Ferozepur, August 30
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal today exhorted the union government to declare Punjab as a special agricultural zone (SAZ) on the pattern of SEZs as this border state, with 1.3 per cent geographical area, was contributing 70 per cent wheat and 40 per cent rice to national pool. He said the Centre should recognise the role of Punjab in making India self-sufficient on the food-security front.

Sukhbir said the time had come that the union government came out with a long-term package to enable farmers of the state to augment agricultural production to meet the growing demand of food from increasing population. While proposing the blue print for the SAZ, Sukhbir said the same should include assured free power supply to the farm sector, tax-free subsidised agro inputs like fertilisers, pesticides, seeds and diesel.

Besides, there should be guaranteed marketing and export of agro products at price-linked rates and the revitalisation of an age-old canal irrigation system at a cost of Rs 3,400 crore.

On the second day of his thanksgiving tour of Jalalabad, Sukhbir also demanded reimbursement of Rs 3,160 crore incurred by the state government in providing free power to the farm sector till Punjab was declared a SAZ. While justifying giving power to the farmers free of cost, Sukhbir said it was being done to enable them to contribute a maximum share of wheat and rice to the Central pool.

Addressing a public gathering after laying the foundation stones of three 66-KVA grid substations being established at Chak Janisar, Ghattian Wali Jattan and Kandh Wala Hazar Khan, Sukhbir said Punjab was bleeding itself to slow death to keep India alive. He said due to over exploitation of groundwater, even NASA had warned Punjab that if it continued to draw groundwater at this level, within next 10 years the state could become a desert.

Sukhbir said due to scanty rains during this paddy transplantation season, Punjab bought power from the open market at Rs 7.30 per unit and gave power for 8 hours per day free to the farmers so that Punjab could fulfil its obligation to contribute more than 40 per cent rice to the central pool.

He said despite drought-like conditions, Punjab was hopeful of exceeding last year’s production target while achieving a record production of 140 lakh metric tonne of paddy this year, in contrast to a total failure of crops in UP, Bihar and MP.

Continuing the stone-laying spree, the Deputy CM laid the foundation stones for five rural water supply schemes at Araian Wala, Chak Ararian Wala, Chak Rohi Wala, Chak Janisar and Ghattian Wali Bodala. He also inaugurated a water supply scheme at Bahmaniwala, besides laying the foundation stones for four link roads at Kottu Fangian, Chak Khrunjh, Aliana and Ghattian Wali Jattan.

Abohar, August 30
Clouds and security managers played spoilsport at the last function of the Sunday tour of Sukhbir. The town experienced mild showers, which prompted the gathering at the subdivisional complex to run for a shelter thrice before the arrival of Sukhbir.

Again, on his arrival, showers disrupted the function and winds dislocated some of the side ceilings and cabin fans. Security jammers caused disturbances in the sound system. Faridkot DPRO Daljit Singh had to make repeated requests to the security managers to take away vehicles fitted with the jammers.

Meanwhile, Sukhbir released the ISO 9001:2008 certification for the high-profile Suvidha Centre, the first of its kind in the state. The jammers could be controlled only when he started addressing the gathering.

The organisers had to make phone calls to tell leaders that the Deputy CM had advanced his arrival by 90 minutes.

Ferozepur, August 30
The Bell 230 chopper ferrying Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal was forced to make an emergency landing in Jalalabad this morning following the detection of a suspected technical fault just before the landing. However, Sukhbir and the crew landed safely. The Deputy Chief Minister was returning from New Delhi by the helicopter chartered by the state government from Prem Air.

The moment the two pilots experienced some difficulty just before the scheduled landing at the BSF battalion headquarters in Jalalabad, about 50 km from here, they steered away the chopper into the air and later had a “soft landing” at an open place in the Gobind Nagar area about 500 yards from the BSF helipad.

While the preliminary reports have pointed towards a technical fault in the cyclical control of the helicopter, the state government has referred the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for an inquiry.

Officials said the pilots shed fuel before steering the helicopter to an unscheduled landing site.

