीं चूके कि पंजाब के लोगों की शान ही कुछ और है।
प्रत्यक्षदर्शियों के मुताबिक जलकर राख हुई बस के सभी जोड़े व अन्य यात्री आनन-फानन में सकुशल बस से तो उतर गए, लेकिन वे इतने सहम गए थे कि उन्हे उस समय कुछ सूझ नहीं रहा था। इतने में हादसे की सूचना पाकर मौके पर पहुंचे थेह कलंदर गांव के लोगों ने उन्हे संभाला और गुरुद्वारा साहिब ले जाकर उनकी आवभगत की। सरपंच जगसीर सिंह, गुरुद्वारा प्रबंधक कमेटी के प्रधान जगदेव सिंह, कोषाध्यक्ष दर्शन सिंह व गांव के युवक सुखजीत उर्फ काका ने अपने खर्च पर हनीमून जोड़ों के खाने-पीने का इंतजाम किया। यहां तक कि उन्हे उनका पसंदीदा गुजराती नाश्ता 'पोहा' व अन्य भोजन बनाकर भी परोसा। हनीमून जोड़ों ने भी उनका तहदिल से आभार जताया और कहा, ''हम इस हादसे और गांव के लोगों के प्यार को ताउम्र नहीं भुला पाएंगे।''हादसे के कारण अब हनीमून जोड़ों की ट्रिप का आखिरी स्टेशन अमृतसर होगा। वहां श्री हरिमंदिर साहिब के दर्शन कर सभी जोड़े वाहेगुरु का शुक्रिया अदा करेगे। वैसे अहमदाबाद से चले इन सभी जोड़ों को अंबा जी टेंपल जोधपुर होते हुए अमृतसर होकर शिमला, कुल्लू-मनाली और पिंक सिटी जयपुर होकर वापस अहमदाबाद पहुंचना था। डा. हैसिस-सुमितिया मैमन , राहुल-भावना वर्दिया (उदयपुर), पटेल विशाल-वर्षा (अहमदाबाद), धवल बिपिन भाई शाह-येशा (वडोदरा), नीलेश-कृष्णा संगुपरिया (राजकोट), जयमीन-ज्योति भादूवाला (वडोदरा), अमित-अमीषा माखेसाना (जूनागढ़), रोहित-मिताली रूपापोरा (राजकोट), हिसैन-सेजल रूपापोरा (राजकोट), धेवट-मीसा सौलंकी (राजकोट), अभिषेक-अवनी वोहरा (भुज, कच्छ), किंजल भाई-हिना ठक्कर (पाटन), आशुतोष-जीवन ज्योति पटेल, (वडोदरा), बस ड्राइवर संजय भाई, मैनेजर यूनुस भाई और खानसामे सहित लगभग 35 लोग बस में सवार थे।

FAZILKA ECOCABS : Fazilka's Own Public Transport System : Coming Soon

FAZILKA ECOCABS : Fazilka's Own Public Transport System : Coming Soon
हम फाजिल्का रिक्शा यूनियन आपका फाजिल्का पधारने पर हार्दिक स्वागत करते है हम फाजिल्का साइकिल रिक्शा यूनियन फाजिल्का की सेवा में पिछले 40 वर्षो से कार्यरत है. हम हर रोज औसतन 900 लीटर इंधन अथवा 14000 किलो शुद्ध हवा बचा कर फाजिल्का के वातावरण को शुद्ध रखते है आइये आप भी हमारे इस प्रयास में भागीदार बने और दुनिया में बढ़ रहे ग्लोबल वार्मिंग ke प्रकोप को कम करने में सहायक बने जल्द ही हम आपके पास एक नए रूप में आ रहे है

