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Govt seeks lowering of paddy specifications
Chandigarh, October 3 Senior officials of the Chief Ministers Office and the Food and Civil Supply Department were engaged in a series of meetings till late at night over the issue of paddy procurement. This may snowball into a big issue. The Congress Chief Minister's conclave is scheduled for October 7 and 8, while, the Vidhan Sabha session starts from October 5. A spokesperson of the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today said the government had asked the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, to immediately relax the specifications that govern the rules for procurement of paddy. Punjab wants that more moisture content in the be allowed, more discolouration be allowed and damaged paddy be accepted. The un-seasonal rains in the middle of September had caused damage to the crop which were beyond the control of farmers . Stocks of paddy have started arriving in the
mandis, however, the procurement agencies have not picked up enough as the paddy is damaged and
dis-coloured. This had led to panic situation among farmers and grain traders in the state. Punjab has also cited the example of the year 2001, when a similar situation had arisen, and consequently the Government of India had to relax the specifications for procuring paddy and rice. He also requested Mr Pawar to personally intervene in the matter and get the paddy and rice specifications relaxed as proposed without any cut in prices as was done earlier. Meanwhile, the spokesperson added that 9.24 lakh metric tonnes of paddy had been procured in Punjab so far, while last year, 25.91 lakh Metric tonnes of paddy had been procured by this time. The Chief Minister also expressed shock over the sad and tragic death of a farmer Baldev Singh at Nadala Mandi, in Kapurthala district , who reportedly committed suicide late last night. A magisterial enquiry has been ordered and the Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, has been asked to conduct the enquiry and submit a report within a month. Capt Amarinder Singh also announced an ex-gratia grant of Rs 5 lakh for the next of the kin of the deceased. On cotton procurement, the Punjab Government, has taken up the matter with the Cotton Corporation of India
(CCI) to participate in the procurement together with Nafed and Markfed in all 27
mandis. In a communiqué to Mr Shankersinh Vaghela, Union Textile Minister, the Punjab Chief Minister, said the CCI has planned to participate only in 13 to 14
mandis. This could lead to distress sales of cotton in many mandis. Both Nafed and Markfed do not have adequate infrastructure to ensure smooth procurement of 22 lakh bales of cotton expected in the state, he added. Meanwhile , the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said the suicide was a shocking incident. Mr Badal also demanded a comprehensive package for the farming community.
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Farmers want paddy procurement expedited
Hoshiarpur, October 3 The farmers raised anti-government slogans and alleged that the government procurement agencies had been lifting only 10 per cent of their produce from the market. Moreover, certain government employees in connivance with owners of different shellers have been purchasing paddy at the rate of Rs 550 per quintal — Rs 50 less than the price fixed by the government. Talking to The Tribune, Mr Swaran Singh Dhuga, president of the BKU, Hoshiarpur, complained that the farmers were forced to store their produce in the open as sheds meant for them in the local grain market had been occupied by arhtiyas. Moreover, arhtiyas had also been harassing them during the time of auction of their produce by taking commission from the farmers as well as from the purchasers, he alleged. Mr Karnail Singh Dhami, general secretary of the union, said sugarcane growers had also been harassed a lot as the government has fixed purchase rate Rs 110 per quintal which was almost Rs 50 less than fixed by the government. These farmers have demanded lifting of paddy soon besides revising minimum support price of sugarcane to Rs 150 per quintal. Meanwhile, Mr Avinash Rai Khanna, state president of the BJP and MP from Hoshiarpur, threatened the government to procure farmers’ produce from various grain markets in next three days or face a state-level protest. He was hearing public grievances in the town. Earlier, Mr Gurnam Singh Malhi of Samundra, Mr Rakesh Kumar, Mr Narinder Happy, Mr Jugal Kishore and Mr Ajay Kumar, all activists of the All-India Anti-Corruption Board, Garhshankar unit, joined the BJP. Fatehgarh Sahib: Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, president SAD (Longowal) has threatened that if proper procurement of paddy was not started in 48 hours, his party would start dharnas and block traffic at all the district headquarters in the state. Mr Chandumajra was talking to reporters here on Monday. He had come to preside over a meeting of the workers of his party.
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Protest against non-lifting of paddy
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 3 Dharnas, blockade of traffic and protest marches were organised at Amloh, Mandi Gobindgarh, Bassi Pathana,
Sanghol, Khamano and in other small mandis. The protesters raised slogans against the government and warned that if the procurement agencies did not started procuring paddy immediately, they would further intensify the agitation and it would become difficult for the government to control it. Capt Parveen Vij,
DFSC, admitted that the procurement was not going on as it should have been because the paddy did not fall in the specifications of the Central government. He said certain rice millers had started making purchases as their strike had been withdrawn. He said the Chief Minister was in touch with the Central government to make relaxation in paddy purchasers.
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Govt not serious: Chandumajra
Patiala, October 3 Prof Chandumajra, who toured various grain markets where party activists held meeting to lodge their protest against the non-procurement of paddy by state agencies and the FCI, said from the situation in the grain markets, it had been clear that either the state agencies had not been taking the state government seriously in connection with the procurement of paddy or the procurement which had been done so far by the agencies was a fraud as heaps of paddy had been lying there for the past one week. He said the SAD (Longowal) had decided not to allow paddy to go waste in absence of the procurement agencies and the party would block traffic. He said if the state government was serious about protecting the economic interests of the farmers, it should press the FCI to procure paddy immediately and should also ensure the fact that farmers must get remunerative prices of their produce.
