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SGPC panel secy quits Amritsar, February 9 In his resignation letter, addressed to Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar, Akal Takht, Dr Bachan said he was shocked to read the contents of the letter sent by Dr Prithipal Singh Kapur, an administrator of the CKD and part of the five-member committee constituted by Akal Takht to resolve the current crisis in the institution, in which he had sought an explanation from him. He alleged that Dr Kapur used derogatory language in the letter. Dr Kapur, in his letter, had directed Dr Bachan to submit a report within a week about his performance since his appointment in August last year. Dr Bachan, however, said he would continue to work as a ‘missionary’ without drawing salary. Dr Bachan had earlier served as Director, Youth Services, and as NSS Coordinator of Guru Nanak Dev University before joining the CKD. He has also authored books on Sikh history. Office-bearers of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sabha today urged the Sikh clergy to revoke the suspension of 284 members of the CKD and hold elections before April 30 as recommended by a panel of Akal Takht. Members said it was shocking to know that the report of the five-member panel, which had recommended that the membership of 284 members be revoked, was concealed for about two months. They said it was the duty of Akal Takht to implement the recommendations of the panel constituted by the Sikh clergy. They said the Sikh clergy should convene an emergency meeting to know the reasons as to why the report was not presented during the previous meeting held at Akal Takht. Without mincing words, certain members of the sabha squarely blamed the SGPC for supporting a section of the CKD, which had expelled 284 members and which had been dubbed as unconstitutional by the five-member panel. The members said though the CKD stood disbanded, yet Mr Harminder Singh and Mr Bhag Singh Ankhi continued to claim that they were president and secretary, respectively, of the institution, which was a violation of the directives of Akal Takht.
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CM asks Punjabis to unite on SYL issue Patiala, February 9 When questioned about the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President, Mr Parkash Singh Badal’s allegation that the Congress was responsible for the building of the SYL canal, the Chief Minister said “that is history”. He said Mr Badal could had played an important role in the all party meeting held yesterday to discuss the SYL issue but chose to stay away as he did not want to annoy either the NDA government or his “friend” Mr
O.P. Chautala, Chief Minister of Haryana. Capt Amarinder Singh said Mr Badal took the case away from Mr
Nariman, who was representing Punjab in the Supreme Court to weaken Punjab’s case. He said the terms of reference of the Eradi Commission did not hold any longer as the river waters in Punjab had reduced from 24.38 MAF to 17
MAF. He doubted if Haryana was a part of the Indus basin and deserved any water from it. This was necessary as Haryana was getting water from the Yamuna basin. The entire issue should be looked into, he added. The Chief Minister said “no recommendations had been made by the state unit regarding cadidates for the Lok Sabha elections and said the Deputy Chief Minister, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, had made an incorrect statement on the issue. He said barring seat adjustments and alliances, the party would field present incumbents, adding that the state unit had authorised the high command to take a decision on the distribution of the parliamentary tickets. |
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Naresh
Gujral to be SAD candidate from Jalandhar Chandigarh, February 9 Mr Naresh Gujral would soon join the SAD, the sources added. “ Joining of the party by the son of a former Prime Minister would certainly give a political boost to the SAD, which has been branded as communal by the Congress and the Left parties. Now at least Left parties would not be able to put the tag of communal to the SAD because these parties had supported Mr Inder Kumar Gujral to become Prime Minister. No one has doubt about the secular credentials of the Gujral family”, said a senior Akali leader. The Sources said Mr Badal had discussed the issue of giving party ticket to Mr Naresh Gujral with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. After clearance from Mr Vajpayee, Mr Badal had reportedly discussed the issue with his close confidants in the party. The sources said Mr Inder Kumar Gujral had also discussed the matter with Mr Vajpayee. Mr Badal is personally indebted to the former Prime Minister for various reasons. As Prime Minister, Mr Gujral not only allotted a number of projects to Punjab but also gone out of the way to waive its loan worth Rs 5,800 crore. However, above all, the sources said Mr Gujral had played a major role in bailing out Mr Badal from the SGPC election crisis in 2002. As the Capt Amarinder Singh government had made the life miserable for Mr Badal on the issue of the election of the president of the SGPC, Mr Gujral took up the matter with Mrs Sonia Gandhi asking her to intervene. On her intervention, Capt Amarinder Singh had withdrawn from the election scene, the sources added. Meanwhile, Mr Badal has also discussed the issue of allocation of seats to the BJP in the state with the Prime Minister. Mr Badal, according to sources, is inclined to give only two seats — Amritsar and Gurdaspur — to the BJP. He has made it clear to the Prime Minister. However, in addition to the two seats, the BJP wanted that the SAD should leave Hoshiarpur and Phillaur seats for the party ( BJP). Mr Badal, the sources said, was for putting up Mr H.B.S Bajwa, a senior Akali leader, as candidate from Hoshiarpur. In 1997, the SAD candidates had won from maximum number of Assembly segments falling in the Hoshiarpur constituency. This plea has been taken by Mr Badal, it is learnt. Mr Badal, the sources said, had requested the Prime Minister to direct the BJP to put up winnable candidates from Amritsar. The BJP high command was considering to offer party ticket from Amritsar to film star, Amrish Puri. The Sources said the SAD was of the opinion that the BJP must put up one candidate from Punjab of the national stature. From Ludhiana, the SAD was thinking to put up either Mr Apinder Singh Grewal, a former Mayor of the town, or Mr Maheshinder Singh Grewal. But Mr Badal’s son, Mr Sukhbir Badal, was for Mr Sharanjit Singh Dhillon as party nominee from Ludhiana. From Tarn Taran, Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala’s name was almost final, the sources said. From Ropar, the SAD wanted to give ticket to Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal and from Phillaur, Mr Sarwan Singh Phillaur, a former minister. For Patiala constituency, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, had been authorised to nominate the candidate of his choice. From Bathinda, name of a retired District and Sessions Judge was under consideration. Mr Zora Singh Mann from Ferozepore, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal from Faridkot, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa from Sangrur would be party candidates,sources added.