GAIL to build $7.6bn pipeline

State-run GAIL India Ltd will be part of a consortium that will be building the $7.6 billion Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline by 2015.
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=36464
Unlike the rival pipeline from Iran, the 1,680 kilometer long pipeline from Dauletabad gas field in Turkmenistan will be built and operated by a consortium of national oil companies from the four countries, a top official said here.
India last week formally joined the US-backed project to meet its growing energy needs.
The rival Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline is to be built by the three nations separately — Iran is to build the section of the pipeline that fall in its territory, while Pakistan will construct the 1,035-km length from Iran-Pakistan border to Pakistan-India border. India will lay the line from its border with Pakistan to the consumption centre. But, TAPI would be constructed by a consortium.
"A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be floated for the purpose, with a strong likelihood of international companies joining in laying and operation of the pipeline," he said.
The Steering Committee meeting of TAPI project, called by the project sponsor Asian Development Bank in Islamabad last week, endorsed GAIL's participation in the consortium.
TAPI pipeline will run from the Dauletabad gas field in Turkmenistan to Afghanistan. From there it will be constructed alongside the highway running from Herat to Kandahar and then through Quetta and Multan in Pakistan. The final destination of the pipeline will be the Indian town of Fazilka, near the border between Pakistan and India.
The pipeline will transport 100 million standard cubic metre per day of gas from the Dauletabad gas field, of which India's share is likely to be 60 million standard cubic metre.

Apollo’s e-telemedicine run on low cost finds takers in small towns

The technology enables Apollo doctors to view ‘live diagnosis’
Megha Mann
Ludhiana, June 4
THE newly-launched low-cost e-telemedicine project of Satguru Pratap Singh Apollo Hospitals has found takers in small towns such as Fazilka and Doraha. The low cost technology enables experts at Apollo to view live diagnosis such as ECG, TMT and x-rays with minimal investment on behalf of other medical institutes seeking their service.
According to a statement issued here, this technology enables patients to have on-the-spot opinion of experts free of cost, and also ensures delivery of quality medical facilities in small towns.
“Deriving information from ECG is not everybody’s cup of tea. Earlier, the doctors used to first get ECG xeroxed, paste it in pieces on a paper and then fax it. This was a tiresome procedure, and a facsimile copy of ECG gave only a static status. By using this software, doctors can monitor live ECG and the change in modulations that occur by seconds, thereby giving a clearer picture of the defect,” said Manager Marketing Sunil Mehta, who has been instrumental in developing this software.
The usual telemedicine installation requires Rs 50 to Rs 60 lakh, whereas this technique just requires an internet broadband connection and a digital ECG machine. Presently, the EDP (electronic data processing) department of the hospital is laying emphasis on having a tie-up with those institutes that have digital ECG and TMT machines that facilitate easy and immediate transfer of data.
The hospital has a tie-up with Sachdeva Hospital and Jassi Hospital in Fazilka. Talks are on with Sidhu Hospital, Doraha and Ranjeet Hospital, Rara Sahib in this regard. Instead of using the traditional V-sat method, the hospital is relying on this software to have a major breakthrough in providing telemedicine services. The EDP department is headed by Balihar Singh, and its chief officer is Dr SP Singh.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=239574