Chandigarh (TNS): Preliminary reports indicate that a technical snag led to the emergency landing by Sukhbir’s helicopter a little away from the scheduled landing spot at the BSF helipad at Jalalabad.

Chief Minister’s media adviser Harcharan Bains said it appeared that there was a glitch in the cyclical control of the helicopter.

Meanwhile, Sukhbir has thanked his well-wishers who have been frantically enquiring about his welfare since morning.

Chandigarh, August 30
Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira has slammed Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal for “misleading people on various projects in the state”.

Reacting to the scrapping of the Mohali-Phagwara Expressway project, Khaira said the project was a non-starter from very beginning, but the SAD continued misleading people.

“Fake and frivolous promises by Sukhbir have become the order of the day. Earlier, the promise of metro-rail in Ludhiana had fallen then the international cricket stadium at Bathinda remains a non-starter,” Khaira, MLA from Bholath, said.

He said even the poll promise of surplus power to Punjab in three years stated in the election manifesto of the SAD-BJP had turned out to be a bundle of lies. Not even a brick had been added to the thermal plant proposed at

Talwandi Sabo, the foundation stone of which was laid in September 2008 with fanfare. All other so-called thermal plants of Rajpura and Gidderbaha, brainchildren of Sukhbir, were like building castles in the air.

He said much-publicised projects of thermal plants, metro-rail, Express highways etc were a part of propaganda for votes.

The Congress leader said Punjab had a loan of over Rs 63,000 crore, farmers under a debt of Rs 35,000 crore driving them to suicides, corruption rampant, political victimisation continued, education and health were in a shambles, 40 per cent people did not have safe drinking water.

Even after 60 years of independence, paving of streets in villages had not been done.

Ludhiana, August 30
Life term to three persons in 1984 anti-Sikh violence case by Tis Hazari Court in New Delhi is being taken as “delayed justice” by riot victims. But they hope the law of land will prevail.

The riot victims feel justice would have been delivered had Congress leaders Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler been sentenced. “Still it is a step towards justice. It is better late than never,” said Surjit Singh, president, Danga Peerat Welfare Society, Ludhiana, at a convention of riot victims here today.

“We are happy they have been fined Rs 18 lakh. This will be some compensation for the two victims, who were witnesses in the case,” said Gurdeep Kaur, a victim.

She added that though they could not be compensated for the loss they suffered in the riots, a blot on humanity, it had come as a breather for them.

“For the first time we are feeling it is not Kangaroo justice always. We will get justice. The judiciary has not failed us. It is the only hope,” she said.

The riot victims, who had come from all parts of the state, said they had suffered in riots and after that the bureaucracy too had failed them.

Despite relief announced by the Centre and the state for the riot victims, the babus played enough spoilsport, they alleged. As many as 3,500 riot victims are still awaiting red cards. After 25 years, they are still fighting for their due. Their applications are pending with Deputy Commissioners of different districts,” said Surjit Singh.

The meeting decided to gherao the DCs if the pending cases were not cleared. The victims said they would meet Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and apprise him of the situation. 

Amritsar, August 30
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC), in its bid to overcome certain flaws in the democratic and transparent election process initiated by Rahul Gandhi, has decided to hold repolling in Tarn Taran and Patiala on September 6.

Secretary, IYC, Vinod Sultanpuri said here today that the decision had been taken following complaints from the party cadre from both districts and after an inquiry into those. The elections of district presidents Amandeep Singh Pannu and Jogipur of Tarn Taran and Patiala, respectively, stood cancelled. He said they had filed false affidavits regarding their age.

Sultanpuri said the nomination could be filed by the interested candidates on September 3 and 4, scrutiny would be held on September 5 and the polling, if required, would be held on September 6. He said Rahul Gandhi was likely to visit Punjab during the five-day training workshop for the Youth Congress in Ludhiana next month. 

Sangrur, August 30
A member of the checking squad of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) was allegedly beaten up by residents of Haripura basti here last night.

The squad went to the basti to check domestic electricity connections for checking power theft cases in that area.