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Badal, Dayal shocked at farmer’s death
Chandigarh, October 3 Mr Badal demanded immediate resignation of Chief
Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, on moral grounds and failure in the procurement operations. Mr Badal also asked Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to intervene personally to fight off the socio-economic crisis in Punjab. In a statement here, Mr Badal said the shocking incident at Kapurthala was unprecedented in the history of the state and had brought into focus the carelessness in which the Chief Minister had been
handling the situation. The government agencies were indifferent towards the farming community in the state. Mr. Badal said that during 5 years of SAD-BJP regime, similar problems arose almost every year due to persistent inclement weather. “ But each time it happened, we took up the matter right at the level of Prime Minister Mr
A.B. Vajpayee who ordered relaxation of norms by departing from procurement rules in the larger interests of farmers and country,” said Mr Badal. Mr Badal also demanded immediate relief to the bereaved family and said that a comprehensive package of compensation should be announced immediately for the entire farming community in the state to prevent recurrence of this tragedy. Dr Dayal said that the state government had been making false claims with regard to the procurement of paddy. " It was claiming that procurement operations were going smoothly while actual situation was opposite", he added. Suicide by a farmer had proved that the government had failed in its duty.
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BKU activists block traffic
Malout/ Bathinda, October 3 According to sources, protesting farmers under the banner of different farmer bodies disrupted road traffic from Malout to Bathinda, Muktsar, Fazilka and Abohar, between 11 am and 4 pm. They were demanding sale of their cotton at the MSP of Rs 1,835 per quintal. Addressing the agitators, union leader Jassa Singh Shamkheda said the state government had promised the farmers that their cotton would be purchased at the MSP and that it would not allow any distress sale. He said the government’s claims had fallen flat, as the cotton farmers were forced to sell their agriculture produce at as low as Rs 1,700 per quintal. Mr Jarnail Singh, a farmer from Maniwala village, said he had brought 10 quintals of cotton with high hopes of selling it at the MSP, but the government agencies didn’t show any interest owing to their specifications, while private firms offered low price. Meanwhile, the bidding at Malout’s cotton market came to a grinding halt due to the farmers’ protest and it could only start after 4.30 pm. Mr Hardeep Singh, a BKU leader, said only a small quantity of cotton was sold at about Rs 1,800. In another development, the BKU (Ekta)the CPI and units of Bathinda today revealed their plan to hold a protest outside the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) office on October 10 and October 12, respectively. In a statement released here, the senior state vice-president of the union, Mr Jhanda Singh Jethuke, said the farmers from Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Faridkot, and Ferozepore would participate in the protest demanding a check on “loot of cotton growers”. He said though the state government opened the procurement of paddy on September 26 and cotton on October 1, but bidding had not begun in any of the purchase centre of villages. He said on one hand the government was claiming that it would not permit sale of cotton below Rs 1,835, while on the other it was being sold at Rs 1,750-1,800. Mr Jethuke alleged that even Markfed was purchasing cotton below the MSP. The district general secretary of CPI, Mr Jagjeet Singh Joga, said they would hold a protest against the “loot of farmers” in sale of paddy and cotton. He demanded genuine prices of cotton and paddy to the farmers. Meanwhile, in Bathinda the cotton farmers complained that yesterday their cotton was sold at the MSP only in the presence of the ADC, Mr Harjeet Singh, but prior to his arrival in the market their cotton fetched low prices.
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Paddy farmers await payment
Bathinda, October 3 Sources said the work of paddy procurement was yet to gain momentum in the district and the procurement agencies were making arrangements for funds. They said the procurement would pick up in the coming days and any further delay in the payment would irk the farmers. At present out of 116 purchase centres paddy has arrived in 52 centres of the district. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) had purchased 60 quintals of paddy only till yesterday and its “highly apprehensive” officials were procuring paddy with great care. The sources said about 12,700 tonnes of paddy had been procured from various mandis of the district, whose payment comes out to be Rs 7.78 crore. Though private buyers had made the payment to the farmers, the government agencies were yet to pay them Rs 5.95 crore. They said the FCI begun paddy procurement on October 1 in the district. The state government had earlier announced that there would not be any bidding for paddy on Sundays, but later the Food and Civil Supplies Minister withdrew the order. The sources said Pungrain had procured 2,342 tonnes of paddy, but was yet to make a payment of Rs 1.4 crore to the farmers. Sources in Pungrain said the Accounts Officer went to Chandigarh for funds today. The sources said Markfed had purchased 3,299 MT of paddy and it had to pay Rs 1.98 crore to the farmers. Punjab Agro also had to pay Rs 1.09 crore to the farmers. They said if the agencies didn’t arrange funds in time, they could have to pay penalty to Mandi Board. These agencies had to pay a market fee to the Mandi Board after every seven days, failing which they had to pay fine. Meanwhile, the district president of the BKU Ekta, Mr Shingara Singh Mann, demanded immediate payment to the farmers so that they could pay off the installment of their loans in time and could also make arrangements for the next sowing season.