A forgotten form of soil regeneration takes root again

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/a-forgotten-form-of-soil-regeneration-takes-root-again_10037445.html
By Ranjana Narayan
Faridkot (Punjab), April 13 (IANS) Vinod Jyani, a farmer of Punjab’s Fazilka district, is a happy man. His paddy crop this year has been very good, without much fertiliser or water being used - thanks to mulching, an age-old system of soil regeneration that has almost gone out of use. Jyani, who grows wheat, paddy, millet, corn, sugarcane and fruits in his 140-acre farm, had begun to despair when he found the yield falling over the past several years. Continuous use of chemical fertiliser and pesticides had made the soil lose its nutrients, as is the case with most farm land in Punjab.
Then he learnt of natural farming techniques - not using chemicals but only biological ingredients like cow dung or cow urine - and of mulching to regenerate the soil.
Jyani tried mulching - covering the soil with a layer of dried leaves or hay to let the soil microbes multiply - on one acre on which he grew paddy.
The result had him elated.
“I got a good paddy crop this year and what’s more, with 50 percent less water, which is a necessary requirement for growing rice. I plan to do grow paddy in five-six acres this year after mulching the soil,” Jyani told IANS.
Explaining the method, Jyani said he would spread the mulch made of dried leaves, grass or crop residue in the field a week after transplanting the paddy saplings from the nurseries.
“This covering prevents the soil moisture from evaporating, helping me save on water. It also makes the soil microbes thrive, which are necessary for the soil to get back its nutrients.”
Jyani is using the technique in his fruit orchards too. He covers the base of the fruit trees with biomass made of crop residue.
“Another big advantage of mulching is that it does not allow weeds to grow. The mulching cuts off the sunlight to the weeds.”
Jyani decided to take to natural farming after being convinced by the Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM), a non-government organisation based in Faridkot, which is working towards ecologically sustainable methods of agriculture.
KVM head Umendra Dutt told IANS: “Mulching is an age-old technique that went out of use after the Green Revolution (in the 1970s). Farmers were told to burn the crop residues instead of using it to spread on the soil. This burning only leads to pollution and the ash does not benefit the soil in any way.”
According to Dutt, crops “don’t need water but moisture”. “Mulching helps reduce use of water, keeping only enough moisture in the soil for the crops.”
Irrigation can lead to “glut of water in the soil, thereby spoiling the soil oxidation process”.
P.L. Gautam, deputy director general of crop science at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), told IANS that mulching had gone out of use in large farms due to mechanised farming.
However, he agreed that it was the most cost-effective technique for soil regeneration. “The crop residues used for mulching also act as humus for the soil. It is by and large a useful method for conserving water. The soil gets recharged.”
One way, said Gautam, was through ‘plastic mulching’, spreading large plastic sheets on the field, which gave the same benefits.
However, according to Dutt, this method is not as useful as natural mulching because it cuts off the oxygen supply to the soil - a vital ingredient for soil oxidation.
Now other farmers in Fazilka and parts of Punjab are opting for mulching, though in small areas first, said Jyani. “It needs two-three years for the soil to begin regenerating itself through mulching. Therefore farmers cannot afford to do it on all their land, even though they find it very useful.
“The government should give a subsidy, like they do for fertiliser, to farmers who opt for natural farming in order to tide over the initial years during the transition,” he said.

