 |
|
|
Rajpura Thermal Power
Project
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Kin of Badals’ aide killed in ‘accidental fire’
Followers defy curfew to burn ‘Khalistan’ effigy
Jawans aim at agitators as they burn an effigy of “Khalistan” in Jalandhar on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma
Violence may lead to labour crisis
Cong men hail Preneet’s inclusion in Union
Cabinet
Violence
Dera panel seeks admn help to visit Ballan
6 am-6 pm curfew break in Jalandhar, Phagwara, Hoshiarpur today
Poor Results
Punjab chalks out plan to boost milk yield
SE suspended for fire in Kotkapura PSEB store
HC puts on hold quarrying in Ferozepur district
HC: No malice behind bypoll postponement
HC relief for Bhajji
|
|
Ramesh Inder is Chief Info Commissioner
Chandigarh, May 27 The appointment comes one day before the deadline fixed in the case by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had taken a serious view of the non-appointment of the CIC since more than nine months. Sources, however, said Ramesh Inder would step down as Chief Secretary only after he takes oath of new office. Once a date was finalised for oath-taking, the officer would put in his papers. Ramesh Inder is to retire on September 30. Though efforts were made by the government to ensure Ramesh Inder continues as Chief Secretary and also holds charge of CIC, the law has come in the way of this option. The sources said the Information Commissioner’s Act was clear that Commissioners could not hold any other office. Meanwhile, the race has begun for selection of the new Chief Secretary. The sources said though Excise and Taxation Commissioner Shivinder Singh Brar was among the front-runners for the top post, including Financial Commissioner, Cooperation, Dr BC Gupta, who had earlier given his preference to shift to Delhi.
|
|
Appointment of bureaucrat as Punjab CIC
Chandigarh, May 27 Current Punjab Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh who is due to retire in September 2009 would be taking over as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). Terming
this as illegal, Hemant Goswami of Citizens’ Voice mentioned that
under the provisions of the RTI Act, the appointment of a commissioner
could be done only if a committee was formed in which all members
deliberated on the applications received by the government. He
mentioned that according to the RTI Act, the person to be appointed
should be an eminent personality with wide experience and knowledge of
law, science, social service, management, etc. “However, in Punjab,
we have about six information commissioners from government service,
there is none from law or other related fields,” he said. Advocate
HC Arora mentioned that the other bureaucrats working in the
commission were also not performing their job satisfactorily. Most of
the bureaucrats attended the official work for only about 20-30 hours
in a month and still claimed lakhs of rupees as travelling and sundry
benefits. “Except for Gen PK Grover, none of the information
commissioners appear to be serious in the discharge of their duties,”
Arora added. Earlier, social activists and organisations sent a joint representation to the Punjab Governor and the CM against appointment of another bureaucrat in the commission. The activists specially mentioned the alleged callous functioning of PK Verma and Rupan Deol Bajaj and pointed many infirmities in their orders. “We
are contemplating taking criminal action under Section 166, 217 and
219 of the IPC against some of the information commissioners,”
Hemant said.
|
|
|
Kin of Badals’ aide killed in ‘accidental fire’
Bathinda, May 27 According to the information, Kiranjot was married to Subeg Singh of Bathinda a year ago. Subeg landed in India only a month ago from Liberia. According to Subeg, he had cleaned his pistol and put it on a table when all of a sudden it fired accidentally, injuring Kiranjot Kaur. At that time, the whole family was sitting there. Jagsir Singh, their neighbour, said: “We were standing in the street when Subeg ran towards us and asked for help. We immediately put Kiranjot in the car and rushed her to the Civil Hospital.” Just after reaching the hospital, doctors declared her dead. A bullet mark in her temple close to the left eye was visible and doctors said the bullet was lodged inside. Meanwhile, Lakhbir reached the hospital and senior police and civil officials present there had a closed-door meeting with him and Subeg. Immediately after the meeting, Lakhbir, along with Subeg and other member of the family, left the hospital, without interacting with the media. The postmortem on the body will be conducted tomorrow. Dilbag Singh, an uncle of Lakhbir, said: “The information stunned us as the girl never complained about her married life.” SSP, Bathinda, Ashish Chaudhary said: “We are investigating the matter as the case is very complicated.”