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One IAS, 46 PCS officers shifted Chandigarh, February 9 Mr Baljit Singh is Personal Staff Officer to the Commissioner, Jalandhar Division while Mr Mohinder Singh becomes ADC Jalandhar. Mr Gian Singh Bal is Deputy Director, Urban Local Bodies; ( DDULB); while Mr Paramjit Singh goes as Additional Managing Director, PRTC, Patiala. Mr Gopal Krishan goes as ADC (Development), Amritsar Mr Gurnam Singh Gill becomes ADC Ferozepore; while Mr Harjeet Singh goes as Land Acquisition Officer, PWD (B&R), Jalandhar. Mr Kirpal Singh is Additional Chief Administrator, PUDA, Bathinda; while Mr Bhupinder Singh becomes Senior Land Acquisition Officer, Jalandhar. Mr Inder Yash Bhatti is SDM, Ferozepore; while Shiv Ram Kaler is Deputy Director Urban Local Bodies (DDULB) Ferozepore. Mr Chander Gaind goes as SDM, Sultanpur Lodhi. Mr Dharam Pal as SDM, Moonak; while Mr T.N. Passey becomes SDM, Dera Baba Nanak. Mr Jai Pal Singh is SDM, Kahdoor Sahib, and Mr Surinder Kumar Sharma becomes Joint Secretary, Local Government, besides being Joint Director (Admn), Department of Information and Public Relations, and Chairman-cum-M.D, Punjab Film and News Corporation. Mr Sukhvinder Singh is SDM Ajnala; while Mr Narinder Singh Bath becomes SDM, Gidderbaha. Mr Mohan Lal is SDM, Faridkot; while Mr Manjit Singh Narang goes as SDM, Anandpur Sahib. Mr Harjinder Singh is District Industries Officer
(DIO), Patiala; while Dr Jaswant Singh becomes AC (General),
Mr Gurwaryam Singh is DIO Jalandhar; while Ms Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu is AETC, Patiala Mr Ravinder Singh becomes SDM, Sunam, while Mr Malwinder Singh Jaggi goes as SDM (West), Ludhiana. Mr Manpreet Singh is SDM, Amritsar; Mr Sanjay Popli is Deputy Secretary, Medical Education and Research; while Mr Tejinder Singh Dhaliwal goes as SDM, Payal; and Mr Kuldip Singh as SDM Moga. Ms Babita is AC (Grievances), Jalandhar; and Mr Birpal Singh becomes SDM, Tarn Taran. Mr Upjit Singh Brar is SDM, Fazilka; while Mr Bhupinder Singh Saharan goes as SDM, Rampura Phul. Mr Satish Kumar Singla is SDM, Bathinda; while Mr Bakhtawar Singh becomes SDM, Bholath. Mr Sunil Bhatia is Administrative Officer in the DPI (Primary). Mr Tarlochan Bhatti is SDM Sardulgarh, while Mr Bhupinder Singh- (III) goes as SDM, Jalandhar. Mrs Ranjit Kaur is Additional Commissioner (General), Patiala, while Mrs Poonamdip Kaur is AC (Grievances), Ludhiana. |
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Police transfers politically motivated: Badal Chandigarh, February 9 These
had been ordered to misuse the official machinery in the Lok Sabha
elections. Those police officers who had implemented the Chief
Minister’s orders blindly and committed excesses on Akali leaders,
had been given prime postings, Mr Badal alleged. The ruling party wanted to take the maximum benefit from these officers in the coming Lok Sabha elections, alleging that the government had started gearing up to rig the poll. Mr Badal, however, said the SAD would not allow the ruling party to commit any irregularity during polling. |
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Suspended warder beaten up by jail employees Sangrur, February 9 The jail authorities refuted the charges, saying that Rajesh Kumar had manhandled security guards posted at the main gate of the jail and torn the uniform of a guard. In the representation, the jail warders alleged that Rajesh Kumar had been beaten up by two jail employees when he was going out of the jail to get milk for his children. Later, a guard appeared before the Jail Superintendent, claiming that Rajesh Kumar had torn his uniform. Mr Joga Singh, Deputy Superintendent, said Rajesh Kumar wanted to enter the jail premises from the main gate despite the fact that the jail authorities had issued a notice, preventing the entry of suspended jail warders from the main gate to their quarters. He said when Nazar Singh and Raminder Singh, security guards, stopped him and asked him to go from the other gate, he started manhandling. Mr Joga Singh said the jail authorities had called the police and Rajesh Kumar had apologised. He would join the duty after submitting a written apology but so far Rajesh Kumar had not turn up. Mr Joga Singh said the jail authorities had ordered an inquiry against Rajesh Kumar. The inquiry would be conducted by a line officer. He also stated that Harmesh Singh, a suspended jail warder, had today submitted a written apology on an affidavit for joining duty. |
