TOBA TEK SINGH: Five people died, and eight others were injured near Khurrianwala in Faisalabad in a car-bus collision on Sunday.

Rescue 1122 said that a Lahore-to-Faisalabad bus and a car collided on Sheikhupura Road when the car emerged from the link road of Chak 75 RB. Four car riders of the same family from Lahore died instantly.

They were identified as brothers Muhammad Raza and Manzoor Ahmad, and their cousins Abdul Mateen and Abdul Waleed. Bus driver Abdul Qayyum of Toba Tek Singh’s Chak 267 GB also died. Eight injured bus passengers were shifted to Allied Hospital.

They included Sakina Bibi, Zain Aslam, Khurram Shafiq, his brother Akram Shafiq, Muhammad Jamil, Elishba Zahid, Asima Ghafoor, and Khurshid Bibi.

KILLED: One shoe factory worker died, and two others were wounded when the factory’s under-construction roof caved in on them at Toba Tek Singh near Zia Colony on Sunday.

According to Rescue 1122, construction work was underway on the roof of the upper storey, and when it collapsed, it also brought down the ground floor’s roof.

Rescuers and local residents removed heavy debris from both roofs and rescued the workers, shifting them to DHQ Hospital where Ashfaq Hussain succumbed to his injuries, while the condition of the other two, Abdul Rashid and Muhammad Akram, was stated to be critical.

JOB: On the instructions of the Punjab Ombudsman, various provincial departments have provided regular government jobs to 15 applicants under Rule 17A of the Punjab Civil Servants Act.

A press release on Sunday stated that the beneficiaries included Muhammad Abdullah, Manizza Firdous, Uzma Abrar, Danish Farooq, Ziaul Hasan, Muhammad Jawad, Sawera, Abdullah, Zarik bin Tariq, Zain Asim, Iqra Aziz, Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Umar, Ghulam Jilani, and Ehsanul Haque.

WHEAT: By 2030, the wheat deficit may rise to 7 million tonnes in the country if productivity is not increased, Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, vice-chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad said at a farmers’ gathering in Jaranwala on Sunday as part of UAF and Punjab Extension Department’s ongoing wheat campaign meant to raise per-acre production.

He said that due to last year’s wheat campaign, the average production of district divisions in Punjab has increased by three mounds per acre. He said that although the technology is available, the country is unable to tap its potential.

He recalled the worst wheat crisis in 1966 but noted that with the Mexi-Pak variety, the country became self-sufficient in just two to three years.

He said that 15% of wheat is lost due to outdated harvesters and called for the adoption of water conservation techniques.

Director Soil Sciences Prof Dr Ghulam Murtaza urged the farming community to apply balanced fertilizer usage, ensuring certified seed in the field.

Director Agriculture Extension Abdul Hameed encouraged the timely sowing of wheat, emphasizing that the government provides a Rs1,500 subsidy on certified seed per bag until Nov 20.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2023