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| Sunday,
April 28, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Decision on octroi
tomorrow Chandigarh, April 27 Adding a twist to the controversy, former Municipal Councillor-cum- petitioner in the case Mathura Dass had, on the last date of hearing, sought directions for initiating contempt of court proceedings against the state of Punjab and other respondents for “making a false statement, besides filing a false affidavit in the court”. He had also sought directions for staying the operation of a notification regarding the abolition of octroi in the state. In an application, Mathura Dass had claimed that the state authorities, by not releasing the funds to the municipalities for March, 2002, despite a clear direction from the Court, had committed contempt and were liable to be punished for it. Going into the background of the case, the petitioner had stated that the respondents in their statement as well as in the application filed initially for vacation of stay had taken the stand that the state government would provide an alternate source of revenue to the municipalities before the abolition of octroi. Even an undertaking, given by Punjab’s then Advocate General, was recorded in an order dated November 19 last year. He had added that after the abolition of octroi, the respondents claimed that the state government would continue paying for the loss suffered by the municipalities following the abolition of octroi. A statement to this effect was made by the then Principal Secretary, Mr P.K. Verma. After hearing the arguments in the case, the High Court had reserved orders but had directed the state government to continue paying for the losses. The government, however, released Rs 35 crore each to all the municipalities for the months of December last year, and January and February this year, but the amount for the month of March was not released by the state government, he had asserted. Counsel for the petitioner had added that the decision to abolish octroi in the state was challenged on the ground that it was the “major source of revenue with the municipalities and as such was necessary for survival”. It may be recalled that the Bench had earlier reserved orders on a bunch of petitions filed against Punjab government’s decision to abolish octroi in the state. In his plea, Mathura Dass had contended that the state should not be permitted to implement the decision to abolish octroi till alternate sources of income were provided to the municipalities. Claiming that the orders had been passed after violating the High Court directions, his counsel had added that as per the orders the respondents were required to place on record a copy of the decision and were expected to implement the same after obtaining court permission. The respondents had, nevertheless, ordered the abolition of octroi from December 1, last year. |
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Bail plea of 2 Sidhu ‘agents’
rejected Ropar, April 27 Two residents of Ludhiana Amritpal Singh and Ishar Singh have accused Gill of demanding Rs 35 lakh from them for Gurjeet Singh’s selection as DSP. They had paid him Rs 1 lakh in advance. However, when the deal did not materialise they asked for the return of advance, which was never done. They alleged that Gill used to ask for Rs 60 lakh from a general category candidate and Rs 40 lakh from a Scheduled Caste candidate for being selected as DSP. Prem Sagar has been accused of asking for Rs 35 lakh from Bakhshish Singh for recruiting Vikram Singh as DSP. In this case the deal did not materialise and Bakhshish Singh complained to the vigilance authorities against Sagar. The defence counsel of both agents, however, pleaded that they had not been mentioned in the FIR of Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu. In another case the Special Judge, Ropar, today issued notice to the vigilance authorities to file a reply with regard to assertions of the Income Tax Department. The income tax authorities had yesterday moved an application before the said judge seeking all cash and documents of financial transactions recovered from the PPSC Chairman. The next hearing in the case has been fixed for May 6. |
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Ousted PPSC Secy transferred yet
again Chandigarh, April 27 He was made Subdivisional Magistrate, Muktsar, after his removal from the PPSC early this month. His place at Muktsar will be taken by Mr Amarjit Paul. The Punjab Government ordered transfers of 14 other PCS officers today. Mr V.K. Ohri becomes ADC, Fatehgarh Sahib; Mr Mohinder Singh goes as ADC, Mansa; and Mr Gurtej Singh has been posted SDM, Ferozepore. The new SDM of Anandpur Sahib will be Mr Baldev Singh. Mr Gurdip Singh will be SDM, Khamanon. Mr Trilok Nath Passey is SDM, Khadoor Sahib. Mrs Gurpreet Kaur Sapra becomes SDM, Baba Bakala, while Mr Satish Kumar Singla will be SDM, Moonak. The SDM at Mukerian will be Mr Bhupinder Singh while at Sardulgarh, Mr Birbal Singh will be SDM. Mr Zora Singh becomes SDM, Phagwara. Mr D.P.S. Kharbanda has been appointed ACA, PUDA, Bathinda. Mr M.P. Arora comes to Chandigarh as Joint Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs. |
Appointment letters issued in back date? Bathinda, April 27 Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that a large number of unemployed youth had now started collecting evidence of corruption during the recruitment of clerks done recently. In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, Mr Baljinder Singh, a local resident, alleged large-scale corruption in the recruitment of clerks in the Punjab School Education Board. He said 100 posts of clerk were advertised in 1996, the written test for which was conducted in 1998 and typing test was held on January 1, 2001. However, the list of selected candidates was never published in any newspaper. The complainant, who has sent copies to the Lok Pal and Education Minister, further alleged that during the recent state Assembly elections the appointment letters were issued to applicants in back date. He further pointed out that in the selection of clerks merit was ignored by the authorities concerned and only those were given an interview call who offered some consideration. He demanded that a thorough probe should be ordered into the selection. |
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Sikh Council backs govt’s anti-graft