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4 PFC officials picked up in corruption case Chandigarh, February 9 According to sources in the Vigilance Department, “ the inquiry has been initiated on the complaint of the owners of these units, who had alleged that the officials had declared them defaulters wrongfully and were selling their property at much lower rate.” The PFC, which is engaged in the disbursement of loans to new industrial units in Punjab, has been suffering huge financial losses for the past many years. The Disinvestment Commission had recommended its closure due to heavy financial losses. Recently, it has started a one-time settlement scheme to recover the loans worth over Rs 100 crore from defaulters, but without much result. The vigilance sources said some of the officials of the corporation were forcing the defaulters “either to pay money to them otherwise their properties are auctioned at throwaway prices.” The officials of the corporation who were called for questioning today included one General Manager and three managers. They were dealing with the auction of property of defaulting units. According to sources, “The investigations in the case is expected to bring out a major scandal in the corporation worth crores of rupees. Some more arrests are expected soon.” When contacted at around 10.30 pm, Mr M.S. Sandhu, Managing Director of the corporation declined to make any comment about the case. He said,” Do not disturb me at this time. I do not know anything about the case. It is my sleeping time.”
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VB chief grills
ex-minister Chandigarh, February 9 Mohd Izhar Alam, Chief Director of the bureau, questioned Mr Saini for an hour. He said before registering a formal case, Mr Saini’s version had to be taken. If prima facie found guilty, the case would proceed accordingly. The bureau had recently issued directions that whenever a complaint was received against any senior officer, MLA or minister, he ought to be given a chance to explain his position. Earlier, Mr Saini along with Punjab BJP General Secretary Avinash Jaiswal met the Punjab Governor, Justice O.P. Verma, and explained to him that his assets were being probed for the second time. Mr Saini alleged yesterday that Cabinet Minister Raghunath Sahai Puri had been instrumental in lodging a complaint against him. Claiming that he had already made his assets and
liabilities public, Mr Saini said a majority of these had been inherited. Though the Vigilance Bureau had completed its inquiry in February, 2003, it had surprisingly started a “fresh” probe when the Lok Sabha elections were round the corner. He had even reiterated that no appointment and transfer had taken place during his one-year tenure as a minister. |
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Team visits Rohira to raise memorial Rohira, February 9 Tikka Shatrujit Singh, a descendant of General Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, who bravely fought the Afghans, had announced that a monument would be constructed by funds from the Guru Ka Lal-Sultan-Ul Quam Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Trust after The Tribune had highlighted the absence of a memorial to these martyrs. A team headed by Mr Karam Singh Ahluwalia, an advocate from Kapurthala, visited the village and held parleys with office-bearers of the Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Charitable Trust. Others team members included Mr Sandeep Singh, Mr Vishal Anand and Mr Ajit Paul Sahiwal. Referring to the information received from gurdwara authorities, Mr Ahluwalia said indifference on the part of the government and Sikh organisations had delayed the construction. He said, “a dispute regarding an adjoining piece of land, claimed by a minority community, seemed to be one of the reasons but a monument could be erected on rest of the land measuring about 35 bighas.” Mr Ahluwalia said Tikka Shatrujit Singh wished to construct the monument without infringing upon the right of any community. He said an art gallery depicting Sikh heritage would be set up, funds for which would again be provided by the trust. “After Tikka Shatrujit approves the blueprint, work for the art gallery will start immediately. To make it unique, advanced technology will be imported and information regarding Sikh history will be collected from all over the world,” he added. Tikka Shatrujit Singh, who lives in Delhi, will visit the village within a fortnight. The Ahluwalia misl was among the 12 misls which fought against Ahmed Shah Abdali during his attacks on India. |
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Principal
Secretary ‘sends back’ CM’s orders Mohali, February 9 The Chief Minister had last week asked Dr Kehar Singh to continue as Chairman till further orders. However, the orders which were to be issued formally by the Secretary, did not reach the education board today, the first working day after the Chairman’s term ended. Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said Ms Tejinder Kaur had returned the orders demanding certain clarifications in the orders. The orders would be sent back to her with the clarifications through the Minister of Education, who was not available today, stated the sources. However, sources in the board have alleged that Ms Tejinder Kaur is delaying the implementation of the orders due to certain differences with Dr Kehar Singh. They informed that Ms Tejinder Kaur had been recently outvoted by other members of the education board on the issue of re-employment of clerks. Ms Tejinder Kaur had, according to sources, not taken kindly to the fact that her opinion on the matter was rejected by a majority of the members. The sources also informed that three Punjab MLAs, who were also members of the board, had early this month written to the Chief Minister, strongly recommending extension in service to Dr Kehar Singh, to which the Chief Minister had reportedly given his nod. But it is learnt that a communication from the Secretary’s office, relating in detail the reasons why Dr Kehar Singh be not made the Chairman, was
