Bathinda, January 19
The state chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Swaran Singh, today accused the ruling SAD leadership of trying to mislead the people by making “false” promises here in view of the forthcoming elections for the Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Swaran Singh said that the state government was not in a position to fulfill these promises because it was facing a serious cash crunch.

In view of the BMC elections, the NCP has appointed Anil Jain as senior vice-president of the Bathinda district. R.T. Goyal has been appointed as the joint secretary of the state unit.

In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Swaran Singh said that the SAD(B)-led government is ridiculing people by announcing a flurry of schemes, though it is cash-strapped. He said that the basic problems related with water, health, education and pollution in Bathinda would become election issues. He claimed that there were 667 different kinds of chemicals in the ground water, which was the reason behind a large number of cancer patients in the region. Though the government had announced cancer hospitals, but the root cause lied somewhere else.

While commenting on education, Swarn Singh said that around 2,33,000 students failed in the last middle-level examinations and for the last 15-20 years, the pass percentage of the government schools had not gone beyond 30-35 per cent. He criticised the Adarsh School policy and said that around 95 per cent schools in Punjab were headless.

Remarking that the Congress got most of the assembly seats due to support of the Dera Sachha Sauda but the support base could shift in the favour of others too.

When asked about the ban on ‘Naam charcha’ by the Dera followers, the NCP president said, “ Everyone should be allowed to practice his right to freedom of religion.”

Replying to a query about whether the party would prefer to fight the coming municipal elections in alliance with the Congress party, he said a final decision would be taken by party’s national level convention on March 8.

On the buzz about the Badals contesting the next Lok Sabha elections from Bathinda, Swarn Singh said, “People are intelligent enough to differentiate between theory and practice.”

Amrit Pal Singh Sidhu, general secretary, informed that Union civil aviation minister Prafull Patel had been requested to name the Chandigarh airport after Bhagat Singh. It was also demanded at the meeting that the IAF station here at Bhisiana should be converted into a civilian airport. 

Moga, January 19
With a view to providing access to sophisticated farm equipment to marginal farmers, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced setting up of block-level pools, equipped with common farm machinery, across the state.

Addressing a Arhtiyas-Kisan Sammelan here today, he said the government would provide 30 per cent subsidy for the project and the rest of the funds would be resourced through banks.

Badal announced that payments to farmers through cheques would not be mandatory. However, farmers would be free to opt for mode of payment for their produce, either through cheque by a procurement agency or cash by a commission agent. He announced that the state government would issue long-term licences to the arhtiyas with a validity of 20 years at a fee of Rs 2,000 only.

If more than one firm were operating from a single shop, two plots would be allotted to them. The minimum time period for the transfer of a plot once allotted had also been reduced from seven to five years.

Underlining the need for another Green Revolution in the state, he said the SAD-BJP government was fully committed to the welfare of the farmers as well as arhtiyas as both had age-old socio-economic ties among them.

President, Bharti Kisan Union, Balbir Singh Rajewal blamed the Centre for acting as a tool in the hands of some multinational companies, which were out to capture the marketing network system of the state. He said the existing procurement system in the state was perfect and there was no need to replace it.

President, Punjab Arhtiays Association, Ravinder Singh Cheema aired the problems being faced by commission agents.

Thekriwala (Barnala), Janary 19
The appointments of chairmen of state marketing committees and improvement trusts will be made after the panchayat elections in the state, said CM Parkash Singh Badal who was here to pay tributes to Saheed Sewa Singh Thekriwala on his 74th “barsi”.

Badal felt there was a need to overhaul the education system. He said by the end of the current fiscal, 14,000 school teachers would be recruited.

The CM differed on the view that Punjab was still a “disturbed” state. When he was confronted with the statement of SAD secretary-general and MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Badal said he had requested the PM to exclude Punjab from the list of disturbed states.

Badal and others paid tributes to Saheed Sewa Singh Thekriwala on his 74th “barsi” here. He announced a grant of Rs 1 crore for providing basic amenities in the village. 

Bathinda, January 19
“In order to lift the falling standards of education in the state, 30,000 teachers would be appointed,” said Manpreet Singh Badal, Finance and Planning Minister, Punjab, while presiding over a seminar organised by the education department in Gidderbaha today.

Manpreet said the state government was determined in this regard and would also fill up 14,000 vacancies of teachers before March 31 this year for the purpose. The remaining vacancies would be filled up in another year, he added.

The minister said that to provide education to children from poor families, 100 Adarsh schools would be set up at a cost of Rs 400 crore.

On the occasion, eminent educationists gave suggestions to upgrade the quality of education in the state.

Bathinda, January 19
It was a touching scene at the Gurdwara Haji Rattan here last night as hundreds of youth huddled in a verandah under the open sky in biting cold at 2 am, trying to get some sleep. The stony silence of the wintry night was the only witness to their miserable plight.

With a cemented floor underneath and a light shawl to wrap the body was only protection from cold for these youth, dreaming for a career in the Army. Some of them spread hay on the floor to serve as an improvised mattress, but a sound sleep seemed miles away.

Residual of bonfires was the only witness that these youth had burnt hay and fuel wood for some warmth when this correspondent reached there. The gurdwara has some rooms also but these are insufficient to accommodate the large number of youth taking shelter in there as more than 500 of them have made it their temporary abode.

The youth, who have come here for the Army recruitment rally, preferred the gurdwara for staying at night as it is close to the Government Rajindra College, where the recruitment tests are being conducted.

Om Prakash, a 21-year-old from Fazilka, who has applied for the clerical services was awake and shivering. He said that he had not been able to sleep due to the extreme cold and was waiting for the sunrise.