जहां 25 साल से नहीं आई पुलिस

Mar 20, 10:38 am
फाजिल्का [पंजाब] [अमृत सचदेवा]। धन व बल से चुनाव जीतने के बाद पुलिस के जरिए अपने विरोधियों से रंजिश निकालने के मौजूदा माहौल से हटकर फाजिल्का में एक ऐसा भी गांव है जहां चुनावी रंजिश तो दूर, किसी आम झगड़े में भी पुलिस की कोई दखल नहीं है। सच तो यह है कि झगड़े फसाद में पुलिस का गांव आना ही वर्जित है। यहां चुनाव की जगह सर्वसम्मति से सरपंच के चुनाव को वरीयता दी जाती है।
अपवाद स्वरूप कभी चुनाव कराना भी पड़ता है तो चुने हुए सरपंच का कार्यकाल इतना बेहतर होता है कि अगली बार उसी के नाम पर गांववाले एकमत हो जाते हैं। गौरतलब यह है कि गांव चाननवाला में पिछले 25 साल से एक ही परिवार का वर्चस्व रहा है। इस परिवार की पंचायत मामलों में बेहतर समझ और प्रदर्शन का ही सबब है कि गांववासी उन पर पूरा भरोसा करते हैं। बीते ढाई दशक से इसी परिवार का कोई न कोई सदस्य यहां का सरपंच बनता चला आ रहा है। कमोवेश इस बार भी ऐसी ही स्थिति है। जिसके चलते चाननवाला में चुनाव की जगह सर्वसम्मति की कवायद शुरू हो गई है। आगामी चुनाव में भी यह परंपरा कायम रहने के आसार हैं। गांव के सर्वसम्मति से चुने गए सरपंच भाई देवेंद्र सिंह सावनसुखा 15 वर्ष से सरपंच है। उन्होंने 'दैनिक जागरण' को बताया कि वह पहले दो बार चुनाव जीतकर सरपंच बने थे और उनके गांव के प्रति किए कार्यो को देखते हुए ग्रामीणों ने तीसरी बार सर्वसम्मति से सरपंच बना दिया। इससे पहले उनके चाचा शेखर चंद सोनावत गांव के सरपंच थे। मगर तब गांव चाननवाला की पंचायत अलग नहीं थी, बल्कि गांव मुठियांवाली के साथ सामूहिक पंचायत थी। गांव चाननवाला की आबादी करीब पौने दो हजार है, जिसमें लगभग 700 मतदाता है।
उन्होंने बताया कि इस दौरान गांव में कभी किसी विवाद में पुलिस नहीं बुलाई गई। गांव में औसवाल बनिया, राय सिख, जट सिख, छींबा, धानक आदि बिरादरियों के लोग प्रेमपूर्वक रहते है। बीते वर्ष पंजाब कृषि यूनिवर्सिटी द्वारा करवाए मुकाबलों में गांव के फलों को 21 पुरस्कार मिले है।
उन्होंने बताया कि पिछली बार सर्वसम्मति से पंचायत बनाने पर सरकार की तरफ से दो लाख रुपये पुरस्कार मिला था। जिसे प्राइमरी स्कूल व पंचायत घर पर खर्च किया गया है। इस बार भी ग्रामीणों और उनकी खुद की यही इच्छा है कि पंचायत का गठन सर्वसम्मति से हो।
http://www.1bharat.com/newsmchr/?p_source_id=1&p_link_id=95054&p_link_type=news_art&lang=hi

Cars and Marriages are Made in Heaven

There was a time when one out of a hundred marriages used to end in a divorce, in India. That was back then. Recent findings show that divorce rates in India have been rising alarmingly. In the capital city of India, Delhi, the divorce rates have literally doubled over the past five years. In one of the most hi-tech cities of India, like Chandigarh and Bangalore, the divorce rates have tripled in the last 3-4 years. These are pretty shocking statistics, given the fact that India used to be one of the most traditional countries with one of the lowest divorce rates in the world. This dangerous trend coincides with an increase of money in market and motorized vehicles on the roads.