sent back to the Chief Minister’s office. Following which, the Chief Minister again ordered that Dr Kehar Singh continue as Chairman till the selection process for the new Chairman is undertaken and completed. However, these orders too were returned for certain clarifications. Dr Kehar Singh, when contacted, said that in the absence of any official communication he did not attend office today though he did go to the board. It is also learnt that the Vice-Chairman, Ms Hardayal Kaur, will be chairing the board till the orders relating to Dr Kehar Singh are received. Despite repeated efforts, Ms Tejinder Kaur could not be contacted.
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Hurdles in BSP, BSM merger removed Phagwara, February 9 Talking to newspersons after the meeting, Mr Narinder Kashyap, BSP in charge of Punjab declared that the Bahujan Ekta rally would be held as per scheduled at Banga on February 15 where the merger would be formally announced. Mr Kashyap said no BSP candidate had yet been announced either for the Phillaur or the Ropar Lok Sabha seats. The candidates would be announced by party president Mayawati soon, he said. The names of Mr Pawan Tinu and Mr Mann Singh Manhera had been announced for the seats, throwing a spanner in the merger move. Their names were yesterday declared rejected by Ms Mayawati. BSM chief Satnam Singh Kainth had attended the meeting alongwith other members of the 11-member morcha panel constituted last week to take stock of the situation emerging in the wake of the announcement of the BSP nominees for Phillaur and Ropar. |
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Disgruntled workers disrupt Cong meeting Patiala, February 9 The meet was organised by Ved Prakash Gupta, president of the District Congress Committee (Urban), who is also the Chairman of the PRTC. The Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, as well as former MP Preneet Kaur were present on the occasion. Trouble erupted while Mandi Board Chairman , Mr Sant Ram Singla was addressing the workers. Councillor Shiv Khanna disrupted Mr Singla’s address, saying genuine party workers were being ignored by the party. Former Mahila Congress president from Patiala, Ms Krishna Dahri, also joined the protest, voicing similar sentiments. She stated that it was only due to the forthcoming elections that the workers were summoned by the leaders. Otherwise they were not even allowed near the palace gates, she alleged. Efforts to pacify the agitated workers by senior Congress leaders failed and chaos prevailed for
nearly half an hour. Preneet Kaur appealed to the workers to keep their cool and assured them that their grievances would be heard. Later while talking about the incident, the Chief Minister said disgruntled workers may have personal grouse against the party. He said he had ‘adjusted’ a number of Congress workers from Patiala but he had to look after the whole state and not just people from Patiala. Owning responsibility for the incident, Mr Ved Prakash Gupta later said he had failed to manage the show properly. |
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NDA govt a failure, says Markfed chief Jandawala (Bathinda), February 9 Mr Jassi, who was here to preside over the prize distribution function of a rural sports mela organised by the local Shaheed Udham Singh Sports Club, while addressing a press conference, alleged that apart from failing to provide security to the country, the NDA government had also failed to do anything for the economical upliftment of those living below the poverty line. He alleged that instead of utilising money for carrying out welfare activities, NDA leaders were spending crores on advertisements for self-glorification. He said the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, should tell people why the number of those living below the poverty line had increased during the past five years and why some people in Orissa had died of starvation even though India had surplus foodgrains. “In every election, the BJP plays the communal card and raises the Ram Temple issue to divide people on communal lines at the cost of national integrity,” Mr Jassi alleged. Earlier, Mr Jassi distributed prizes to winners and runners-up teams in kabaddi in various categories. He announced that Markfed would grant Rs 51,000 to the club for an ambulance.