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Conclave not for pulling up CMs: Ambika Soni
Chandigarh, October 3 This was made clear by the AICC general secretary, Mrs Ambika Soni, when she held a joint press conference with the AICC treasurer, Mr Moti Lal Vohra, here today. Her clarification came in response to a question. She said the agenda of the conclave did not say so. She also ruled out the possibility of a discussion on bilateral issues like the river water and territorial disputes between Punjab and Haryana. Mrs Soni said the conclaves held twice in Delhi, and one each in Guwahati, Mount Abu and Srinagar had a focussed agenda. Mrs Soni, who had come here along with Mr Vohra to finalise the arrangements for the conclave, said 15 Chief Ministers belonging to the Congress and one Deputy Chief Minister would participate in the conclave. The Union Ministers of Defence, Home, Social Empowerment, Tribal Affairs, Panchayati Raj and Urban Development would also interact with the Chief Ministers. She said the sixth conclave, which is the first to be held after the UPA government came to power, would especially discuss the implementation of the Congress manifesto as well as issues relating to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Right to Information, Rural Health Mission and the Sarv Shishka Abhiyan. On the first day special stress would be laid on the issues concerning Social Welfare, Education, Health and schemes for weaker sections whereas on the second day, issues such as Right to Information and the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan would be addressed. She said while Mrs Gandhi would inaugurate the conclave, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, would address the conclave on October 8. This would be followed by an interactive session emphasising the schemes of the UPA
government. The inaugural speech of Mrs Gandhi would be telecast live and so would be the address of the Prime Minister. The Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana, Capt Amarinder Singh and Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who are co-hosts of the conclave, were also present at the press conference.
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Punjab to develop commercial hubs
Mohali, October 3 These sites of varying sizes would be auctioned by the corporation. Sources in the PSEIC pointed out that the Board of Directors had also cleared a floor area ratio (FAR) of 3 and a maximum permissible height of 65 metres for these hubs. Up to 100 per cent ground coverage has also been permitted and these sites have been made fully transferable. Stating that keeping in view the changing demands of the consumers, commercial hubs cannot be limited to shops or showrooms, a senior official in the PSIEC pointed out that the concept of a "commercial hub" had been put forth to fit in with the needs those developers who wanted to create not just a market place but a broad-based commercial activity centre. The first of these sites would be auctioned in Mohali on October 18. Two sites adjoining Quark City in Industrial Area Phase VIII B would form a part of the upcoming "IT City Mohali". One site is approximately 4000 square yards reserved at the rate of Rs 12.5 crore while the other site measuring almost 8800 square yards is reserved at a price of Rs 25 crore. Sources added that both the sites would be auctioned separately but the owners would also have the option of clubbing the two sites together for a larger multipurpose joint venture in the shape of a multiplex/ shopping mall/ hotel. This is the first time the PSIEC would be auctioning hotel and multiplex sites in its 26 focal points in Punjab. The next set of auctions would be held in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar. Earlier, hotels were built either on private land or sites allotted by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority mainly in the form of shop-cum-office complexes.
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High priests under fire for preferring Europe, USA
Amritsar, October 3 Interestingly, the Sikh Panth has been demanding ‘open access’ to Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, and other Sikh shrines in Pakistan in their daily ‘ardas’ (prayer to the Almighty). While Pakistan’s gurdwaras are a few kilometres away from Amritsar, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti had failed to pay any visit to the historical shrines in Pakistan after becoming Jathedar of Akal Takht. It is learnt that no Jathedar or head granthi of Harmander Sahib had ever tried to visit Pakistan’s Sikh shrines in the last two-and-a-half decades. Giani Iqbal Singh, Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh and Giani Tarlochan Singh, Jathedar of Patna Sahib, Damdama Sahib and Kesgarh Sahib, yesterday faced an uncomfortable situation when Mr Parmjit Singh Sarna, President, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, said in their presence that it was unfortunate that the Sikh clergy had been avoiding to visit Pakistan’s historical Sikh shrines. He said it was intriguing that the Sikh clergy preferred to visit developed countries instead. Senior SGPC member Manjit Singh Calcutta, who had visited Pakistan many times, said that it was the moral and religious duty of the Jathedars to see the latest condition of the historical Sikh shrines themselves and ensure implementation of Sikh maryada there. He said Sikhs in Pakistan had been requesting the Sikh clergy to visit gurdwaras but the high priests had been ignoring their demand. Bibi Kiranjot Kaur, an executive member of the SGPC, however, said that Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) should first extend proper invitation to the Sikh high priests. She said the PSGPC had been discriminating against the SGPC-led Jatha members. Under such situation, it may be difficult for the senior religious leaders of the Sikh panth to visit Pakistan. She, however, said that the Sikh high priests could visit Pakistan’s gurdwaras as ‘humble Sikhs’. When contacted, Jathedar Vedanti said that he had visited gurdwaras in Pakistan many times before his
elevation as Jathedar Akal Takht. Jathedar Vedanti who had visited many developed countries in his capacity as Jathedar, Akal Takht, told The Tribune that he might visit Pakistan in the near future.
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NRI donates $1m for Indian music chair in US
Chandigarh, October 3 According to information available here, the Department of Ethnomusicology at the UCLA got the million dollars today. The chair would be called the Mohindar Brar Sambhi Endowed Chair in Indian music - named in honour of Mohinder Sambhi’s wife. It is learnt that the chair was inaugurated today at a concert featuring Shujaat Khan, sitar and Abhiman Kaushal, tabla on UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall. The endowed chair will support the teaching and research activities of a distinguished faculty member by underwriting graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, staff and services, and special projects and will ensure that the study of Indian music will continue at the UCLA. The department of music at the UCLA has among its faculty, well-known musicians such as sitar maestro Shujaat Khan and tabla player Abhiman Kaushal. Khan is the son of the legendary Vilayat Khan and has been teaching the sitar at the UCLA since 1996. In his message expressing his sentiment on his donation, Dr Sambhi, himself a professor emeritus at the UCLA School of Medicine, said “It is gratifying that I can honour my wife with a gift that will ensure that the study of Indian musical culture will continue to be supported at the UCLA”. Daniel Neuman, Provost and Executive Vice-Chancellor of the UCLA and a scholar of Indian music in his message has said, “This gift will ensure the continued commitment to teaching and scholarship of Indian music at the UCLA. Dr Sambhi’s pledge-to my knowledge the largest-ever private gift for Indian music study to a university-has enormous value for the field of ethnomusicology, which has for a half century championed the teaching of Indian music, as well as other musical traditions from around the world, in American universities,” he has said. Present at the function in the USA were people, including former Punjab Advocate-General and city lawyer, Mr M.L. Sarin, Raminder Jassal, Deputy Chief of Mission, Indian Embassy, Washington, Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Director of the recently opened Centre for India and South Asia (CISA) and part of the UCLA International Institute, Harihar Rao of Music Circle and director of the Indian Studies Group at the Institute of Ethnomusicology from 1960-1966.