According to Harman Sidhu, President of Arrive Safe, Chandigarh based NGO working in the area of safe mobility and access through better transportation policies and planning, “Indian urban lives are moving at a high RPM[1] rate because of the increase in personalized motor vehicle use for commuting”. Commuting distances have been increased three-fold by virtue of wrong transportation policies in the last few decades; the meager and inefficient public transport system has made walking and cycling in urban areas unsafe. This daily unsafe commute has generated high stress levels in the population.
Our visionless urban planners believe that the numbers of vehicles on the roads are an indicator of the degree of development with country. Flyovers and expressways are the buzz words within corridors of power today. More road crash fatalities, crime on roads and road rages in our daily lives are source of the symptoms of the high stress levels in our urban life.
Rationale
Financial independence followed by temperamental and attitudinal problems are the key reasons for divorces[2]. The first investment after attaining financial independence in a family is the desire of ownership for a private motor vehicle. This is primarily because our urban planners and road engineers with their wrong planning and policies have added to the problem. This is a never ending loop; migrations of more and more people to the city followed by a never ending increase of personalized vehicles continue to this day. Even after constructing hi-tech expressways and flyovers, urban traffic is going to face complex problems because transport infrastructure has certain expansion limits and capacities. Transportation in urban cities in India are made more complex because we have heterogeneous traffic, mixed land use, unplanned traffic policies, and no holistic approach to public transport. Increased average trip length forces people to spend more time and money on roads and less with their families. This leads to high stress levels in urban life followed by temperamental issues which leads to disintegration of family life.
International Scenario[3]
Analyzing the international trends in personal relationships in highly motorized/high income developed counties it was found that 51% of women in America were living without their husbands. Four out of 10 marriages in UK end in divorce. Since a decade, divorce rates, while still fluctuating, have shown an upward trend in Australia. In China, the divorce rate is escalating at a rate of 21.2%. Although the overall divorce rate in china is still lower than in Europe or the US, but the long-term trend is tending upwards. 80% of marriages in Russia end up in divorce.
Our Indian Metro Scenario
Delhi[4]
New Delhi leads with the highest number of divorces in the country, with more than 8,000-9,000 cases every year. The number has almost doubled[5] of last four years, according to data compiled from various State courts and the Crime Records Bureau.
Registered private vehicles increased by almost 100% growth in comparison to base year vehicle population in 1999. The number of private registered vehicles increases from 197181 to 244040. The modal share of cars in this increase is in the order of 22 to 25%.
Mumbai
The registered vehicle population of Mumbai was 15.03 lakh as on March 2007; in 1999 it was 8 lakh this account an average increase of 82 thousand motorized vehicles per year.
Study conducted by Mr Ajay Kumar Singh & Dr. R K Sinha of International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai[6], revealed that there was 56% increase in the divorce rate till 2001 in Mumbai. Since 2002, the number of divorce petitions filed in the special family court in Mumbai was 20929. The situation in Thane is worse, where 23993 divorce petitions were filed during the same period. The figure is alarming as the total number of marriages that were registered in places taken together from 2002 to 2007 was 104287[7]. Jump of almost 50 per cent in the number of divorce cases filed over 2002.
Pune[8]
According to Mr Vinay Borikar, principal judge at the family courts, Pune, “ During 2006, there were an average of 150 divorce cases a month but the number went up to approximately 240 cases a month during 2007 indicating an compounding increase of 160%.
In the old days Pune was a bicycle city. The registered motorized four wheelers for March 2006 were 179252; this year the registered motorized four wheeler vehicles increased to 211768 indicating an increase of 132%[9].
Chandigarh[10]
In 1997, 216 cases of divorce were filed by residents in the district courts in the 2005 the number touched 1000. This is almost a five fold increase. During the same period the motorized vehicle population increased from a total of 326,278 to 547,225 with an estimated growth of 100% per year.
Conclusion
The trends of the four Indian cities mentioned above, there is an unexpected degree of disintegration in the social structure of our cities. Personalized vehicle growth is proportionate to the divorce rate. International trends of highly motorized/high income developed nations show similar trends. All major transportation related infrastructure schemes are promoted in terms of travel time saving by the promoters, who increased the commuting distances in the first place by relocating while communities from the city to the suburbs.
We need to take stock of our urban structure holistically and plan not only for today but all our future generation’s tomorrow.

Divorce rate and Global Warming[11]
Already proven that divorce is bad for the environment and contributing a lot to global warming; as it leads to more households with fewer people and greater consumption of water and energy, says a study published in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, United States.
In the U.S. in 2005, divorced households consumed an extra 73 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water. Thirty-eight million extra rooms required heating and lighting that same year, costing $6.9 billion in additional utility costs, plus a further $3.6 billion for water, and other costs such as land use.
The study concluded that a married household uses resources more efficiently than a divorced household because people watch the same television, share air conditioning and heat, and use the same refrigerator.