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Splitting of work resented Bathinda, February 9 A controversy over the tenders to be opened on February 13 was created when a section of civil works contractors, in a letter written to Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, alleged that the Bathinda canal division authorities had done so to loot the government. They added that if the same works were executed through the contractors, it would save the state government lakhs of rupees. They said that they had already submitted affidavits to the canal division authorities in this connection. They pointed out that any work which was worth Rs 10 lakh or more was to be executed by the contractors. A work less than this amount was to be executed by registered cooperative societies. They alleged that the Bathinda canal division had split big works having worth more than Rs 10 lakh so that contractors could be thrown out of competition. After the controversy erupted over the tenders, Deputy Commissioner K. A. P. Sinha deputed SDM, Bathinda, Mr Upjeet Brar, to conduct a probe into the allegations levelled by the contractors. The contractors pointed out that they had also told the canal division authorities that they would complete the work allotted to them within time and would save 15 to 20 per cent of the government money in the works. Meanwhile, Mr R. K. Chaudhary, Executive Engineer, Bathinda canal division, denied all allegations levelled by the contractors, pointing out that the works which the contractors alleged were split to extend favours to someone were not true as it had been done as per the state government’s instructions. Moreover the department was bound to allot all unskilled work to registered cooperative societies, which was being done accordingly. He alleged that the contractors who were violating the norms laid down by the Punjab Government were raising unnecessary hue and cry. He claimed that he had filed his reply against the allegations levelled by the contractors before the SDM, who had been conducting the inquiry. |
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Minister holds public darbar Fatehgarh Sahib, February 9 This was announced by Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang, Minister for Animal Husbandry, while addressing a gathering at Panjkoha village in the district after distributing cheques of grants to the village
panchayats. He also organised public darbar on and redressed problems of the people on the spot. More than 100 complaints were solved on the spot and rest were referred to higher officials for further action. He said rural areas would be given facilities like those available in urban areas. All villages would be given grants for development without any discrimination. He said 24-hour power supply would be ensured to all villages by the end of June. He said an amount of Rs 60 crore had been released for giving pensions. He said in all 140 blocks of the state the Model Gram Scheme would be introduced. He said the government had taken various steps to streamline the functioning of different departments. He announced a grant of Rs 21,000 for Khant village panchayat for a stadium. Mr. B.S. Shergill ADC(D), Surjit Singh Garcha, block president, Jasbir Singh, Deputy Director (Dairy), Darshan Singh, Deputy Director (Animal husbandry) also addressed the gathering. |
Cabinet to decide on
land for Ponty Mohali, February 9 Highly placed sources today informed that the allotment committee that met on January 5 to consider the case of AB Motions and Quark regarding the allotment of over 40 acres each to these companies in Mohali’s Industrial Area, had decided to leave the decision to the Cabinet. Sources also informed that the committee meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary, Punjab, took stock of the situation and would be
apprising the Cabinet about it. The matter of granting land to these two companies was deferred by the allotment committee during its meeting on December 23, 2003 on the grounds that the use of land by the companies was being defined as industrial parks or integrated mix which was not within the purview of the committee. Member of the committee had during that meeting also felt that separate committee be formed to decide on the issue. Both Quark and AB Motions intend to use the land for both industrial and commercial purposes, but have applied under the off-the-shelf scheme of the Punjab Industries Department. Both the companies have signed MoUs with the department and have been granted special incentive packages to invest Rs 100 crore each in Punjab. Meanwhile, employees of the Punjab State Industrial and Export Corporation (PSIEC) pointed that the Punjab government was conveniently overlooking the fact that the PSIEC had already advertised the same land, being kept aside for AB Motions, as part of its industrial housing scheme. PSIEC had collected Rs 40 crore as earnest money from over 3500 applicants.  |
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Terms for jobs to terrorism
victims eased Chandigarh, February 9 The government had waived the educational qualification for class IV posts. Earlier, the victims of terrorist killings in Chandigarh were not covered, but now they would be eligible, said a press note. Mr Srivastava was reacting to news reports today that terrorist victims were not getting grants and jobs. |
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SAD (A) activists disrupt train services Amritsar, February 9 The convener of the wing, Mr Baldev Singh Sirsa, in a press note issued here today, said the farmers of the borders areas of Ajnala had been up in arms against their eviction by the Forest Department from 22000 acres of cultivable land, which had been in their possession for the past nearly 40 years. He said they had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and to the local MP, Mr R.L. Bhatia, demanding immediate withdrawal of the implementation of afforestation of the area. |
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Tohra seeks media cooperation Chandigarh, February 9 Mr Gurdarshan Singh Bahia, Publicity Officer of Centenaries, said today that a subcommittee had been set up to chalk out programmes for the celebrations. The Committee’s sub office had been set up at house No. 30, Sector- 5A, here with e-mail address: <centenaries2004@hotmail,com>. |
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ICMC, Sikh bodies to field Davinder Bhullar Amritsar, February 9 Mr
Virsa Singh Bahila, deputy chairman, KMC, Mr Joginder Singh Fauji,
general secretary, Gurmat Prachar Sabha and Mr Jasbir Singh Padri,
president Ashutosh Virodhi Morcha, urged all “Panthak” parties and
institutions for supporting Mr Bhullar’s candidature. They said all
Panchic parties should get him released from jail. They said their
organisations would write to Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, President,
