Bathinda: The Department of Atomic Energy, Mumbai, today said testing the environment samples it took to detect uranium, was a time-consuming process and denied the statement on a report of samples in 10 days. The department said the samples taken by the DAE team from Faridkot were of soil, water and vegetation and needed a thorough analysis to reach a conclusion on exact facts.

Jalandhar: Detection of high level of uranium in water in the Malwa belt of Punjab, especially in Bathinda, Faridkot, Mansa, Sangrur, Muktsar and Moga districts, have virtually halted the installation of reverse osmosis (RO) plants, set up by the state government, for safe water to villagers.

Supply-requirement gap shoots up to 10 MGD in peak summer

Punjab has lifted as much as 12.45 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of wheat from all over the state, after a record 15.17 lakh MT arrival of wheat due to early crop this year. This was stated by D S Guru, principal secretary to chief minister, while inspecting the various mandis in Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala and Sangrur districts, on Monday.

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has directed officials to ensure immediate disbursal of relief to farmers whose crop have been damaged due to inclement weather in the state.

Badal also asked deputy commissioners to prepare and submit a detailed report on the extent of damage caused during the recent adverse weather conditions.

ASIT JOLLY
CHANDIGARH

The startling discovery of Uranium in the hair of children suffering from cerebral palsy in southwestern Punjab has prompted a broad-based scientific investigation involving Amritsar

Guru Nanak Dev University has claimed that high uranium content have been found in water samples collected from Bathinda and its suburbs and it is the main reason of a high incidence of cancer among local people.

Sources from university

The present government and the ones before it have neglected the health sector, as the National Family Health Surveys show.

WHAT is the state of the nation

Govt agencies assessing loss

Fatehgarh Sahib/Rajpura/ Khanna/Patiala: Widespread rains and squall damaged ready-to-harvest and harvested wheat crop in various villages of Fatehgarh Sahib, Rajpura, Khanna and Patiala.

Agriculture department officials say the damage to this extent was reported around 10 years ago.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Faridkot, on orders of the Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, today went to the Baba Farid Centre for Special Children and forcibly cut hair of children who cannot speak. The CMO, along with a team of doctors, was at the centre to take blood and hair samples of children.