The miserable plight of these youth also reflected their endurance and determination and the keen desire to get a job in the Army.” What more physical fitness and endurance does the Army expect from us,” said a youth, still apprehensive about his selection.

The Army recruitment rally has resulted in conversion of the roads along the Gurdwara into a temporary market with vendors putting up stalls for selling eatables and fruits etc. At least these aspirants have food readily available.

Meanwhile, the medical test of qualified candidates and documentation is underway.

Bathinda, January 19
The Malwa College in the city has created a record by bagging three gold and a total of five medals in the All India Inter University athletics competitions held in Annamalai from January 13 to 17.

Mandeep Kaur won two gold in 100m and 200m respectively, while OmPrakash bagged the first place in the shot put and Sukhjeet Kaur stood third in the 1500m. The achievement is significant in the view that only seven athletes from the college participated in the championship.

Punjabi University has bagged a total of eight medals in the championship.

Laurels brought by these students has made the Punjabi University proud, Income tax officer and technical guide of the college K. P. S Brar, who himself is an athlete of international stature and is promoting atheletics in the region said that it’s the hard work of the students and the coaches that have paid. We are trying our best to provide facilities to the talented athletes.

It is worth mentioning here that Om Prakash 20 years of age has already won gold in the Junior Asian games and is now eyeing for the Olympics.

Seeing his talent, DLF has already started a monthly scholarship of Rs 20,000 per month for him. Though the Punjabi ,University provides diet to these players but the concerned governments are still asleep in cultivating the budding talent.

Almost two decades back athletes from Punjab used to bag the maximum number of medals, but due to the negligence of the government and sports department the trend is reversed.

Bathinda, January 19
In continuation of the celebrations of the anniversary of Bhagat Singh, the Civil Defence Wardens Club, Bathinda, under the presidentship of D.S. Mastana, organised a declamation contest on Saturday in which 40 school teams participated.

The topics were female foeticide, drug addiction, leprosy, civil defence in peace and war and Bhagat Singh. Jasandeep of the PPS won the first prize of Rs 2,000. Jyoti Bala, Harpreet Singh, Sonu, Nasma Khan also won prizes. D.S. Mastana, Sham lal and Karnal S. Gill were also honoured on the occasion. —TNS

Bathinda, January 19
Former president of the truck union, Darshan Walia, and his three accomplices have been booked in a case of land grabbing, involving crores, by producing false documents,

The father of Harjeet Kaur, petitioner in the case, is said to have bought a plot near the grain market in Bathinda for Rs 1,200. Later, they shifted to Ludhiana. Darshan Walia , a resident of Model Town, in connivance with Kulwant Singh, Ramji Dass and Satpal Singh, grabbed this piece of land and also forged documents, claiming its ownership. According to the forged documents, Walia and his three associates had bought the land in 1976 for Rs 18,000.

However, the court of chief judicial magistrate ordered for registering a case against the four for producing forged documents. The Kotwali police station after registering the case, has transferred it to economic offences wing (EOW). ASI Ranvir Singh of the EOW confirmed that the case has been referred. Sources said that efforts were on to arrest the accused. 

Bathinda, January 19
Continuing their protest against the cancellation of stoppage of three trains at the Bhucho Mandi railway station, residents of the areas, including women, stopped the Sriganganagar-Haridwar Express (4712) at the station also on Saturday morning for more than an hour.

The ATM, Bathinda, Sher Singh, along with the other railway officials rushed to the spot to handle the situation.

Following the assurance from the officials concerned, the protestors lifted the blockade and decided to defer their stir up to January 24. They also handed over a memorandum related to their demand to the ATM. The agitators threatened to launch an intense stir if their demand was not fulfilled after January 24.

The railway has cancelled the halt of three trains, including Bathinda-New Delhi (4732/4731), Sriganganagar-Haridwar (4712/4711) and Ambala-Sriganganagar (4526/4525) at Bhucho Mandi from January 15 considering the ‘economic viability’. 

Fazilka, January 19
Fazilka Bar Association’s former president Rajesh Angi in a statement sharply criticised the stand taken by the Ferozepur’s Bar Association against the move of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to establish the court of additional district and sessions judge at Fazilka.

He alleged that they were only concerned with their earnings and did not realise the difficulties faced by the poor who had to cover a distance of 300 km while going and coming back from the district headquarters. Jalalabad and Abohar towns were earlier parts of the Fazilka sub-division. — OC

Abohar, January 19
After ten days, the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan called off the dharna against proposed land acquisition for the thermal plant today, block president Sukhmander Singh informed.

They accused a SAD (B) legislator for hatching a conspiracy to sabotage the genuine farmers’ stir. — OC

Moga, January 19
With a view to deliberate upon the request of the Shiromani Akali Dal (B) to fix a meeting with the visiting French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, general secretary, SAD (B), would meet the Ambassador of France to India in New Delhi on January 22.

Dhindsa here today said the meeting with the French Ambassador was granted following a request for a meeting with the French President to put across the view on the problem relating to turban being faced Sikh students in French schools.

He stated that their letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the subject had not elicited any response. However, the French Embassy had answered to that letter, he added.

Meanwhile, the SAD (A) leader Simranjit Singh Mann today reacted sharply against inviting the French President for attending the Republic Day celebrations.

In a statement, Mann said that his party would hold a peaceful protest against the visit of the French President in front of the Indian Air Force’s Gwalior air base on January 25. He reasoned that the selection of the protest venue was symbolic in a way as the French-made Mirage-2000 fighter planes were stationed there. Mann also demanded that the Indian government should not procure any weapon from France.