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), SAD (Amritsar) and SAD
(Ravi Inder) requesting them to accept Mr Bhullar as their candidature
for Tarn Taran seat. |
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Scheme for pregnant women launched Hoshiarpur, February 9 Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Mr Dogra thanked the Federation of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist Society of India (FOGSI) for agreeing to render antenatal and post-natal services on the 9th of every month free of cost. He said this would help reduce the maternal mortality rate. Mr Dogra said the government would provide iron tablets, TT injections and contraceptives to pregnant women free of cost. Dr Inderjit Kaur Saini, president of the FOGSI, assured the gathering that all 28 members of the FOGSI in Hoshiarpur district would participate in the Vande Mataram Scheme wholeheartedly for the welfare of pregnant women.
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General category workers flay govt move Ropar, February 9 Punjab is the only state in the country that provides for 14 per cent reservation for SC/ST employees in class I and II posts. If the 85th Amendment is implemented in the state it would wipe out chances of general category employees for promotion, irrespective of their merit, said VK Gupta, the spokeman of the association. |
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DGP inaugurates
Child Protection Unit Kapurthala, February 9 Mr Siddiqui also inaugurated the Police Control Room
(PCR) mobile unit to help prevent and detect crime in the Urban Area. Dr Siddiqui said that Kapurthala City was divided into 10 PCR Mobile Beats and each on with one PCR Mobile party equipped with a motor cycle-fitted with advanced communication system. PCR Mobile parties were flagged off by the DGP in the Police Lines. Policemen deployed on this duty have undergone four-week training for this particular duty relating to Bank Security and quick action in case of an emergency situation. |
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Schemes fail to benefit safai workers Jalandhar, February 9 Addressing the meeting, Mr Teja said the life of ‘safai
sewaks’ was miserable despite the efforts made by the state and the Central Governments. “Though schemes are on for rehabilitation and upliftment of safai sewaks and their families from the early 90s and a large number of steps like providing easy loans for starting alternative businesses have been there, yet lack of awareness has affected their future. They are not able to utilise these schemes properly,” he said. Criticising the Education Department of states for their ‘indifferent’ attitude towards children of the ‘safai
sewaks’ as far as scholarships were concerned, Mr Teja said number of students were not able to get financial aid meant for them. He said the commission was making efforts to make teachers accountable in case there was a lapse on this account. He said during the past year, the Ministry of Social Justice had extended an aid of Rs 712.14 crore towards the upliftment of sweepers and 401257 sweepers had been rehabilitated. |
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Minister’s
gunman without gun! Jalandhar, February 9 The gunman, identified as Surinder Pal Singh, also tendered an apology for the incident to the local police authorities. The police has ordered an investigation. |
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PRTC to launch website Patiala, February 9 Speaking on the occasion the Chairman of PRTC, Ved Parkash Gupta, said with the introduction of the computerisation system, PRTC would be able to curtail its expenditure. He added that a website of PRTC would be launched in April this year. This will benefit the general public as they will be able to access the information regarding bus timings, route fares and concessions on the Internet. The Managing Director PRTC Mr Iqbal Singh Sidhu, said the state Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, has sanctioned 100 new buses for PRTC. He added that the Corporation would obtain loan from banks and institutions for this and would be able to earn more revenue and curtail its losses further. The Municipal Corporation Mayor Vishnu Sharma and Chairman Improvement Trust K.K. Sharma were also present on the occasion. |
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Leopard pair creates panic Hoshiarpur, February 9 Mr R.R. Kakkar, Divisional Forest Officer, said here today that the leopards and the cub was first spotted in the forest area of Ropar. |
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Employees hold rally against lathi-charge Bathinda, February 9 Mr
Gurnam Singh, general secretary of the federation, in a press note
today said the federation would intensify its agitation with the help
of other employees’ and farmers’ organisations in this regard. |
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Bomb hoax hits rail traffic Patiala, February 9 Police sources said the driver informed the Rajpura Station about some powder-like substance and stones lying on the track. A police team sent from Rajpura to investigate, however, found that the powder on the track was formed after the stones which had been placed on track got crushed at night. Police sources said the incident seemed to a prank by children. |
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3 of
family killed Batala, February 9 |
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Minister admits to shortage of doctors Phagwara, February 9
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High Court Chandigarh, February 9 The Bench, comprising Mr Justice H.S. Bedi and Mr Justice N.K. Sud, added that the payment would not be made till the salaries were handed over to the employees. The government had earlier taken the plea that full payment could not be made due to the financial crisis in the state. The organisation was involved in supplying electro mechanical devices to the Ministry of Defence. Taking up the petition filed by the employees, the Bench, on the last date of hearing, had observed: “The import of state’s reply appears to be that there is a financial crisis and full payment cannot be made at this stage.... We are of the opinion that denial of dues to the petitioners amounts to clear infringement of their legal rights”. Seeking directions for the release of salaries and other dues, including medical allowance and leave travel concession, the petitioners — Prit Pal and 17 others — had earlier claimed that the same had been withheld in an illegal manner by the respondents. Claiming complete ownership of the company by the government, the petitioners had added that a minister, or a senor MLA, or an IAS officer, was appointed as the organisation’s Chairman by the government. The company, they added, came into being in 1977.
