Jalandhar, November 17
Blaming the district police for adopting harsh attitude towards them, the Bawa Shoes Worker Union has decided to meet the DGP to lodge a complaint in this regard.

Supported by the CPI, the leaders of the union said this during a joint press conference here today. Ms Devi Kumari, general secretary, said that the members were very upset ever since they were being intimidated by SHO of division number 6. She said they were being told to vacate Bhai Mati Das Park where they had been sitting on a chain hunger strike for the past 44 days.

The general secretary of the union said they had earlier decided to sit in dharna in front of the residence of the factory owner in Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar but then they had been told to shift to the park. They said that through their silent protest, they had been demanding payment of their dues but now the police personnel and officers from the Municipal Corporation were using pressure tactics to end the dharna.

Ms Devi Kumari said the members had also decided to hold a massive rally in the same park on November 20 to demand quick payment of their dues so that they could end their protest. She said CPI leaders from Jalandhar and Amritsar would lend support to the rally.

The union members also pointed out that they were planning to go to Chandigarh to meet Labour Commissioner to get their grievances redressed. They said they would demand payment of their dues from August 1 to October 15 last year. They added their provident fund amount too had not been deposited since 2001.

Ms Kumari said over 650 workers, most of them couples had been rendered unemployed ever since the factory was shut early this year. She said most of the employees were working in the factory for over 22 years and their two years gratuity was also pending.

Mr Amarjit Singh Ansal, secretary, Punjab State Committee, AITUC, regretted that they had submitted memoranda to all five ministers putting up locally but no one had come to their rescue. 

Kapurthala, November 17
Planning to develop a few centres of vocational trades, the authorities of Pushpa Gujral Science City have decided to venture into entrepreneur development.

The science city has already set up a computer training centre at subsidised rates for the youth of the rural areas in the vicinity. As many as 16 computer systems have been installed in a room inside the exhibit hall and 40 trainees have been enrolled to impart two-month training.

Dr R.S. Khandpur, Director-General, said this during a telephonic conversation today. He said since officials of the Department of Technical Education wanted to help budding entrepreneurs to brush up their technical skills, the scheme had to be started for them.

The Director-General said a few more vocational trades were being planned for the rural youth around the science city. He said the issue would be discussed at a meeting of the governing council scheduled to be chaired by the Chief Secretary on November 29.

Keeping in view the increased number of visitors, Dr Khandpur said more staff was likely to be appointed for assuring a guided tour within the sprawling campus of the science city. The visitors had long been demanding that the working of various exhibits be explained to them by experts. Besides, there also have been incidents of theft and stealing of small, expensive parts of the exhibits from the science hall.

The Director-General said there were 4800 visitors in the last weekend, the highest ever since the science city had opened in March this year. He said that the collections over the weekend had amounted to Rs 3.25 lakh.

Dr Khandpur said to add thrill to the science hall, a new interactive robot would be installed within this month. The colourful, human size robot will introduce the visitors to the science city, explaining about various scientific gadgets put on display.

The outer structure of the robot that has been designed by the students and faculty of the Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani, has already arrived while the chip controlling its functioning, speech and movement was being modified as per the specifications laid down by the Science City authorities, he said.

The Director-General said he was planning to position the robot somewhere near the entry point of the hall. He said various versions of the micro-computer used inside the robot had been discussed with the faculty of the Central Electronics Research Institute, Pilani, who were now programming it according to the needs.

The robot is being programmed in such a way that it works on its own so that it does not require any manual help, except for someone switching it on and off after every half an hour of interval. The cost of the robot after its complete designing is expected to be around Rs 4 lakh, said Dr Khandpur as he mentioned that the experts from Pilani were scheduled to arrive here to fit in the chip in another fortnight and install the robot.

Jalandhar, November 17
Punjab’s Minister for Cooperatives and Horticulture Jasjit Singh Randhawa today said that the state government was unable to stand guarantee for availing the subsidised loan scheme being provided by the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD). “It is one of the major hitches we are facing in implementing the scheme,” said the minister.

Mr Randhawa also informed that the state government had decided to disinvest three sugar mills and the process for that had already begun. He was speaking at a press conference here.

NABARD’s nationwide credit scheme provides a staggering Rs 524-crore subsidy to the farmers, with soft loan back conditions.

Unable to stand guarantee for the loans, the state government, the minister said, had sought a report from legal experts on the issue. “I have also discussed the matter with the Union Minister for Agriculture, Mr Sharad Pawar,” Mr Randhawa added.

Meanwhile, the sugar mills the government is off-loading are based in Zeera, Jagrawan and Rakhra.

The minister said that a liquidator has already been appointed for the mills in Zeera and Jagrawan. “While the government officials working in these mills will be transferred, the mill cadre will be offered Voluntary Retirement Schemes. The process will take a year.”

Mr Randhawa said that many sugar mills in Punjab were not even functioning for the minimum 180 days. “To supply sugarcane to all these firms, it will take 2.6-lakh hectares of cultivable land. Presently the cultivated area is 96,000 hectares only. Out of this also comes the share of private sugar mills.”