drive Chandigarh, April 27 Mr Mann, who was president of the All-India Sikh Students Federation from 1967 to 1970, said such a campaign should have been started by the previous SAD-BJP government headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal. He said because of rampant corruption, Punjab had lagged behind states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in development. Its economy had been shattered. Most of the time, the ruling classes had been busy minting money without caring for the people of the state. He said the government’s first priority should be to stabilise the state economy which was in a shambles. All loss-making public sector undertakings should be closed and organisations like the Punjab Seeds Corporation, the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation and the Punjab Mandi Board merged to bring down expenditure. Likewise, there were several organisations under the Cooperation Department — Markfed, Spinfed, Weavco, Sugarfed. All these should be merged. There was a need for taking care of five lakh NRI families. They headed to be assured that their interests would be looked after well back in their native state and motivated to invest in Punjab to contribute towards its development. There was a need for Punjab’s development on cultural and heritage fronts. No one had cared for the heritage buildings. There was a danger to original Punjabi culture because of the onslaught of European culture through the electronic media. |
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Cong trying to defame SAD:
Dhindsa Vallah (Amritsar), April 27 Denying any shelter to Ravinderpal Singh Sidhu, he categorically stated that no Akali had any role or link in the misdoings of the controversial chairman. He clarified that since the post of chairman was a constitutional one the Akali government could not remove him despite complaints and reports that prime jobs were being offered on sale by the
PPSC. “Three of our appointees had gone to the court against the PPSC Chairman. If our intentions were malafide we could have asked them to withdraw their cases,” he retorted. Mr Dhindsa was addressing mediapersons after presiding over the first prize distribution and annual function of Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research here today. He said if the Congress government was sincere in its endeavour it could have used the Lok Pal to examine those, including ministers and formers ministers, against whom complaints had been filed, but a retired high court judge, Mr A.S. Garg, was appointed to head a one-man commission of inquiry to probe the irregularities of the previous government in the state instead of a sitting judge. He alleged that Mr Garg was appointed as he was a relative of the Advocate-General and another relative was appointed as his deputy. Persons who had been indicted by the Lok Pal were taken into the Congress government. “Where is the sincerity of the Congress, it is only a politically motivated campaign against a rival party,” he asserted. Unfolding the action plan of SAD, he stated that the party would soon start a series of meetings with Akali workers in this connection. A high level meeting is being planned in Chandigarh where representatives from the BJP and SAD will chalk out a programme to thwart the designs of the Congress against them. Meanwhile, the Union Minister announced Rs 5 lakh grant for the institute. |
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Badal’s comment act of desperation: MLA Nawanshahr, April 27 They said the statement was nothing but an indication of desperation of Mr Badal as the Congress government during the past two months had made an impact on the public by fulfilling its main pre-election promise of providing corruption-free and transparent administration. They added that the state government had reaffirmed the faith of the youth in the political system. |
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Shiv Sena men ‘usurp’ hospital land Phillaur, April 27 The NGO — Shiv Rudra Jan Kalyan Sansthan — has been illegally occupying about one acre of prime land belonging to the hospital worth more than Rs 1 crore — since the first half of November, 2001, when workers of the Shiv Sena (Bal Thakerey) had seized a truck, allegedly carrying about 15 cows to a slaughter house and had requested the hospital authorities for providing a temporary shelter to the animals. But what has benumbed the hospital authorities was that instead of shifting the animals to an alternative location, the workers of this organisation brought more animals and even erected signboards depicting that the place was a “gaushala” and not a veterinary hospital. The hospital authorities, who were remorseful over their decision to bow to the wishes of the local SDM who had asked them to provide a temporary shelter for these animals, got more suspicious about the motives of some unscrupulous persons coming to the makeshift “gaushala” when the organisation did not bother to vacate the place and dithered from its own promises despite assurances of the SDM. Talking to The Tribune, Dr V.P. Singh, said the place had been given to the NGO for setting up a temporary shelter following orders of the SDM. On November 12, 2001, Shiv Sena workers led by Mr Vipin Sharma brought about 15 abandoned cows to the place. But thereafter the number of cows kept swelling and so were promises of the office-bearers of the organisation. So much so, the workers even allegedly tried to erect some pucca structures inside the hospital premises in the name of “fodder-pits” for the animals. But this move was aborted by the alert hospital authorities. Interestingly, official sources said a group of workers enjoyed political patronage as even the then Punjab Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur, had participated in the “govardhan pooja” organised by NGO on Diwali eve. Dr V.P. Singh said the number of cows had been increasing with each passing day and it had become difficult for him and his family to put up in a residence provided by the department on the same premises. When contacted, Dr H.S. Sandha, Deputy Director, Punjab Veterinary Department, said the matter had been taken up with the local SDM as it was he who had permitted the Sena workers to keep the animals for “three days” at the place. “Now they have promised that the place will be vacated by April 30. Let us see what happens,” Dr Sandha said. |
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Boat tragedy: families
