Protesters refuse to lift dharna for closure of ethanol plant in Punjab
Ferozepur (Punjab), Dec 17 (PTI): Villagers, who have been sitting on a dharna in front of a distillery and ethanol plant in Ferozepur's Mansurwal for nearly five months demanding its closure, refused to relent despite minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal reaching out to them on Saturday.
Wth the support of some farmer unions, the villagers have been holding the protest in front of the plant, claiming that it was polluting underground water in several villages in the area, besides causing air pollution.
In a late evening development, police booked 14 people by name besides 100-125 unidentified persons for allegedly blocking the way of personnel going to perform duties at the dharna site and holding a demonstration at the T-point road going towards the ethanol plant from Ratol Rohi village in Zira sub-division.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Rural Development and Panchayats, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Dhaliwal assured the protesters on all the decisions which were agreed upon between their delegation and the government.
The protest is being held under the banner of the Sanjha Zira Morcha since July 24.
Those booked on Saturday face charges under various Indian Penal Code sections including those pertaining to assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant and rioting. They have been also charged under the National Highway Act by the Zira police.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Amrit Singh has appointed Duty Magistrates for round-the-clock supervision of the dharna site up to December 27.
In the orders passed Saturday evening, almost a dozen officers from various departments have been put on an eight hours roster as duty magistrates to prevent any untoward situation and keep watch at the protest site.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had on Friday evening held a meeting with a delegation of agitators in Chandigarh to address their issues.
Interacting with the protesters on Saturday, Dhaliwal assured them of protecting their interests and added special fact-finding committees comprising experts from various fields will be set up in this regard.
Earlier in the meeting of the protesters held with the CM, the state government had decided that the residents will be given another opportunity to present their case including objections relating to the plant before one of the committees.
In the meeting, it was also decided to constitute an expert committee from Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana to ascertain the declining productivity of crops and another committee comprising experts from Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot to check out spread of diseases as alleged by the protesters.
According to sources, the chief minister had also assured them to constitute another committee of experts from Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) Ludhiana to find out the reason behind the deaths of the cattle during the recent times and other committee of high-level officials to check contamination of water in the area near Mansurwal as alleged by the protesters.
Later, while exhorting the protesters to shift the dharna 300 metre away in accordance with the instructions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Dhaliwal said the state government was committed to protecting the environment and provide safe potable water to them, however, they should follow the orders of the court.
After talking to the protesters, Dhaliwal went back without any final outcome on the further course of action.
Earlier the situation had remained tense during the last two days and heavy police had been deployed at the dharna site.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