|
|
Followers defy curfew to burn ‘Khalistan’ effigy
Jalandhar, May 27 Though situation remained under control on the second consecutive day in Jalandhar today, the announcement of the KZF added to tension. Minor incidents of attacks and firing were reported in the city. Protesters in Phillaur also burnt an effigy of “Khalistan” and raised slogans against the KZF. They also raised slogans against Bhindranwale and demanded deportation and prosecution of Ranjit Singh Neeta, KZF chief, from Pakistan. While residents of internal parts of the city felt relief, those living in troubled areas had to remain indoors on the instructions of the police and paramilitary forces. PS Parmar, SP (Detective), claimed that no fresh case of violence was reported today. The district police has registered 35 cases of violence and arrested 36 persons for rioting. The police has also detained youths for allegedly creating nuisance and indulging in incidents of violence.
|
|
Agonising wait for Sant’s body at Dera Sachkhand
Ballan, May 27 That the deceased was much loved by the congregation is evident from the fact that tears well up among the young and old alike once you mention his name. They also fail to comprehend as to why anyone would want to kill a preacher who had touched their lives in many ways, besides being their spiritual anchor in times of distress. Another factor that is proving painful for all dera followers is the vigil for the body of the Sant that is in the process of being brought back here for cremation. Till then, recital of hymns is providing succour to bruised souls. One such follower, Harbilas Singh, a retired sanitary inspector, told TNS that he had been visiting the dera since the ’60s. “I have closely watched and followed the Sant over the decades and he was a person who would always say that even if someone provoked you, you must ask for forgiveness,” he added. He exclaims, “Why would anyone want to hurt the Sant ? Are we being punished for our social mobility and trying to claim our standing in society?” he questioned as others come forward to console him. And he is not alone. There are a lot of moist eyes in the congregation even on a sultry noon. A young devotee, Kamal, is serving water to visitors, but is guarded behind the reasons behind the attack. Sporting a white bandana on his head, he says, “Despite the grave provocation, we are keeping quiet. Things are not as they were earlier and we do not want to suffer as our forefathers. We condone violence, but the reaction from the community over the incident could not be helped,” he added.
|
|
Violence may lead to labour crisis
Ludhiana, May 27 Hordes of migrant labourers were seen rushing towards the railway station to move out of the trouble zone. But they were caught in a catch-22 situation, as no trains left for their native villages from the Ludhiana station today. The migrants, a majority of whom were from Jodhewal Basti, had taken shelter at the railway station and were waiting anxiously to return home. “I will return home on the first train that will arrive at the station,” said Rajesh Kumar, a tailor who was working at a manufacturing unit, and was rushing back home as the factory he was working in was closed by the agitators. On the other hand, the contractors, who had somehow arranged the labour, were caught in a tight spot and were offering them more incentives. Manvir Dhaliwal, a farmer from Phillaur, said, “I am offering them more than Rs 1,000 for an acre, still they are reluctant to work. I’ don’t know what to do now”. Migrants from peripheral areas of the district hit the railway station and were seen enquiring for the train at ticket counters.
|
|
Cong men hail Preneet’s inclusion in Union
Cabinet
Patiala, May 27 While senior Congress leader Mohinder Singh Kaypee has welcomed the inclusion of MS Gill and Preneet in the Union Cabinet, a certain degree of disillusionment prevailed among Kaypee’s supporters who thought that “overlooking” of a senior Dalit leader like Kaypee proved that all was not well within the party. “Kaypee should not have been ignored by the high-command as he not only headed the
PPCC, but was a loyal soldier of the party,” said a discontented supporter and an aide of
Kaypee. Meanwhile, hailing the inclusion of Gill and Preneet, Kaypee quipped, “Everything that has happened is well and good and everything is upto the party high command.” Meanwhile, Preneet said as a minister of state, she would work hard for betterment of people of Punjab, particularly for upliftment of womenfolk of the state. Talking to The Tribune, Preneet said she was thankful to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who had given her a chance to serve people of Punjab and the country.