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Differences over naming of candidate
Majitha (Amritsar), October 3 Earlier, Mr Rajmohinder Singh Majithia, member of Parliament (MP), SAD, and BJP MP, Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu, had projected Mr Bikram Singh Majithia, brother-in-law of Mr Sukhbir Badal, General Secretary SAD. The local leaders were agitated over the way the senior leader of the SAD had projected Mr Bikram Singh Majithia, thus ignoring the aspirations of the local people. They alleged that Mr Bikram was not a resident of Majitha and was not aware of the problems of the people of the area. They appealed to Mr Parkash Singh Badal, president, SAD, to keep in mind the aspirations of the people of the area while announcing candidates for the next assembly elections. Leaders of other political organizations like the BJP. All India Christian Front and Block Verka had openly come out in support of Mr Jagteshwar Singh. Mr Bikram Singh Majithia had already launched his election campaign and addressed a number of pre-election rallies along with Mr Raj Mohinder Singh Majithia and Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu , MPs of Akali Dal and BJP respectively. However , supporters of Mr Jagteshwar Singh said the BJP MP had no right to interfere in Akali politics by announcing the candidature of Mr Bikram Singh. Mr Jagteshwar Singh Majithia said SAD was a democratic party and such announcements, much before the assembly elections, were ‘un-democratic’ which would result in unrest among the party workers.
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Gastro cases on the rise
Phagwara, October 3 Around 200 persons received medication after they complained of diarrhoea and vomiting since Friday. Enquiries revealed that the periodic spread of the disease in the area is being attributed to leaking sewerage lines that were laid several decades ago and need replacement. Sewage from these pipes is getting mixed with the drinking water, official sources say. The Kapurthala Civil Surgeon, Dr J.S. Sadana, said some cases of diarrhoea had been reported from the Onkar Nagar area. The SMO, Phagwara, Dr Yashpal Mitra, said during door-to-door survey of the area, the team came across some persons who were recuperating from diarrhoea. He said no casualty had been reported from this locality. According to Health Department sources, Manoj Kumar, whose condition worsened on Saturday, had been referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, where he was stated to be out of danger. The Health Department distributed 14,000 chlorine tablets to residents of the area, besides 100 packets of ORS to the patients. A meeting of the Manav Suraksha Samiti, set up to ensure supply of safe drinking water to the public and to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases, was held today under the presidentship of Arvind Kumar. He took stock of the situation arising out of it and asked the Phagwara Nagar Council to take preventive measures to check the disease. Six samples of drinking water have been sent to a laboratory at Jalandhar.
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Row over land for Sectt
Fazilka, October 3 A meeting of the Municipal Council, Fazilka, presided over by the Hari Chand Kamboj, president, on Saturday resolved to provide about 10 acres near the truck union office for the secretariat. This is prime property, which about 6 acres is under the control of the Army which has reportedly agreed to vacate. The rest about 4 acres is owned by the Municipal Council. An Islamia school was being run on this piece of land. Though all 21 members of the Congress-led Municipal Council are said to be in favour of providing land for the Mini Secretariat, the BJP municipal councillors led by the Ramesh Verma and Mrs Sativa Dhuria, have criticised the move to transfer land worth crores of rupees at a throwaway price to PUDA. According to the resolution, the Deputy Commissioner fixed a special price of about Rs 9 lakh per acre for providing this land to PUDA and the Municipal Council is likely to get only about Rs 90 lakh. The BJP municipal councillors raised a written objection on this issue and alleged that the market price of this prime land was around Rs 6 crore. There was no compulsion before the council to sell this land at such a low price, particularly when it is facing a financial crunch. The BJP councillors also revealed that on July 26, the council had passed a resolution for providing land for the mini secretariat. According to rules, a second resolution on the same issue can be carried out only after a gap of six months, but in this case the rules were flouted. The municipal council is also set to loose more than Rs 5 crore were this land auctioned fairly, it would revive the economy the virtually bankrupt council. The BJP councillors have sent a letter to the Principal Secretary and Director of Local Government, alleging that the issue had political overtones and there was apprehension of large-scale corruption in the deal.
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Record of ‘unqualified staff’ presented
Amritsar, October 3 Though the Vigilance Bureau (VB) had initiated an enquiry into the appointment of lab technicians in the TB Hospital about six months ago, but it failed to come to any conclusion so far. While Dr Mittarpal Devgan, retired District TB Officer
(DTBO), claimed that all previous inquiries, ordered against him had been filed, yet Mr R.P.S Bajwa, SP (Vigilance), said the department had written to the Chief Director VB for initiating action in this regard. However, Dr Devgan claimed that a three-member Selection Committee, comprising senior doctors, constituted by the then Deputy Commissioner, had made the selections while he was simply a member secretary of the committee. He said the successive Deputy Commissioners had been renewing their contracts from time to time. He said all inquiries, conducted by different officers, had given him a ‘clean chit’ and he was ready for the CBI inquiry even. The VB had sought the record of appointments made of Dr Devgan during his stint as the District TB Officer
(DTBO) besides personal details of appointed persons, including father’s name, residential address and present posting. It also sought the copies of advertisement, educational and technical education required, documents and appointment letters of the employees. The number of the appointments in question, made in TB Hospital, has come out to be 19. The All-India Youth Federation, headed by Mr Ravinder Kumar Sultanwind alleged that Dr Devgan recruited certain incompetent persons as laboratory technicians even when he was not authorised to do so.
