M A I N   N E W S

LPG, kerosene to cost more

NEW DELHI, March 22 (PTI) — The government today effected a steep increase in the price of cooking gas hiking it up to Rs 51 per cylinder and more than doubled the price of kerosene which will now sell at over Rs 5 per litre.

The government also hiked the aviation turbine fuel price by over Rs 3 per litre but spared diesel and petrol.

As per the new prices, effective from midnight cooking gas would cost Rs 196.35 in Delhi, Rs 198.80 in Mumbai, Rs 221.45 in Calcutta and Rs 202.25 in Chennai, while kerosene would be sold at Rs 5.46, Rs 5.57, Rs 5.87 and Rs 5.64 respectively, in the four metros.

The decision to raise the prices, which has been pending for quite some time, was approved at a meeting of the coordination committee of the National Democratic Alliance today, Petroleum Minister Ram Naik said. Telugu Desam Party representatives were not present at the meeting.

Announcing the new prices Mr Naik said the government would review the diesel prices after four months.

The hike in prices would help cut subsidies by a massive Rs 5330 crore in a year but the oil pool deficit was still estimated at Rs 13,670 crore for the next financial year at the current international oil prices, he said.

Mr Naik said the price hike was necessitated by a 155 per cent hike in international crude oil prices since February 1999 which would increase India’s oil import bill to Rs 59,000 crore in the current financial year against Rs 24,000 crore in the previous year.

The government exempted diesel, being subsidised to the tune of Rs 1.93 per litre, from the purview of the price hike in view of the steep 40 per cent increase in this fuel’s prices on October 5, he said.

The subsidy of Rs 1 in diesel costs the oil pool a massive Rs 5,000 crore annually, ministry sources said.

Mr Naik said that the NDA government had just carried forward Gujral government’s decision in 1997 to eliminate the entire subsidies on petroleum products by phased dismantling of administered prices by the year 2002.

Despite the hike in prices, the government would bear subsidy of Rs 132 per cylinder on cooking gas and Rs 5.30 per litre on kerosene, he said.

Giani Bhagwan Singh’s threat
From Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, March 22 — Giani Bhagwan Singh, who was ‘excommunicated’ from the Sikh Panth along with Prof Manjit Singh and Giani Kewal Singh by a “controversial” hukamnama, issued by Giani Puran Singh, Jathedar Akal Takht on March 12, has said that he would prefer to resigning as Head Granthi, Akal Takht than accepting the edict.

Giani Bhawan Singh, who has been performing his routine duties as Head Granthi since March 12 at Akal Takht while talking to certain reporters said Bibi Jagir Kaur should not accept the decision of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Shiromani Akali Dal which directed her to appear before Akal Takht on the basis of the ‘edict’ which was issued in gross violation of Sikh traditions. Giani Bhagwan Singh said that the PAC had no locus standi to issue directions to the SGPC chief on the question of ‘maryada’. He said the five Sikh high priests including, Giani Kewal Singh, Giani Mohan Singh, Giani Bhagwan Singh and Giani Charn Singh had challenged the ‘hukamnama’ issued from a PCO at Guna (Madhya Pradesh) on January 25 on the basis of established Panthic ‘maryada’, he said, “I still believe that Bibi Jagir Kaur is very much part of the Sikh Panth as the ‘hand written letter’ of the Jathedar, faxed from a PCO could not be described as an edict”. He further said that Bibi Jagir Kaur had earned the appreciation of majority of the Sikh Panth for challenging the ‘so called hukamnama’. “If Bibi Jagir Kaur would succumb to the pressure of the PAC the Sikh “sangat” would never forgive her”. She must continue to fight for upholding of the ‘maryada’ in the larger interests of the Sikh Panth.

Giani Bhagwan Singh said that he would continue to perform his duties regularly as he was not an employee of Giani Puran Singh. “ I would immediately quit if the SGPC” — my appointing authority would ask me to do so”, he said.

He said due to the issuance of both “hukamnamas” the working of the SGPC had virtually come to a standstill. The SGPC staff could not get its annual increment, so far, which was due from January this year. The SGPC could not do any tangible work in connection with the concluding functions of the tercentenary of the birth of Khalsa Panth so far due to the “utter confusion” caused by Giani Puran Singh.

Giani Bhagwan Singh also appealed to the Sikh women organisations to come on a single platform to help Bibi Jagir Kaur, who was being “humiliated” by leaders for narrow political interests. He said, he had offered flowers to Bibi Jagir Kaur at Akal Takht on February 28 when she had ended her 23-day long “ekantvaas”.