Brahm Mohindra said Preneet’s entry in the Union Cabinet had, in fact, elevated the status of Patiala as it was for the first time after 1952 that someone had got the ministerial birth from here. In 1957, MP Sardar Hukum Singh had got elected from Patiala and had rose to become the Speaker of the Lok
Sabha.
|
|||||
|
|
Violence Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 27 In a statement here yesterday, he observed that it was important to have an impartial probe into the whole issue as it threatened to break the social fabric of the state. “Moreover, we need to learn lessons from past experiences when similar controversies spiralled out into major problems,” he pointed out. Amarinder said while the incidents in Vienna were quite unfortunate, what happened subsequently in Punjab only proved the utter and apparently deliberate failure of the state government and its law and order machinery to protect the life and property of people. He said it was quite unfortunate that the government had abdicated its authority and left the people at the mercy of violent mobs. Referring to the statement of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on television last night saying that the police had been asked not to take any strong action against the violent protestors, the former Chief Minister pointed out, “This was a classic case of voluntary abdication of authority by the head of the government”. He further observed that Badal should better have resigned than voluntarily abdicating his authority. Meanwhile, MLA and Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira has said, “Having failed to protect public property and maintain appropriate law and order in the state, the Congress party demands that both Chief Minister Badal and SAD President and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal should immediately tender their resignations”.
|
|
|
Dera panel seeks admn help to visit Ballan
Bathinda, May 27 Sucha Ram, president of the local committee, said: “This committee has been formed to struggle till the culprits of the Vienna incident are slapped severe punishment.”
|
|
|
6 am-6 pm curfew break in Jalandhar, Phagwara, Hoshiarpur today
Jalandhar, May 27 An official spokesperson said buses on all routes would ply during these hours. Relaxation in the curfew from morning to evening had been given keeping in view the improving law and order situation in these cities. With the exception of all educational institutions,
all other offices and business establishments would function normally.
|
|
|
Teachers blame it on govt policies
Sushil Goyal Tribune News Service
Sangrur, May 27 A teacher on the condition of anonymity said there were certain reasons due to which they could not deliver good results. One of the main reasons is that only Punjabi subject is compulsory to pass the class VIII or class X examinations, while out of the remaining five main subjects (mathematics, English, general science, social studies and Hindi), a student has to pass only four subjects. Due to this criterion, many average and below-average students prefer to leave mathematics or any other difficult subject as it does not put any adverse affect on their final result. But, it certainly affects the result of respective teachers, she adds. District president of the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) Tarsem Lal said teachers of mathematics and other main subjects could not be held responsible if their results remained poor in the final examinations as these were government policies, which encouraged students not to get themselves passed in all subjects. Other factors like a shortage of teachers, impracticable division of the syllabus, extra duties like revision of votes, mid-day meal, seminars, election duties, collection of data immediately from schools for sending the same to the higher authorities etc contributed to a poor result, he added.
|
|
Class X: Naya Nangal girl tops in region
Nangal, May 27 Ankita is the daughter of Rajan Kanwar, senior manager with National Fertilisers Limited at
Nangal. She gives credit to her Principal Alok Betab for inspiring students to employ different techniques.