still in dilemma Nawanshahr, April 27 Mr Pritam Singh, SDM, while talking to this correspondent said according to the information available from the families of the victims, out of six youth belonging to the different villages of the district, who were travelling in the ill-fated boat on April 16, as many as four youth namely Jatinder Kumar (21), son of Om Parkash and a resident of Khotram village, Mukhtiar Singh (24), Bhajan Singh, resident of Musapur village, Rachhpal Singh (21), son of Bhag Singh, resident of Bakapur and Surinder Kumar (35), son of Kabul Singh, resident of Kaulgarh village were still missing and their parents waiting for any concrete information about the fate of their sons. Two youth namely Jasvir Singh, son of Shinder Singh and Onkar Singh, son of Karnail Singh, residents of nearby Amargarh village were lucky enough to escape the tragedy. They are now in the custody of the Greece police. Mr Karnail Singh, father of Onkar Singh and Mr Ranjit Singh, brother of Jasvir Singh, residents of Amargarh village told this correspondent that they had received telephone calls from Onkar Singh and Jasvir Singh about their well being. But, the parents and relatives of other four persons are still in a dilemma. Ms Kamaljit Kaur, mother of Jatinder Kumar, resident of Mithapur said her nephew, Patwinder Singh Gora, was also on the same boat with her son and as per the telephone call received from Patwinder Singh still no clue was in sight about the fate of Jatinder Kumar. Mohinder Kaur, mother of Mukhtiar Singh, resident of Musapur village said she had received a telephone call of her son before the reported boat tragedy. But now she had not received any telephone or information from any source about the welfare of her son. Some parents of the victims have no knowledge about the travel agents through which their sons had gone to Turkey or Greece. Some parents are naming the travel agents as Gurmit Singh of Bakapur village and Satnam Singh, who operates from a hotel in New Delhi, Mr Pritam Singh said adding that all affected families had been narrating the same story about the reported tragedy. |
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No action against SMO despite complaints Chandigarh, April 27 According to informed sources, not only the Civil Surgeon, Patiala, but also several medical officers working in the district have found fault with the functioning of the SMO. Sources said the Civil Surgeon in a letter to the Punjab Government in February had stated that the SMO was regularly committing various irregularities in his office and “thus, bringing a bad name to his own office and the office of the Civil Surgeon, Patiala”. The Civil Surgeon had stated that the SMO had been duly warned many a time verbally to improve upon his working, but in vain. There have been several complaints against the doctor. An inquiry was conducted against him by a senior officer of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation and a warning issued. The PCMS Association had also submitted complaints against him. In the last week of February, according to sources, the Civil Surgeon, had requested the government to post the SMO out of the district as a punishment for his “unbecoming attitude”. However, no action has been initiated by the Government so far against the SMO, it is learnt. The case of the SMO has been kept lingering for reasons best known to the state government. Action should have been taken on the basis of the report and the letter written by the Civil Surgeon to the government. There are several medical officers working in a particular area of Patiala district who have complained against the SMO. They have levelled serious allegations. Medical Officers ( MOs) have complained that they were put on duty during the first round of the pulse polio campaign in December at various places and told that each would get Rs 750. However, they were made to sign on bills, but not given the payment. Explaining their plight, medical officers have stated that the SMO called them in groups before the second round of the pulse polio on January 20 this year and asked them to sign on certain bills. Those who refused were made to comply on the threat that their annual confidential report would be spoiled”. Doctors and others concerned have urged the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to look into the matter and hold a fresh inquiry into the irregularities committed by the SMO by
transferring him out of the Patiala district. |
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Son’s migration lands Registrar in soup Patiala, April 27 According to sources, the Sadar police, which has already registered a case against ousted Vice-Chancellor Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia on charges of illegal migrations, admissions, appointments and affiliations to information technology institutes, is now investigating the case of Bhatia’s son and that of other employees of the university and a senior police officer. The sources said Bhatia’s son Gajinder Singh migrated from Talwandi Sabo to the campus without paying anything for the migration. They said a decision had been taken to take migration fee of Rs 1 lakh from students wanting to go in for the facility at the syndicate meeting of June 29, 2000. They said the Bhatia case was initiated on June 14 and the VC allowed the migration on June 24 and he got a letter permitting the migration on July 3. The sources further said though on paper the migration of Dr Bhatia’s son was affected on June 24 the manner in which it was done pointed to the extra interest taken by the Registrar in the case. They said the Registrar was a member of various committee involved in hiking the migration fee and knew of the imminent decision. They said in such a case either the Registrar should not have been involved in any decision-making project due to the request of his son, which had come in when the decision to raise the migration fee was being considered. Dr Bhatia could not be contacted for his comments. The sources said the police was also investigating the case of a university dispensary employee whose son had been admitted to the B.Tech course in November, last year, even though the VC had himself issued a circular saying that no admission would be entertained after September 15 even by the academic council. They said the admission was given to the ward in despite the fact that the test for selecting students for the course had been taken