Army asked to comment In less than a week after a report appeared in a local newspaper regarding a horse show being organised at the Forest Hill Golf and Country Club with the help of Indian Army, a Division Bench of the Court sought comments from the authorities. The case will now come up for further hearing on February 10. The club has been involved in a controversy ever since a report appeared in the same newspaper claiming that the construction at the club site had been carried out in grave and blatant violation of the Forest Conservation Act of 1980 as per Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The story had also stated that a large number of top IAS and IPS officers had either been given honorary membership of the club or were allowed to use the premises and its facilities for private functions. Taking suo motu notice of the news item, the Bench, headed by Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy, had restrained the Punjab Housing and Urban Development (PUDA) from granting permission regarding change of use of land under the New Capital Periphery Control Act, subject to decision of the court. Meanwhile today, replies were also filed by the respondents in the matter.
List of candidates summoned On a petition seeking the quashing of a letter recruiting a Punjab minister’s son as an inspector, a Division Bench of the Court asked counsel for the state of Punjab to furnish a list of applicants who had applied for appointment on compassionate grounds under different categories. Taking up the case, the Bench, comprising Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy and Mr Justice Surya Kant Sharma, also fixed February 10 as the next date of hearing in the case. In his petition against Excise and Taxation Minister Sardool Singh, the state, the Director General of Police and another respondent, petitioner Surjit Singh of Hassanpur village in Patiala district had also sought directions for restraining Inspector Tejinder Pal Singh from functioning. Claiming to be “committed to the cause of social service”, the petitioner had earlier contended that highly placed persons, including politicians and senior officers, were using undue influence to grab for their wards the benefits meant for the dependents of terrorist affected families.
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Justice Brar for more consumer panels Amritsar, February 9 Talking to newspersons today, Justice Brar lamented that in spite of an amendment to the Consumer Redressal Act by the Central Government in March, 2003, to constitute state and district consumer councils, the Punjab Government had failed to take any steps in this regard. He said the commission had recommended to the government to sanction additional consumer redressal cells for Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Gurdaspur districts, where it was difficult to cope with the workload. |
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Interim bail for
officials of Rural Dev Dept Ropar, February 9 The two were booked by the Punjab Vigilance on January 14 on the charges of tampering and ignoring merit in the selection of social and panchayat officers and gram sevaks in the handicapped category. The accused were granted interim bail on the production of bail bond of Rs 25,000 in case of arrest. Earlier, the counsels of the accused maintained in the court that the accused had already faced similar charges in the case against former minister Nirmal Singh Kahlon. In the case of Mr Kahlon, the accused had already been granted anticipatory bail. |
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Pirzada’s remand
extended Ropar, February 9
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14-year-old girl
raped, forced to commit suicide Bathinda, February 9 Police sources said that a case against the accused Baljit Singh, a resident of the same village, was registered under Sections 306 and 376 of the IPC on the complaint of the younger sister of the victim. Mr Kapil Dev, SSP, when contacted, said that raids were being conducted at the suspected hideouts of the accused, who fled from the village after raping the victim in her house last evening. Information gathered by TNS revealed that after the victim was allegedly raped by the accused, a froth-like stuff started coming out of her mouth. Believing that their daughter was in a serious condition, the parents of the girl took her to a private hospital in the town. The victim died a few hours after she was admitted to the hospital. |
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12 of NRI family booked in dowry case Tarn Taran, February 9 The police said the case had been registered on a complaint of Amardeep Kaur, a resident of the town and teacher at Government Senior Secondary School,
Aladinpur, 5 km from here. She said she got married to Gurpal Singh of Bhail Dhai Wala village on November 23, 1997. She was taken to Malaysia where she was harassed by her husband and mother-in-law Gian Kaur for dowry. She was sent back to India. Those booked are Gurpal Singh, Gian Kaur, Sarwan Singh, Ranjit Kaur, Avtar
Singh, Sukho, Tarlochan Singh, Indera, Gurcharan Kaur, Harjit Singh, Surjit Kaur and Mohinder Singh. Some of them are in Malaysia or Singapore. |
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Cop arrested for taking bribe Bathinda, February 9 Some days ago, a quarrel had taken place near a liquor vend. Some persons were injured and were admitted to the local Civil Hospital. The son of Ram Singh, owner of the vend, was called to the police station. In lieu of extending a favour to him, Dharminder Pal Singh started demanding bribe from him. A deal between him and Ram Singh was settled for Rs 2,500. Dharminder Pal Singh allowed his son to leave the police station. He was caught when he was accepting Rs 1,500 from Mr Ram Singh.