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Reforming jail inmates at Patiala
Patiala, October 3 Walking his way up to the chief guest to receive a passing certificate for the Gandhi Peace Exam, Mandip Gaur, a convict lodged here for almost eight years, easily passed for a normal student with hope in his eyes and an ambition to succeed. No doubt, some of his ambitions have been fulfilled as he proudly tells you of his Bachelors and Masters degree coupled with a course in Art of Living, Reiki, yoga , and not to forget a diploma in journalism. Mandip is also a Ph D scholar - his research topic largely related to the prisoners' reforms, a topic which also constantly reminds him of his achievements inside the jail - which will remain his abode for several years to come. But for Mandip, who is also a counsellor for the Indira Gandhi National Open University centre in the jail, the faith in the silver lining is still intact. ``I came to the jail at the age of 18 on the charges of murder and since then I have grown only within these 100 acres of land. I want to help others get a good education and become qualified,'' said Mandeep, clutching his certificate which would add to his existing list of achievements. Like him , 68 other inmates were awarded certificates, including the women prisoners who not only showed keen interest in taking the exam but also prepared for it by going through the entire autobiography of Gandhi in just 15 days' time before they took the exam. An
initiative taken by the Chandigarh- based NGO Yuvsatta, the Gandhi Peace Exam is a step forward to bring these people into the mainstream of society and give them a new way of living. Meanwhile, the inmates constantly aware of their past and life inside the cells and barracks fight the feelings of rejection and despair. Though difficult, the inmates many of whom are post graduates, directors, writers and management graduates mention words synonymous with life in prison. But for the moment they all want to be happy by talking to the media, touching the chief guest's feet, requesting the photographer for a picture or just getting into a friendly quarrel as very soon it will again be a life inside the closed portals, a life away from the usual.
To award certificates to the prisoners, Dr Kiran Chadha, Director, International Cooperation, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, presided over as the chief guest. Also present was Madhu Bahl, Principal, DAV School, Sector 7, Chandigarh. Dr Chadha emphasised that Patiala jail should be made a model jail and that more hobby classes should be started. Madhu Bahl also advanced not only monetary help but also offered teaching aid from the school's side.
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Rail passengers protest
Hoshiarpur, October 3 According to official sources Him Giri Express, bound for Jammu from Halwara, reached Unchi Bassi Railway station at 10 a.m. this morning. The Railway authorities did not allow the train to move further towards Jammu under the plea that work for laying double railway track was under progress on the route. At 2 p.m. the Malwa Express bound for Indore from Jammu reached Unchi Bassi Station. On seeing the Malwa Express, passengers of Him Giri Express who had been stranded there since 10 a.m., became agitated. They threw stones on the Railway platform, demonstrated and raised slogans. Meanwhile Railway authorities allowed the Him Giri Express to leave for Jammu. No loss of Railway property was reported.
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Body parts found on college campus
Amritsar, October 3 While principal Dr
A.S. Padda, was reportedly out of station, Dr Hakumat Rai of Department of Forensic Sciences expressed ignorance about strewn of human parts. He said that the department handed over the body to Anatomy Department where students dissect these for studies. He added that later these organs were used to be buried in college in the open. He said it was possible that stray dogs might have dug out these parts and left them in the open outside the mortuary. He added that it would not be possible to say anything how organs go it thrown open. He said it was quite normal for stray dogs to dig out organs.
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A police station with a difference
Muktsar, October 3 Having eye-catching surroundings that would compel you to take another look at it and polite staff, the police station is probably one of its kind in the entire North India. It has a lush green lawn with an artificial waterfall having overhead lights. Right next to the entrance gate is a plush community hall fitted with air-conditioners and having elegant furniture. The police station also has a waiting area that can accommodate 20 persons. It also has saplings planted around lawn, besides statues of great freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev. An attempt has also been made to sensitise people on various legal terms like FIR, DDR, bailable and non-bailable offences, apart from vital information on police helpline, and free legal aid. A hygienic mess offers good food to the policemen posted at the police station. To simplify lodging of complaints, a complaint window has been set up where a cop receives gracefully complaints and also issues a receipt of the same. The police has also gone techno-savvy and has installed a computer to maintain records pertaining to crime and other police matters in it. The district police has not only worked on lending the police station an impressive look, but has also put in efforts to make its staff people-friendly and courteous. They have trained the staff posted here as to how to promote police-public interaction and make themselves easily accessible to common man. The staff had to clear a test before being posted at the police station. Talking to The Tribune, SHO, Vikramjeet Singh, told that the station has four sub-inspectors, 10 head constables and 20 constables. He admitted that the number of daily complaints being lodged at the police station had shot up with their new set-up, which reflected that people were approaching them without any apprehension. He said earlier the number of complaints were at times as low as one or two. Interestingly, the new police station has been raised after the formation of a committee comprising representatives of village panchayats and social organisations. The committee also raised the funds for its construction. “It was their idea to construct a community hall so that local people would have a decent place to hold meetings, functions and seminars etc,” said SSP, LK Yadav. He said their initiative was aimed at encouraging police-public interaction and allaying the fear of police from people’s mind. He said the idea was to make the police station a better place for those approaching it with their problems as well as the ones working there. He said they were getting good results and it would surely help them check criminal activities in the district.