References
[1] Revolution Per Minutes
[2] Singh, Ajay Kumar Singh & Sinha (Dr) R K (2005) “Growing Incidence of Divorce in Indian Cities: A Study of Mumbai, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
[3] http://pooja.instablogs.com/entry/is-marriage-a-dying-institution/
[4] http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070717/main2.htm
[5]http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi_Times/Whatmakes_Delhi_the_divorce_capital/articleshow/2253106.cms [6] http://iussp2005.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=50689
[7] http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jan262008/national2008012648685.asp
[8] http://www.medindia.net/news/Divorce-Rates-Shooting-Up-in-Pune-in-Western-India-31612-1.htm
[9] http://pune360.com/News/2007/05/07/pune-gets-into-fast-lane-to-don-city-of-cars-mantle/
[10] http://chandigarh.nic.in/owin.htm?id="http://chdtransport.gov.in/chk_reg.asp"
[11] http://www.desmogblog.com/soaring-divorce-rates-cited-as-factor-in-global-warming-environmental-stress

Fazilka : A Forgotten Form Of Soil Regeneration Takes Root Again

 

Vinod Jyani, a farmer of Punjab's Fazilka district, is a happy man. His paddy crop this year has been very good, without much fertiliser or water being used - thanks to mulching, an age-old system of soil regeneration that has almost gone out of use.

Jyani, who grows wheat, paddy, millet, corn, sugarcane and fruits in his 140-acre farm, had begun to despair when he found the yield falling over the past several years. Continuous use of chemical fertiliser and pesticides had made the soil lose its nutrients, as is the case with most farm land in Punjab.

Then he learnt of natural farming techniques - not using chemicals but only biological ingredients like cow dung or cow urine - and of mulching to regenerate the soil.

Jyani tried mulching - covering the soil with a layer of dried leaves or hay to let the soil microbes multiply - on one acre on which he grew paddy.

The result had him elated.

'I got a good paddy crop this year and what's more, with 50 percent less water, which is a necessary requirement for growing rice. I plan to do grow paddy in five-six acres this year after mulching the soil,' Jyani told IANS.

Explaining the method, Jyani said he would spread the mulch made of dried leaves, grass or crop residue in the field a week after transplanting the paddy saplings from the nurseries.

'This covering prevents the soil moisture from evaporating, helping me save on water. It also makes the soil microbes thrive, which are necessary for the soil to get back its nutrients.'

Jyani is using the technique in his fruit orchards too. He covers the base of the fruit trees with biomass made of crop residue.

'Another big advantage of mulching is that it does not allow weeds to grow. The mulching cuts off the sunlight to the weeds.'

Jyani decided to take to natural farming after being convinced by the Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM), a non-government organisation based in Faridkot, which is working towards ecologically sustainable methods of agriculture.

KVM head Umendra Dutt told IANS: 'Mulching is an age-old technique that went out of use after the Green Revolution (in the 1970s). Farmers were told to burn the crop residues instead of using it to spread on the soil. This burning only leads to pollution and the ash does not benefit the soil in any way.'

According to Dutt, crops 'don't need water but moisture'. 'Mulching helps reduce use of water, keeping only enough moisture in the soil for the crops.'

Irrigation can lead to 'glut of water in the soil, thereby spoiling the soil oxidation process'.

P.L. Gautam, deputy director general of crop science at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), told IANS that mulching had gone out of use in large farms due to mechanised farming.

However, he agreed that it was the most cost-effective technique for soil regeneration. 'The crop residues used for mulching also act as humus for the soil. It is by and large a useful method for conserving water. The soil gets recharged.'

One way, said Gautam, was through 'plastic mulching', spreading large plastic sheets on the field, which gave the same benefits.

However, according to Dutt, this method is not as useful as natural mulching because it cuts off the oxygen supply to the soil - a vital ingredient for soil oxidation.

Now other farmers in Fazilka and parts of Punjab are opting for mulching, though in small areas first, said Jyani. 'It needs two-three years for the soil to begin regenerating itself through mulching. Therefore farmers cannot afford to do it on all their land, even though they find it very useful.

'The government should give a subsidy, like they do for fertiliser, to farmers who opt for natural farming in order to tide over the initial years during the transition,' he said.