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Fake currency worth 1 lakh seized Amritsar, February 9 According to details, the police after getting specific information raided the house of Suba Singh and seized the contraband. Jasbir Singh had purchased the fake currency at the rate of Rs 60,000. A case has been registered.
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10 kg of opium seized Amritsar, February 9
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Heritage village to come up on varsity campus Amritsar, February 9 The Syndicate also approved the grant of honorary fellowship to Dr H.S. Gill (retd.), Emeritus Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University. Giving details of the heritage village, Dr S.P. Singh said a museum with modern facilities would be part of the heritage village. He said traditional village units as were before 1950 would be established in this village. The traditional “khooh”, “kharas” and “khui” would also be available in the village. The Syndicate also gave its approval for the establishment of the Sardarni Balbir Kaur Brar memorial lecture in Punjabi culture. Mr Gopal Singh Brar of Canada had given Rs 2.5 lakh for the purpose. The Vice-Chancellor also informed the Syndics that the university had signed an MoU with Gomel State Medical University, Republic of Belarus, for undertaking research work in higher education. |
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Librarians seek pay-parity
with teachers Patiala, February 9 The president of the association, Mr Mohinder Singh Dhillon, demanded immediate restoration of pay-parity with teachers. He added that the government had failed to issue orders on revised career advancement scheme (CAS) and fixation benefit of Rs 14,940 for librarians despite their several requests. Speaking on the occasion, the general secretary of the association, Mr Barjinder Pal Dhiman, said National Entrance Test (NET) conducted by the UGC is equally applicable for recruitment as college librarians as in the case of teachers. He added that they were completely at par with teachers in the unrevised pay scales of 1986 as per the HRD Ministry notification of 1988. He further stated that the UGC also treated librarians as non-vocational academic staff and they were categorised as teachers as per the university statutes and latest judgement of the Madras High Court. The association has appealed to the Union HRD Minister, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, to intervene and allow revised CAS to librarians at par with the teachers shortly. |
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Staff urge dist admn to take Amritsar, February 9 In a letter to the SDM, Batala, here yesterday members along with its president, Mr H.S. Ghuman, alleged that the salaries of the staff were not being paid regularly besides irregularities were being committed while depositing their PFs.
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Call to develop scientific temper Amritsar, February 9 Scientists recommended that the government should fund research to develop scientific temper in Punjab. They said the area of molecular diagnostics of various infectious diseases needed to be strengthened. Scholars recommended that the work on various aspects of biodiversity in Punjab should be taken on a priority basis. Mr Vikas Gupta of the Molecular Biology Department of Guru Nanak Dev University, Ms Parneet of the Food Nutrition Department, Punjab Agricultural University, and Mr Shubham K. Sahoo of Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, were honoured with the Young Scientist Award. Dr A.S. Dua, Dean College Development Council, presented the awards. |
GND varsity lifts
national fest trophy Amritsar, February 9 In a press note here today, the university spokesman said Mr Baljit Singh Sekhon, Director Youth Welfare, received the trophy. The university was also awarded with a music trophy. The Guru Nanak Dev University team topped in classical vocal, classical instrumental (non-percussion), group song (Indian), mimicry and poster making contests.
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College function held Abohar, February 9 Teachers like (late) Satya Prakash, Swadesh Chander Nanda, P.L. Trakru, M.L. Sekhri and of course founder of the college Principal Narayan Dass Grover were remembered. Rajneesh Ahuja from Ludhiana donated Rs 5 lakh for construction of Postgraduate Block. Principal D.B. Josan welcomed members of the staff. |
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