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Council clears business for Assembly session
Chandigarh, October 3 Drafts of the amendments to existing Acts and ordinances to be converted into Acts were approved at the meeting. The Council of Ministers approved to give free power to farmers for agricultural purposes. The state government will give additional subsidy of Rs 439 crore to the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB)in this connection. The council also approved the amendments to be made in the Punjab Entertainments Duty Act, 1955, and also gave its nod to convert the Lovely Professional University Ordinance, 2005, (Punjab Ordinance No 9 of 2005) into and Act. The council okayed the action taken on the report on the findings of the Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice B.S.Nehra (Retd). The commission was appointed to probe into the allegations made against Mr Raninder Singh, son of the CM.
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Power situation grim in state
Gurdaspur October 3 Sources available here revealed that the situation was result of non-investment in power generation by the state government for more than one decade. Even the projects that have been started are facing an inordinate delay in implementation. The high-powered committee of irrigation and power departments has recently cleared the 75 MW UBDC stage III project. The work on the project would start after a memorandum was passed by the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB). The PSEB had earlier floated tenders for the stage III project of the UBDC. The tenders were put to hold. The matter was presented before the high powered committee comprising officers from the irrigation and power departments. The committee was to clear the bottlenecks for the project pertaining so intricacies of both the said departments. Now that the project has been cleared, work on the project was expected to start. The government has cleared the 500 MW stage II of the Lehra Mohabbat, the 168 MW Shahpur Kandi project, 110 MW renovation of Bathinda unit, 18 MW Mukerian hydel project and the 75 MW UBDC stage III project. However, the work on all the said projects was facing inordinate delay. The work on the Mukerian hydel project has been delayed by more than one year now. Water erupted from the site where the power houses of the stage II of the Mukerain hydel project were proposed to be erected. The PSEB authorities tried to drain out water from the site. However, all their efforts failed. The sources said that the PSEB has now changed the site of power houses. This would not only result in extra expenditure worth but also a further delay in the project. The work of preparing a detailed project report of the Shahpur Kandi project was entrusted by the government to the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC). At the end of last financial year government released Rs 19 crore for the Shahpur Kandi project under the accelerated irrigation benefit program (AIBP). However, money never reached the authorities here and timing of starting the work over of the project has still not been decided.
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House demolition to be probed
Amritsar, October 3 Ms Raj told The Tribune on phone that she had marked the inquiry to the SP (D) to be completed within two days. Meanwhile, Mr Jaswant Singh, a retired teacher, Dr Satnam Singh, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha leader, and Mr Dilraj Singh, Mr Sukhraj Singh Chinna and Mr Jatinder Singh
Chinna, Kirti Kisan Union leaders, today met the SSP and demanded that the SHO, Ajnala, be suspended. Mr Jaswant Singh had alleged that head sevadar Lakha Singh of Gurdwara Tahli Sahib and his followers armed with firearms used a bulldozer and several tractor-trailers to demolish the house. He said that the debris along with furniture and other belongings was dumped in the houses of some Congress workers at the behest of the Congress MLA. He said that he along with his family members had gone to Amritsar for some domestic exigency. They came to know about the incident on September 26 from his elder brother with whom he had kept the keys of the house. He said that he had informed the Ajnala police the same day, but the police instead of taking action helped the accused in demolishing his property.
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Enact telemedicine law, says IMAI
Amritsar, October 3 Dr S.B. Gogia, vice-president, IAMI, said that the law would help medical experts, judiciary and IT experts to adopt the technique in a big way. Eleborating on the subject, he said at present neither government agencies nor medical experts were aware of the fact that who would be held liable in case of an operation went wrong. Everybody should be aware whether it was expert giving opinion on computer or doctor receiving the inputs and carrying out the treatment. He wondered why government was not doing anything on the subject. Dr. Ann Seror, University of Laval, Cuba (Canada), said that a vast country like India with its massive population and system was required to integrate healthcare and IT to help its people provide quality and immediate treatment. Dr. Sneha Bhargava, former Director, AIIMS, Delhi, expressed her concern over the lack of specialists in the country. She said as per the data available, ratio of specialist doctors to the population was pathetic and this could be filled with the help of technology only. Members explored topics like Informational resources and systems for disaster management, tele pharmacology: role of pharmacologist in medical information and e-governance of the health system. Dr. R.K. Dutta, advisor, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, delivered his talks on “Vision IT 2050 and Health”. He predicted that in future cost of computers would be nominal and the same would be available in the size of match boxes. Dr. U.S. Dhaliwal, Principal, and Director, SGRDIMS, said that the two-day conference was watched by interested persons across the globe through the broadband internet connection from window media player. He informed that the broadband facility would be made permanent in the college. Hence, he added, the institute would be linked with top institutes of the country like AIIMS, Tata Cancer Hospital, Mumbai and Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Medical College, Lucknow.
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MC chief accused of bias
Amritsar, October 3 Commissioner K.S. Kang had written to president of the temple management Surinder Arjun a few days back. Mr Arjun accused the Commissioner of being ‘biased’ and ‘communal’. He said a land opposite Santokhsar Gurdwara was “grabbed” in the broad daylight while the MC took no notice of it. Refuting allegations the Commissioner said the land was not grabbed during his tenure and the law was taking its course in the case. The Commissioner lashed out at the temple management chief and said he had full faith in Durgiana Temple and all places of worship as a human being, a Commissioner and as an ex-armyman.