in June. The case of ward of a senior police officer has also been brought under investigation following a complaint made by the joint action committee, which had headed the campaign for the ouster of Dr Ahluwalia. According to the complaint, the migration of the police officer’s son had been manipulated by creating an additional seat in the sports quota by the sports committee even though there was no provision for the same. The action committee has charged the police official with playing an important role in the last PUTA elections in which the group aligned with the then VC had emerged victorious. The sources added that the university had lost nearly Rs 7 lakh each in these cases. They said the migrations were conducted to B.Tech and MCA courses even though there was no vacancy. They said the persons opting for the migration would normally had to take admission in the NRI quota for which they would have to pay Rs 8 lakh as admission fee. These students were, however, absorbed in the courses in Punjabi University after taking only Rs 1 lakh and creating fresh seats for them against all norms. |
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Perspectives differ on women’s education Chandigarh ‘‘Doubtlessly, there is a seriousness which is missing in girls who are coming to colleges now as compared to those in our times. There is a large group which wants to have a good time in college and then get married. When we were studying, education was fought for with parents. Jobs may or may not be the ultimate aim but education in itself was valued. We used to spend every minute of college time in studies and wanting to learn more and more. Now one watches girls while away precious time.’’says Dr Reeta
Bawa, Principal, Kanya Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar. ‘‘Ambitiousness has to be kept in check with proper and timely counselling of girls. Ambition is there, but for more degrees, highly paid jobs but not so much for the desire to do something in life. For this situation it is not just the girls who are to be blamed. Our teachers were our role models and we had colleges run by philanthropists. Now we have businessmen running colleges ’’, says Mrs
Bawa. Mrs S. Verma, who has been the Principal of SDP College for Women, Ludhiana, for the past 23 years, however, believes that education has enlightened women and helped them stand on their own feet. ‘‘There has always been a group of students who come to college to have a good time while their parents look for matches. But then in colleges in the city at least they are getting the best of education. The exposure in itself changes the mindset and later lives. Those who are making good use of their education are benefiting the maximum, and at least in Ludhiana, there are many girls who are helping their fathers in their businesses. Some of them are running a complete unit independently.’’
she says. ‘‘What is missing is the teaching of folk wisdom. Since more and more people are living in nuclear families and children do not learn these things from the older generations, the role has to be played by college teachers now. It is a challenge which the teachers of today should meet’’, says Mrs Verma. Ms Madhu
Prashar, Principal, Dev Samaj College for Women, Ferozepore, states that since her college has had a glorious history she considers her role as a perpetuator of the traditional values the college stood for. At the same time, the educated woman needs to be modern in outlook and imbibe in her all that is good in both the Western and Indian cultures.’’ She believes that every student has immense potential and it is for the teacher to utilise the energies of the youth positively and channel them into constructive tasks. Mrs J.
Kakaria, Principal, BBK DAV College for Women, Amritsar, states that women colleges have to be grounds where women have to be enlightened and empowered. ‘‘Enlightening a woman means enlightening her whole family. And as far as parents are concerned, they have accepted the winds of change. More and more parents are now proud to see their daughter’s achievements. But there is still a section of parents, especially from rich business classes, which feels that daughters should be married off as soon as college ends ’’, she says. |
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got no payment as AG,
claims
Mattewal Chandigarh, April 27 Mr Mattewal had felt that insisting on a solution strictly within the parameters of Section 78 of the Reorganisation Act may not be in the best interests of the state as in that event the Central Government would have become the ultimate arbiter in apportioning the shares between Punjab and Haryana in the absence of any agreement between them. In a report to the previous Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, the former Advocate-General, before quitting office, had submitted a detailed report about the achievements of his office during the SAD-BJP government. Refuting various allegations made against him and the AG office by the new government, Mr Mattewal said today that “what to talk of hefty fee, I have not been paid even a paise by the Punjab Government for my tenure as Advocate-General. My total bill is just Rs 6 lakh,” he said. Mr Mattewal said as counsel of the Punjab State Electricity Board, for whom he appeared in hundreds of cases every year, his total bill in five years came to be around Rs 40 lakh. “My appointment as counsel for the PSEB came before I was made AG, Punjab,” he explained. The report submitted by him to the Chief Minister has been appreciated by none less than the Solicitor-General, Mr Soli Sorabjee, and also Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, an ardent critic of the SAD-BJP alliance. Mr Mattewal said one of his major achievements had been to get the SGPC institutions in Punjab the status of minority institutions. “This will go a long way in helping the youth of the state to achieve excellence in the field of technical education”. His other contributions were his proposals submitted to the National Commission to review the working of the Constitution in which he had stated that every inch of India belonged to the Sikhs and the Sikhs belonged to India by mentioning that though they were just 2 per cent of the country’s population, out of 2175 martyrs, 1,557 were Sikhs; of 2,646 freedom fighters sent to the Andamans for life, 2147 were Sikhs; of 127 freedom fighters sent to the gallows by the British, 92 were Sikhs. Besides, 