The Minister for Cooperatives and Horticulture said that from this year, the government had increased the per quintal price offered on sugarcane by Rs 15 to lure the farmers on selling their produce to the cooperative mills.

Mr Randhawa said that the state government owes an amount of Rs 36.32 crore to the sugar mills.

The cost of milling cane, he said, was also high because of high establishment costs. “The government incurs a cost of Rs 1300 per quintal for crushing cane while the modernised private firms spend only Rs 700 per quintal for the same process. “The state doesn’t have enough funds for modernising the cooperative sugar mills,” he added.

Jalandhar, November 17
He says the will to fight for one’s country must never die. And 87-year-old Ram Sharan Das, a freedom fighter, is trying to keep that fire alive, in the hearts of the youngsters.

Like every year, on the martyrdom day of Kartar Singh Sarabha and other freedom fighters, Ram Sharan Das hoisted the Ghadar Party’s flag in front of his house in Dhilwan village today in the presence of relatives, friends, and villagers.

The ceremony was simple, and the message meaningful. “Like we celebrate Divali, Holi or Gurpurab, we must observe days like these so that the young can value the hard-earned freedom of the country.”

“We won the bride of freedom for you’, Ram Sharan Das told the youngster who had gathered for the ceremony.

Kartar Singh Sarabha, Jugat Singh, Sur Singh, Ganesh Pingle, Surain Singh (Senior), Surain Singh (Junior), Harnam Singh Sialkoti, Bakshish Singh were hanged by the colonial rulers on this day.

Ram Sharan Das used to work with the Indian Railways that time, and was also associated with the Quit India Movement of 1942. 

Kapurthala, November 17
Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee President, Shamsher Singh Dullo, here today said he would inquire into the allegations of corruption charges against Local Bodies Minister, Jagjit Singh, only when he would receive a written complaint in this connection.

Mr Dullo was talking to media persons during his tour to the district to have interactions with the local party workers and leaders.
Commenting on the ongoing wordy dual between Mr Bir Devinder Singh and Mr Jagjit Singh, Mr Dullo said he was yet to receive the replies of the show-cause notices served to the two leaders and the disciplinary committee would take decision over the issue only after the receipt of the replies.

On the proposals of the National Delimitation Commission in reorganising the reserved Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies in the state, he said the Congress would file objections to the proposals. “The Commission has not considered consistency, continuity, and compactness of the areas while making the proposals,” he said.

The Commission, headed by Justice Kuldip Singh (Retd), has recommended an increase in the number of reserved Vidhan Sabha constituencies to 34 from the existing 29 in the state. Similarly, in the Lok Sabha constituencies Jalandhar, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur and Fathegarh Sahib are proposed to be brought under reserved categories increasing the number from 3 to 4, according to reports.

Regarding the alleged pact between the Congress and SAD in electing Anil Dutta, a Congress leader, as Managing Director of Jalandhar Central Cooperative Bank yesterday, Mr Dullo said that he had deputed a senior party functionary to probe into the matter and report him within three days.

On the revamp of the party’s organisational set up, Mr Dullo said he had already covered nine districts in the state and would carry out the revamp work after covering the remaining districts.

A large number of workers are coming to meet the party president at the Phulkari palace situated on the outskirts of the town. Mr Dullo held separate closed door meetings with local leaders and workers.

Mr Rana Gurjit Singh, Jalandhar Lok Sabha Member, party’s District President Navtej Singh Cheema, Mr Joginder Singh Mann, MLA from Phagwara, and senior Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira, exhibited their show of strength by converging a large number of supporters before Mr Dullo.

Some of the loyalists of Rana Gurjit Singh demanded the removal of Mr Cheema in their meeting with Mr Dullo, while Mr Khaira and Mr Mann openly supported Mr Cheema and lauded his efforts in strengthening the party.

The party workers complained to the party president that they were being ignored by the MLAs and ministers and the district authorities did not recognise them.

When asked about the ignorance of Punjab’s request to release power from the discretionary quota of the Centre, Mr Dullo replied that he would discuss the matter with the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and take up the issue with the Union Government also.

Jalandhar, November 17
Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party Beopar and Udyog Cell took out a rally on scooters in protest against the Commissioner Excise and Taxation, Government of Punjab, for not withdrawing the Form C making it difficult for businessmen to comply with the formalities of Value Added Tax (VAT).

The unit president, Ravinder Dhir, said that despite the fact that the Centre had made it clear that there would be no concession forms in the VAT regime, the state government had earlier issued Form H and now released a new Form C, which to be submitted quarterly.

The members demanded that the forms must be abolished immediately. “The deemed assessment scheme and the long and cumbersome process in making refund must be done away with,” demanded Mr Dhir.

Jalandhar, November 17
The District Sainik Welfare Office will hold a training programme for ex-servicemen and their wards for the posts of Gang Man and Track Man in the Northern Railways.

Stating this in a press note, Lieut. Col. Manmohan Singh, Deputy Director Sainik Welfare, said the five-week training would begin from November 28. The candidates would be screened for the training on November 24, he added.

The officer said it was a very good chance for those looking for such a job as the Railway Recruitment Cell had opened as many as 8366 vacancies for the post.