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SGPC member opposes panel to review ‘maryada’
Amritsar, October 3 He alleged that the ‘maryada’ was approved after marathon discussions spanning over 13 years. He lamented that the committee was formed under ‘pressure’ from a section of the Panth to review the 75-year-old ‘maryada’. He alleged that most of the Sikh deras had introduced their own ‘maryada’ in violation of the one approved by the SGPC and Akal Takht. The letter of the SGPC member, who is also the convener of Akal Purkh Ki Fauj, is considered as a major setback to the move of Akal Takht to review the ‘maryada’ under the pressure from those forces, which had been opposing the move of the SGPC to allow baptised Sikh women to take part in ‘amrit sanchar’ and perform kirtan in the sanctum sanctorum of Harmander Sahib. He said it was the duty of the SGPC and the Jathedar, Akal Takht, to ensure the implementation of the 75-year-old ‘rehat maryada’ in toto.
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Pension backlog cleared
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 3 The amount related to the backlog was handed over to some beneficiaries by Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Deputy Chief Minister, during a function while the remaining funds were handed over to panchayats and sent to the banks for urban beneficiaries. She said as per the directions of the Director, Social Security, the cases of those beneficiaries whose pensions had been for one reason of the other, were being looked into again. If the cases were found to be genuine, their pensions would be restarted. She said the department had also issued notices to some beneficiaries, who had been getting pension by furnishing false information to the department. Meanwhile, a number of pensioners today held a meeting and thanked the Chief Minister and the secretary, Social Security, Mr
R.L. Kalsia, for making arrangements to disburse the pensions regularly every month.
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Vet officers seek NPA on
pattern of Haryana, HP
Mohali, October 3 The meeting was chaired by the president, Dr Ashok Sharma. Members of the executive lamented that Himachal Pradesh followed Punjab in the matter of grant of pay scales and other incentives to the employees, but in the case of veterinary officers, Himachal Pradesh had gone ahead of Punjab. The senior president, Dr Tej Parkash Saini, and Dr Ashok Sharma said the Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, knew the importance of the animal husbandry sector in the prevalent scenario. This was the reason he had taken steps to set up Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University to focus on this sector. The executive of the association also thanked Punjab Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development Minister Jagmohan Singh Kang. The executive appealed to the Chief Minister, undo the injustice to the veterinary officers selected during the tenure of a former Chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission. Though these selections had been cleared by the Vigilance, doctors of 1998 and 2000 batch were being denied service benefits of annual increments due to which there was intense resentment among their cadre.
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Labourers seek new industrial policy
Amritsar, October 3 The labourers, under the banner of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Parishad (UPKP), Punjab, urged Dr Rajkumar, Parliamentary Secretary, Education, to put forward their demands to higher authorities in the government. Dr Raj Kumar was the chief guest at the annual conference organised to celebrate the 25th anniversary of establishing of the UPKP yesterday.
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Laboratory technicians hold protest
Gurdaspur, October 3
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Hawara’s wife produced in court
Sangrur, October 3 Mr Chugh fixed October 21 as the next date of hearing for the consideration of charge. The challan was presented against all accused by the police on September 14 in the court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Dhuri. On September 19, the Dhuri SDJM sent the challan to the Sessions Judge, Sangrur, for October 3 for trial. Later, the Sessions Judge entrusted the case to the Fast Track Court, Sangrur. Sukhdev Singh and Pargat Singh today sought time to engage counsels from the legal aid cell while Balwinder Kaur, Amarjit Singh, Amrik Singh and Hardip Singh were represented in the court by their respective counsels. Balwinder Kaur, Sukhdev Singh, Amarjit Singh and Pargat Singh were arrested on June 19 in connection with a case registered against them under Sections 121, 121 A, 122, 123, 124A, 153 A, 212 and 216 of the IPC and Sections 3/4/5 of the Explosives Substances Act 1908 and Sections 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act at the Dhuri police station. The police had reportedly seized a huge quantity of explosives, including about 18 kg of RDX, detonators, hand grenades, pencil bombs and other ammunition from them during a nakabandi in the area of Bhullarherri village, near Dhuri. While Hardip Singh and Amrik Singh had been arrested later on the basis of information provided by the alleged accused in the case during interrogation.
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high court
Chandigarh, October 3 Taking up a petition filed by Ms Shimla Rani and other members of the MC, a Division Bench headed by Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar issued notice for October 18. During hearing, advocate Gurminder Singh, counsel for the petitioners, stated that the election to the MC was held on September 18 and 13 members were elected from different wards. On September 30, when the election of President of the council was being conducted, seven of 13 members voted for Mr Satgur Singh. But, DDPO Kuldip Singh, who was overseeing the election, acting under political pressure, declared Mr Garg elected. The petitioners also alleged that police personnel were present at the meeting and they pressured the petitioners to vote for Mr Garg. Counsel also stated that when they refused, they were detained in the council office.
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Woman caught carrying charas
Pathankot, October 3 Uma Devi, a resident of Bihar, had brought narcotics from some smugglers in Bihar. She told the investigating officers that the smugglers used to pay her petty sums for delivering narcotics packed in bags to their contact persons in the Pathankot area. She disclosed that in the present case Bhola, a resident of her area, was with her. He left the bags with her and fled before reaching the destination. He told her that on the safe delivery of the bags she would be paid Rs 300 plus the tickets charges for returning home in Bihar. Uma said that she had no knowledge about the contents of the bags. Had she known that she was carrying narcotics she would never have taken up the job. Earlier also she had delivered narcotics to dealers in the area. The police, however, caught one of the dealers in the Pathankot area. On information provided by the dealer, the police laid a trap for Uma, who was bringing narcotics from Bihar for retail in the area. Uma was caught while handing over the bags full of charas to the dealer.