60 per cent soldiers in the Indian National Army were Sikhs and after independence Sikhs had won five Param Vir Chakras, 40 MVCs and 209 Vir Chakras in the defence of the country. In the same document, Mr Mattewal had suggested, among various other things, strengthening of the judiciary as it had come to play an important role in areas traditionally not in its domain. Mr Mattewal had impressed upon the state government that responsibility be fixed on the basis of findings of the Human Rights Commission and recovery effected from officers concerned. Mr Mattewal claimed that he saved the Punjab Government and the Punjab State Electricity Board Rs 800 crore through three writ petitions challenging the levy under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977. The dismissal of writ a petition against ‘sangat darshan’ of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, abolition of octroi after a stiff legal battle, reconstitution of the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission, continuation of teachers in service, implementation of the Punjab Advocate Welfare Fund and dismissal of several writ petitions filed by political rivals of the Shiromani Akali Dal were his other successes during his tenure as AG, he claimed. |
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HIGH COURT Chandigarh, April 27 Mr Ahluwalia, in his petition, also sought directions to the university Chancellor and other respondents to permit him to discharge his duties as the Vice-Chancellor till the expiry of his tenure on May 14. He added that the intention behind passing the order was to harass and humiliate him, besides having the satisfaction of throwing him out. Proceedings against
employees quashed In a significant judgement, the court today ruled that there is no justification in going ahead with criminal proceedings against employees exonerated in a departmental inquiry and by the investigating agency. Delivering the verdict on a petition filed by a staff nurse and another petitioner for quashing a first information report alleging cheating and forgery, Mr Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel ruled, “No doubt the court can in an appropriate case take cognisance of an offence, but in the present case, the court has wrongly assumed that the petitioners were found guilty in the departmental inquiry which is factually incorrect”. Allowing the petition, the Judge also quashed the proceedings against the two. Order on plea
of Inspector Mr Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel on Saturday quashed proceedings against an inspector working with Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation at Kapurthala. The first information report in the case was registered by the Divisional Manager of Punsup. According to the prosecution, there was “deficiency in the weight of goods under the petitioner’s charge”. Pronouncing the orders on Inspector Sukhdev Singh’s petition, Mr Justice Goel ruled, “After hearing counsel for the parties and having regard to the judgement of a civil court holding that the petitioner was not responsible for the alleged shortage in any manner, I am of the view that the proceedings against him are not justified and are liable to be quashed”. Brahmpura case
hearing on April 30 Mr Justice Nirmal Singh today fixed April 30 as the next date of hearing on a petition filed by MLA Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, seeking the grant of anticipatory bail or else 15 days’ notice in case a first information report was registered against him. The MLA was apprehending implication in an alleged corruption case registered against the director and the managing director of a cooperative bank. In his petition, the MLA stated that he has either been or would be implicated in the case. He added that the government had adopted a revengeful attitude towards the opponents and members of the Akali Dal in order to arrest them in false cases. Patiala, April 27
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Fresh problems over bus stand Hoshiarpur Construction work, started about 10 months ago and was to be completed within a year, has come to a standstill for want of funds. The Roadways workshop and its general manager’s office are located next to the bus stand. Before starting construction work, the Roadways authorities did not shift the existing bus stand to a spacious place outside the city but carried on bus services at the old site, situated in the heart of the city. This bus stand was set up at the present place in early sixties when the area was vacant. With the passage of time the entire area around the bus stand became thickly populated along with the construction of two cinema halls opposite it. Almost all offices of private passengers transport companies are also located opposite its entry gate and private operators park their buses haphazardly on the roads in this locality. More than 400 buses to various stations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, U.P., Delhi and Chandigarh ply from this bus stand where construction is under progress. Thousands of passengers come here to catch buses. The rush of passengers, three-wheelers, rehriwalas, etc causes traffic jams in the locality as a result of which it is very difficult for even pedestrians to move freely. Frequent accidents have become a commonplace. There is no toilet and drinking water facility for passengers. Despite suggestions by Mr Iqbal Singh Sidhu, the then Deputy Commissioner, the Punjab Roadways authorities did not care to shift the site of bus stand till the construction of new one is completed. This correspondent visited the GM’s office (Punjab Roadways) many times to get information regarding the construction of the new bus stand but the latter was never available. Every time he was told that the GM had either gone for checks or was attending meetings. Eventually, this correspondent succeeded in meeting Mr Arvind Sharma, Assistant Mechanical Engineer, Punjab Roadways, who stated that the construction of bus stand was scheduled to be completed within a year. The estimated cost of this project was Rs 5 crore and work is being done through the Punjab State Industrial Export Corporation. Funds were raised through a loan from the World Bank. Just 20 per cent of the work had been completed for which payment of Rs 85 lakh to the contractor had been made. Mr Sharma said 15 suggestions had been proposed for streamlining the plying of buses. But the then Deputy Commissioner had made 22 suggestions to regularise bus service. On account of lack of funds, construction could not be completed now. Keeping in view the prevailing conditions the shifting of existing bus stand is urgently needed. |
