TOBA TEK SINGH: The University of Agriculture of Faisalabad (UAF), in collaboration with the Punjab Agriculture Extension Department, will launch an eight-day wheat campaign from Nov 7 to 14.
During the campaign, 330,000 students will visit farmers’ fields across the six divisions of Punjab to disseminate expert recommendations and improve per-acre productivity.
The announcement was made by UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan during a deans’ committee meeting on Thursday. Pro-Vice Chancellor/Dean Agriculture Prof Dr Sarwar Khan, serves as the convener, and Principal Officer Prof Dr Jalal Arif is coordinating the campaign.
Other attendees included Deans Prof Dr Masood Sadiq Butt, Prof Dr Qamar Bilal, Prof Dr Farzana Rizvi, Prof Dr Ijaz Bhatti, Dr Khalid Mushtaq, Directorof Research Dr Jafar Jaskani, Director of Agriculture Extension Dr Abdul Hameed, UAF Registrar Tariq Mahmud Gill, Treasurer Umar Saeed Qadri, Director Planning and Development Irfan Abbas, and Senior Tutor Dr Shoukat Ali.
Dr Iqrar said that the campaign not only aims to share expert recommendations but also intends to provide students with practical, on-field experience and insight into the challenges faced by farmers. The campaign will focus on convincing farmers to adopt timely sowing, certified seeds, and balanced fertilizer usage, among other best practices.
The UAF campaign will cover the divisions of Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Gujrart, and Gujranwala.
RAID: A Faisalabad Electric Supply Company team conducted a raid in Gojra Chak 298 JB on Wednesday night and arrested people engaged in tampering with electricity meters in a private laboratory. Eight people, including three Fesco employees, were involved in this meter tampering operation.
During the raid, Mohammad Sameer, Gojra city sub-division SDO, and his team, along with the police, arrested Umar Farooq, the owner of the house where the tampering was taking place.
The gang members were identified as Fesco lineman Rashid Nawaz, assistant lineman Amer Riaz, and meter reader Irfan Yasir. However, several accomplices, including Rashid, Shahzad, Zubair, and Mubashir, managed to escape during the raid.
DPO Syed Karar Hussain said that a police team had been formed to arrest the escaped gang members.
A case has been registered against the accused by Gojra City police under sections 462-1 and 462-M of the Pakistan Penal Code for their involvement in meter tampering.
The complainant SDO said in his FIR that the gang members were known for removing meters and reinstalling them while reversing the used units, indicating fraudulent activities related to electricity meters.
Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2023