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Girls hostel robbery: 5 of gang held
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 3 This gang was responsible for various dacoities in the district, including recently at Punjab Institute of Management and Technology (PIMT) at Mandi Gobindgarh. Two of the arrested members of the gang were paraded before the students today. The police said that students identified them though both the girls of room No. 209 were not there. The police has registered case under Sections 399, 402, IPC, at police station Sirhind. SSP, Varinder Kumar today said on a tip-off Mr Gurmeet Singh Pinky, Inspector, CIA and Mr Hans Raj, Inspector, Special Operation cell, had raided an abandoned room on the bank of Bhakra canal near Adampur village and arrested all five persons sitting there, along with weapons and scooters. They were identified as Balkrishan alias Chotu, Rajesh Chouhan (both from UP but now settled in Ludhiana). Muna, Sonu and Raju, all migrant labourers. During interrogation they revealed that they were planning to rob petrol stations and wine shops. Balkrishan and Rajesh Chauhan, who had earlier been booked for many looting cases in Ludhiana and Khanna area, also said that they had struck at the girls’ hostel of PIMT and Mandi Gobindgarh. The SSP said that the same night both of them had also looted Rs 1000/- from a woman labourer near the railway station. After that they had entered girls hostel of PIMT. He said that they then threatened a girl and snatched her cell phone and took her into her room, where another girl was sleeping. They looted a gold chain, ring, cell phones and Rs 12000 from the room. The police recovered the looted ornaments, cash and one cell phone.
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One more arrested in Nayagaon rape case
Chandigarh, October 3 According to SIT sources, Labh Singh, a resident of Karoran village, had allegedly helped his brothers Kesar Singh and Gurdhian Singh, both main accused in the case, in intimidating the victim’s family and getting statements recorded in favour of the accused. Labh Singh was also allegedly involved in the abduction of the victim following her discharge from the PGI where she had delivered a child at the age of 14 years. This is the first arrest to be made by the SIT after the change of its supervisor from the IG (Economic Offence Wing), Mr Sumedh Singh Saini, to the IG (Headquarters), Mr Suresh Arora. As many as 24 persons have already been arrested in the case, including the five main accused named by the victim. Kesar Singh, Kanwar Inder Singh and Avtar Singh were arrested on July 20, 2005, and Ramkesh was arrested by the SIT recently. Gurdhian Singh was arrested on September 25.
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Student leaders meet VC, Governor
Patiala, October 3 In the meeting the confederation leaders put forth their demands of reinstating the six expelled student leaders and also demanded to end bias in internal assessments. The Governor asked the leaders to meet him in Chandigarh where he promised to discuss the issue threadbare. Meanwhile, two leaders of the confederation, Mr Raminder Singh Patiala and Mr Gurpal Singh Dhaliwal said they would be meeting the Minister for Higher Education, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, in Chandigarh tomorrow to apprise her of their problems. They added that they would continue the agitation till their demands were met by the university authorities.
— TNS
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Staff shortage hits school functioning
Kharar, October 3 The institution lacks adequate number of teachers, staff members, classrooms and science laboratories. It is yet to acquire a playfield for more than 750 students on its rolls. According to sources, the sanctioned strength of teachers is 27 against which the school has only 22. The staff shortage is mainly affecting the studies of 50 studying in classes XI and XII as there is no teacher for mathematics, Hindi and geography. While the school authorities have made temporary arrangements for teaching mathematics and geography with the help of the PTA, Hindi is not being taught. There is no teacher for music and there is no DPE and PTI. The school has been facing a shortage of teachers for the past about three weeks when 16 teachers who were working on deputation went back to their original places of work. Even though five posts of teacher are lying vacant, the school needs eight teachers to run the institution smoothly. Studies get affected when several teachers are made to attend seminars linked with the Sarb Sikhya Abhiyan. As many as seven teachers were recently called to attend a seminar and they remained away from school for 10 days. Due to shortage of accommodation, some classes are held in the open while a temporary shed has been erected to accommodate one class. Six posts of laboratory attendant and Class IV employee are lying vacant. A chowkidar and a peon have been employed on a temporary and they are being paid out of the PTA funds. The school was set up with the efforts of the Kharar MLA, Mr Bir Devinder Singh, in March last year as the town did not have any government senior secondary school. The students had no option but to join private institutions most of whom were charging heavy fees.
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Panel for report on Shivalik school case
Ropar, October 3 The Joint Secretary, Government of India, Mr Atanu Banerjee, asked the Deputy Commissioner, Mr H.I.S. Garewal, to send the report in this regard to the Minority Commission as soon as possible. The Deputy Commissioner confirmed to Chandigarh Tribune that the commission took strong note of the incident and he would submit a report in this regard soon. The controversy surfaced when the Principal of the school, that is run by the local administration, asking the students not to wear a kirpan and a heavy ”kara” through a circular on September 22. Later, when Sikh religious bodies protested and the Press highlighted the issue on September 28, the Principal of the school amended the circular. The Principal, Ms Gurpreet Mathur, in an amended circular said except for Amritdhari Sikhs, nobody else was allowed to wear a heavy “kara” and kirpan. She also apologised in this regard. On the same day as per the recommendation of the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the chairman of the school, the police had registered a case against the Principal under Section 153-A of the IPC had been registered against the Principal and the inquiry handed over to the DSP, Anandpur Sahib. Following this, the Parents Teachers association and students of the school appealed to the district administration to withdraw a case against the principle of the school.
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