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J&K panel’s report
released Phagwara, April 27 The war between these two countries might become the last war of the world and catastrophe for the mankind, said the party President, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, while talking to this correspondent. The party had written letters to the US, British, Canadian and Russian embassies and other western countries to build a world opinion against war between India and Pakistan. The report claimed that the people of Jammu and Kashmir wanted tripartite talks between India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir so that a permanent solution to the problem could be found. The team visited about 50 villages in Jammu and Kashmir. The report had been prepared by Mr Dhian Singh Mand, Vice-President, Mr Jaskaran Singh Sidhu and Mr Gurjatinder Singh Bhikhiwind, General Secretaries of the party. The team members also saw the plight of the people rendered homeless by the Army build up. The people complained about the war hysteria created by the RSS, the Shiv Sena and the Bajrang Dal and other communal organisations. The minority community does not feel safe due to the repressive law like POTA. The team visited Jammu, Naushera, Punch, Sambha and Nawanshahr tehsil in Jammu and Kashmir. The team also visited villages located on Rajasthan border like Hindumalkot, Karanpur, Rawla, Ghurhsana, Khajuwala, Soorma and Sakhi Posts. People residing in these areas said nobody had come so far for their help. They had not received any compensation from the government. A person named, Raj Singh of Ghurhsana, alleged that the Army took away his tractor on the pretext of hiring it. The damaged tractor was returned and no compensation or hiring charges were paid to him. He spent Rs 7,500 to get the tractor repaired. The Punjabis also demanded removal of the restriction for purchasing land in Rajasthan. |
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Just one fire station in Ropar district SAS Nagar, April 27 The fact is there for all to see. There is just one fire station situated in SAS Nagar to cater to entire Ropar district — having a population of around 12 lakh. The town alone has a population of around 3 lakh. Increasing incidents of fire this summers have once again focused attention on the ill-equipped fire station. Officials at the fire station say as there is no fire station in neighbouring towns, tenders had to go as far as Nawanshahr district. If the norms of the Standing Fire Advisory Committee are to be followed, there has to be one fire station for a population of 50,000. In case of Chandigarh, there are nine fire stations and 21 fire-tenders. On the other hand, the local fire station, catering to a population of around 12 lakh, was equipped with just four fire tenders and 20 firemen. During the financial year 2000-2001, the fire station answered 147 calls, and this season 30 fire calls have been recorded so far. The ADFO, Mr BS Sidhu, said the forest fires in the forest area of Lower Shivaliks add to their workload as these fires become a routine affair during summers. He said a site for another fire station had been earmarked by PUDA in Sector 68. A proposal to set up fire station at the sub-divisional level and the district headquarters was pending with the state government after being approved by the central government, said sources in the Local Government.
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LAND-GRAB CASE
Chandigarh, April 27 Sandeep Singh is said to a close relation of a former Akali minister, according to police sources. On May 26, 1998, Sandeep Singh and late Bharpur Singh had allegedly filed a false petition for the allotment of land in the court of Mr S.S Kharar, Additional Director, Consolidation of Holdings, and Managing Officer (Headquarter), Rehabilitation, Punjab. The petition was supported by affidavits. It was asserted in the petition that late Mahant Manohar Dass had abandoned about 1,100 acres in Ramparshad village in Montgomery district, now in Pakistan, at the time of Partition and migrated to India before settling down in Fattanwala village. The two also attached a copy of the revenue records obtained from the office of the Director, Land Records, Jalandhar, where the revenue records brought from Pakistan were kept for reference purposes and to verify claims for the allotment of land. However, one of the petitioners, Bharpur Singh, died in December, 2000. This was told by second petitioner, Sandeep Singh, to the court while recording his statement. During the hearing of the case, Mr Khara became suspicious of the authenticity of the claim and started a scrutiny of all documents at his own level, said sources. Following the checking of records, it came out that the Mahant had never migrated to India and had become a Muslim and got married to a Muslim woman. The Mahant died in 1952 in Pakistan. Even the Pakistani authorities, responding to a letter sent to them by the Punjab Government way back in 1954, had reported that the Mahant was no more alive, and as the land belonged to the "gaddi" (religious seat), the Deputy Commissioner concerned had appointed a custodian for the land. However, Bharpur Singh and Sandeep Singh in their petition claimed that the Mahant stayed with them for the past 12 before his death on March 20, 1998. Before his death, he executed a registered will on November 10, 1997, in favour of petitioners giving equal share to both. It was also claimed that the Mahant was a bachelor. The certificate of Mahant's death was also attached with the petition. The court dismissed the petition. The presiding officer also made comments about the Mahant's death certificate obtained from Muktsar. He recommended criminal proceedings against those involved in the scandal. The Punjab Government in August last year had requested the Chandigarh Police authorities to register a criminal case. The city police had registered a case under various Sections of the IPC on October 5, 2001. A police team, led by Sub Inspector Jaipraksh Singh, arrested Sandeep Singh from Muktsar District yesterday. The investigations of the case was done by the Economic Offence Wing of the city police under Inspector Mani Ram.