— TNS
|
|
|
Punjab chalks out plan to boost milk yield
Patiala, May 27 Punjab, at present, is one of the largest producers of milk. At present, Punjab’s milk availability stands at nearly 960 ml per head. This, as compared to others states of 250 ml per head, is a much better figure. It is little wonder that Punjab is in a position to export milk to other states. Sources in the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Board explained that a healthy calf from a high-yielding mother could be used to impregnate as many as 10,000 buffaloes a year. To identify buffaloes and cows having best quality and yield, cattle competitions would be held all over the state. Later, its male calf would be used to artificially inseminate more cows and buffaloes, they added. The government has already organised one cattle competition at Muktsar and more such competitions will be held soon. For this, the husbandry departments of Patiala and Jalandhar will be involved in a big way. According to sources, at present, an average buffalo gave just 15 to 18 litres of milk a day. By adopting new scientific techniques, this yield would go up to 23 litres per day. Ashok Kumar, deputy director, Dairy Development Department, Patiala, said with a view to ensuring supply of quality milk to the consumers, his department had been organising camps to check supply of synthetic milk. He said the department was promoting setting up of modern cattle sheds with all modern amenities for which a subsidy was also being made available. The department had helped set up 30 such sheds in Patiala district against the target of 50 sheds, he added.
|
|
|
SE suspended for fire in Kotkapura PSEB store
Moga,
May 27 KD Choudhary, Member
(Distribution), PSEB, said the SE was not present at the station of his
posting when the fire broke out. “We have suspended him and initiated
an inquiry against him for negligence of duty,” he said. It was
learnt that the SE had gone to Amritsar without prior permission from
the authorities. HS Brar, Chairman, PSEB, with senior officials
reached the spot of fire, but the SE was not present on
duty. Meanwhile, Choudhary, who is looking into the incident of the
fire, added that the loss was estimated at Rs 2.50 crore in the
incident. Power transformers and oil tankers were burnt in the fire in
Kotkapura town.
|
|
HC puts on hold quarrying in Ferozepur district
Chandigarh, May 27 “The reply filed by the state also indicates that illegal mining is going on. The situation cannot be accepted. A direction was issued to state counsel Praveen Goyal to have instructions in this regard. The DSP, Fazilka, was present in the court. “He says 15 persons were arrested and will take action to stop illegal mining. This fact is seriously disputed by the counsel for the petitioner, who says illegal mining is still going on. A direction is hereby issued to stop entire mining, whether illegal or legal, in the district of Ferozepur. “The DSP is directed to convey this order to the SSP of the district, as well as the deputy commissioner, who will ensure the compliance of the order”. Before parting with the order, Justice Ranjit Singh directed: “Let counsel for the petitioner place on record the evidence showing that mining is still going on illegally, before this court, for taking further action…”. Justice Ranjit Singh has already stayed operation in mines under litigation in Punjab.
Court directive to DC on
litter in city localities
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner to visit all three registration offices at Ferozepur road, Transport Nagar and Gill Road for inspection, and issuance of directions for clearing litter. The Bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Hemant Gupta directed the officer would ensure that there were no out-of-use vehicles and tyres strewn around. Besides this, he would take steps to make available suitable area for parking of vehicles for public. The bench also asked the local administration to draw up a plan for providing bare minimum facilities, including sheds, to protect visitors to the offices from the sun and rain. Facilities like fans and drinking water too would be provided. The directions follow a petition filed in public interest by Balbir Singh and 30 other advocates against Punjab and other respondents for the provision of basic amenities and maintenance of cleanliness, besides removal of litter.
|
|
HC: No malice behind bypoll postponement
Chandigarh, May 27 As such, the interference of the court is not required. The court observed that the notification issued by the Election Commission clearly mentioned the date of polling had been shifted on the recommendations of the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer.
|
|
HC relief for Bhajji
Chandigarh, May 27 After the preliminary hearing on a petition filed by Harbhajan Singh for quashing the proceedings, Justice Pritam Pal also issued notices for July 24 to the complainant-respondents advocate Arvind Thakur, who is chairman Global Human Rights Council and Vinod Singh Bhardwaj, spokesman of Punjab Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Ramesh Inder is Chief Info Commissioner
36 arrested for violence in Jalandhar