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Aggarwal Kapurthala MC
vice-president Kapurthala, April 27 The meeting was convened following the resignation of Mr Paramjit Singh, vice-president. In the absence of any president of the council because of a court order Mr Paramjit Singh was acting as president of the council. Four Akali councillors switched their layalities with the Congress and in order to remove Mr Paramjit Singh a no-confidence motion was introduced. But since a compromise was reached between the Congress, SAD and BJP councillors Mr Paramjit Singh tendered his resignation. Resentment prevails among SAD and BJP workers over the conduct of their councillors, who sided with the Congress. No SAD and BJP worker was present at the time of the election in the office of municipal council. |
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Fire destroys
plantation Dera Bassi, April 27 Residents of the area said they noticed flames at about 10 am and subsequently fire-tenders from the local fire station were called. A message was also given to the forest authorities at the local Forest Range Office. A team of firemen under the leadership of Mr Avtar Singh, Fire Officer, reached the spot with a fire-tender to fight the flames. Fire-tenders from SAS Nagar and Ambala were also pressed in to service to extinguish the blaze. Mr Ramesh Kumar Gujral, Forest Range Officer, said plantation spread over 10 acres of forest land was completely destroyed, while trees of kikar, khair, musket, sheesham and eucalyptus were partially damaged. He said that five fire incidents were reported in the same forest last year while this was the third incident this year. |
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Gujral releases literary work Amritsar, April 27 Mr Gujral also presented him a cheque of Rs 51,000 as advance royalty on the occasion. Mr Kartar Singh Duggal, MP, presided over the function while Dr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor, welcomed Mr Gujral and other invitees.
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Traffic over boat bridge closed Gurdaspur, April 27 The portion was swept away due to sudden concentration of water in a particular area because the contractor had to divert water for undertaking civil works as part of the ongoing construction of a pucca bridge near here. There is resentment among people particularly those who come from the Mukerian side to Gurdaspur against the suspension of traffic. |
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Police starts juvenile home Tarn Taran, April 27 Talking to mediapersons, Mr Narinder Bhargav, SSP, Tarn Taran, said all police stations in the state would have a juvenile welfare officer of the rank of Sub-Inspector. The officer would deal with juvenile crimes, their prevention and reformation of juvenile offenders. These officers would be given special training to protect the rights of children. He said a special programme had been started with the cooperation of the Director, PPA, Phillaur, psychologists and legal experts for these officers. These officers would be governed by the provisions of the Juvenile Justice, Care and Protection of Children Act, 2000, he said. |
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Expert to hold eye camp Patiala, April 27 Patients requiring phaco-surgery and intraocular lenses will be provided free treatment at the Patiala Eye Hospital and Laser Centre, Leela Bhawan, which has installed the state-of-the-art technology. |
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Central team to visit mandis Ludhiana, April 27 The FCI Chairman, Mr Bhure Lal, had stated a few days ago that the arhtiyas should not be paid commission as they were not rendering useful services. The team, according to the sources, will study the services being provided by the agents. Officials of the Central Government fell that the services of the arhtiyas should be dispensed with and there should be a direct contact between the seller and the buyer. They also contend that payments are made to the arhtiyas either by the farmers or by the official agencies. The arhtiyas get the agricultural produce cleaned as the stocks arrive in mandis. After cleaning them they are put to auction and the jobs of filling and weighing the produce in gunny bags are undertaken. The farmers have to pay for the unloading and cleaning of the stocks even though it is the arhtiyas job. The payment for the stitching, weighing and lifting of the stocks is made by the agencies buying the produce. Again, the job is got done by the arhtiyas who get 2.5 per cent commission. The Punjab Government is in favour of continuing this system. Mr Lal Singh, Minister for Food and Supplies, said the arhtiyas coordinated the entire operations and were an important part of the system. The arhtiyas provide finance to the farmers, arrange for labour for different operations and help the government in the smooth procurement of the produce. We want the system to continue”, he said. Mr Ranbir Sood, an arhtiya of Khanna mandi, said they were an important component of the system and neither the government nor the farmers could do without their services. “We are providing cheaper services. We also provide finance to the farmers to meet their needs in emergency”, he said. However, those opposed to this system say the arhtiyas charge a heavy rate of interest from the farmers against advance payments and are responsible for the debt trap in which the farmers find themselves. The Central Government wants a direct contact between the official agencies and the farmers. |
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Irrigation hit as drains
collapse Bathinda, April 27 Information gathered by TNS revealed that before the authorities concerned could act on the complaint of a resident in connection with the fragile walls of the drains and use of substandard material, a major section of the drains had collapsed. Mr Tirath Singh Brar, in a complaint to the district officer for the removal of grievances, alleged that sand was not placed along the walls to support them. The amount to be spent on sand had been embezzled by officials in connivance with contractors, he alleged. He also said due to the use of substandard material, cracks had appeared in the walls of the drains. He demanded action against those guilty. Apart from it, the damaged drains should be reconstructed, he said. However, before the authorities could do something about it, the walls were found damaged at several places. Big trenches had replaced the drains, causing loss to the farmers as they can not irrigate their fields. Mr Brar said a major portion of their lands had been rendered unfit for cultivation and had been causing them huge financial loss every year. No official of the PSTC could be contacted despite repeated efforts. |
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ANMs offered loans to purchase mopeds Sangrur, April 27 Talking to The Tribune here, Dr S.N. Tiwari, Civil Surgeon, Sangrur, said there were 269 sub-centres in the district where almost equal number of ANMs were performing their duties. He further said a loan of Rs 18,000 per ANM would be provided for purchasing a moped. Dr Tiwari said the ANMs would have to submit applications to their respective SMOs and MOs to get the loan. However, the draft of the loan amount would be issued in the name of authorised dealer of the moped agency, he added. Dr Tiwari also urged the ANMs to avail this facility as it would help in increasing their efficiency in the field and added that this was the only district in the state where the project was running. |
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Kotkapura MC fails to pay salaries Faridkot, April 27 Most of the employees have adopted an agitational approach for getting their monthly salary besides restoration of octroi for the proper functioning of the council. According to reports available, the council spends nearly Rs 37 lakh every month on salary and other expenses against the total collection of Rs 1.30 crore. All development works have come to a standstill for the past six months. A source said the Farikot and Jaitu councils had not paid their dues amounting to Rs 11.50 lakh and 12.50 lakh, respectively, to the Kotkapura council. |
Mentally challenged raped Kapurthala, April 27 According to a press note issued today, Mr R.N. Dhoke, SSP, said Kulwinder Singh, a resident of Mujahadpur village, told the police that while he was returning to his house after working in the fields on Thursday heard the shrieks of the woman from inside the house of Baba Balwinder Singh. This also attracted other persons of the village at the spot. The room from where the shrieks were coming was bolted from inside. Balwinder Singh, alias Sodhi, son of Faqir Chand of the same village was raping the woman. Kulwinder Singh alleged that on seeing the villagers Balwinder Singh jumped through a window of the room. Mr Dhoke said the woman was mentally unsound for the past more than 10 years and her eye sight was also very weak. The Kotwali police has arrested Balwinder Singh. |
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Former MLA, husband booked in graft
case Gurdaspur, April 27 Mr B.K. Uppal, SSP, said here today that according to the case an agreement was reached between the accused and Kulwant Singh, former Sarpanch, Kotli Khehra village, in the district to get three persons employed against a payment of Rs 1 lakh each. Hardyal Singh of Maddewal paid Rs 80,000 for his recruitment as a driver in the Health Department, Lakhwinder Singh of Hayat Nagar paid Rs 70,000 for his recruitment as a clerk in market committee and Rashpal Singh of Kotli Khehra village paid Rs 50,000 for his recruitment as municipal clerk, Dinanagar. All payments were made through Kulwant Singh, but the balance was to be paid after the appointments. The accused could not manage to get them the promised departments and Kulwant Singh demanded the money back but the accused kept on dilly-dallying on the issue. Mr Uppal said last year Kulwant Singh filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the accused. The then SSP deputed Gurdev Singh, SP, Headquarters, to conduct an enquiry into the matter. Subsequently an enquiry was held by Mr Puran Singh Purewal, SP, Headquarters. Both officers found the accused guilty but a case could not be registered against the accused due to political pressure. When the new SSP took over he deputed Mr Sardool Singh, DSP, control room, to look into the matter and finally a case was registered. |
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Man strangles, burns sister Sangrur, April 27 According to the police, accused Jarnail Singh had throttled his sister to death on April 17 and secretly burnt the body after he came to know that the deceased had allegedly been “involved in sexual affairs for money”. The brother had killed the young widow, a mother of a 10-year-old child, with the help of his friend Balbir Singh. Both culprits have been arrested and the case registered at Sherpur police station.
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Two cops hurt in firing Kot-ise-Khan (Moga), April 27 |
Seminar on human values Fatehgarh Sahib, April 27 He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Integration of Human Values in Technical Education’ organised by the College Section of the Indian Society for Technical Education
(ISTE) in Baba Banda Singh Bhadhur Engineering College of Fatehgarh Sahib yesterday. He said degrading human values caused him much concern and corruption was the product of degrading human values only. He also said society could produce good engineers, doctors and administrators, but not good citizens due to a lack of discipline and proper management. The Executive Director of the
ISTE, Dr H.P. Sinha, said the ISTE was for the career guidance of students and teachers and believed that human values should be taught along with technical courses, so that, engineering graduates could become good citizens. A lecturer of the Government College of
Malerkotla, Dr M. Rafi organised a painting exhibition at the seminar to show the rich culture of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Chandigarh. He said teachers should produce administrators with human values for a better administration. The college Principal, Dr D.S.
Hira, said technocrats were responsible for making society better, so, they should be more concerned about delivering the best. He said benefits of all technological developments should reach rural folk. Prof Gurpal Singh and Prof Divya of the college, in their joint address, said technology should not remain confined to the technologist, but go back to society that developed him or her. They stressed the need for creating society where everyone had technology in brain and human values in heart. Mr Kirpal Singh Libra, member secretary of the trust, welcomed all delegates. Principals of various engineering colleges of the region and the other delegates who had come from all over north India also delivered lectures on human values. Dr
Hira, in his concluding address, said social evils revealed flaws in our education system. |
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Kendriya Vidyalaya celebrates annual
day Barnala, April 27 These views were expressed by Wing Cdr Satvir Rana, Station Commander, Air Force Station Barnala, as well as the Chairman of the local Kendriya Vidyalaya Managing Committee, today while addressing the faculty members, parents and students on the occasion of Annual Day celebration of the school. Wing Cdr Rana who was the chief guest gave away prizes to students who had excelled in academic and extra-curricular activities during the last academic session (2001-2002). Earlier, welcoming the chief guest and the guests Mr H.P. Tarar, Principal, readout the annual report of the school. |
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Camp concludes Phagwara, April 27 |
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Raids on schools continue Bathinda, April 27 |
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