Talking to The Tribune, Additional Superintending Engineer (SE) of Sangrur Division (Distribution), PSEB, DPS Grewal said, after receiving reports about power theft in Haripura basti, the checking squad, comprising the SDO of Badrukhan subdivision, PSEB, Jagdev Singh, junior engineer (JE) Chanan Singh and the line staff visited the basti.

He said the checking squad detected a case of power theft in a house. Subsequently, some persons from the basti gathered there and started calling members of the checking squad “thieves”, he added.

He said the residents of the area allegedly beat up JE Chanan Singh, who sustained internal injuries.

He had been admitted to the local civil hospital. The persons even snatched a motorcycle, a mobile phone and a purse from Chanan Singh, he added.

The police had not registered a case as it had not received a written complaint from the PSEB.

Bathinda, August 30
Cotton has started arriving in markets of Malwa, but its minimum support price (MSP) has not been fixed. Farmers term the current sale price inadequate as it is below the MSP fixed last year.

Farmers in the Bathinda grain market said they had been selling the produce between Rs 2,400 and Rs 2,600 a quintal. However, the previous year the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) had purchased cotton at Rs 2,700 To Rs 2,800 a quintal.

“We buy things at a higher cost, but sell crop at a very low price. Is it so because we are farmers? Prices of sugar, ghee and other commodities have shot up. Why is our cotton being neglected?” they asked.

Blaming the government for apathy, they said, “The government listens to our genuine demands only when we protest”.

“Government agencies enter the market only when almost half the crop is sold to private buyers at a low price. If the government is serous, it should not give statements, but help us,” said Bakhtaur Singh of Teona village.

Chand Singh of Gehari Bhagi said, “We cannot store the crop due to fear of moisture, for which government agencies may reject our crop. So, despite the expenditure on picking, we are here to sell it at a low price”. “This season seems unlucky for us as first, deficit rain created problems, then the size of plants remained short and now we have to sell it at a low price,” said Ranjeet Singh of Gehari Bhagi.

Another farmer Narottam Singh, waiting for the auction of his pile, said, “We feel taking advantage of the absence of government agencies, private buyers have pooled to buy the crop at low price. They come in the market but do not compete in auction due to which farmers have to bow before their move”.

General Manager of the CCI, Punjab, RC Sarkar said, “At present, the arrival is meagre. To us the season begins from October 1. So till the MSP is decided and we are directed to buy, we can do nothing. Moreover, the quality of early produce is sub-standard and has high moisture, due to which ginning mill owners do not want to take risk”.

The power subsidy amounted to Rs 2,602 crore last year and as the cost of power had increased by 11 per cent, the subsidy amounts to over Rs 3,140 crore.

Anandpur Sahib, August 30
Voices against the maiden thermal plant at Tikri village, Nalagarh, Himachal Pradesh, have grown shriller with Punjab NGO and Nalagarh MLA joining the bandwagon.

With environmental clearance public hearing for the project due on September 7, masses are being sensitised on the issue. Two years ago, during a similar public hearing convened for the same project, villagers of Himachal Pradesh and local Nalagarh MLA Hari Narayan Singh Saini had vowed not to allow the unit to come up in the area.

While the earlier Congress regime in Himachal had dropped the plan following opposition from BJP MLA Saini, his own BJP-led government has now cleared it.

“There is already an acute shortage of water and the unit will guzzle lakhs of litres of underground water, almost entirely depleting the water table over the next 10 to 15 years,” said a spokesperson of the Him Parivesh, an NGO spearheading movement against the thermal plant.

The Kheti Virasat Mission, a Punjab NGO, has joined hands with the Him Parivesh and added that it would make the masses aware about the implications of the plant on environment and general health. MLA Saini reportedly had had a tiff with Himachal Chief Minister on the issue.

Talking to The Tribune, he said the public hearing was awaited. “Our people do not want this plant as it will only add to their miseries,” Saini said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Water Resources Pawan Bansal has said, “Though water is a state subject, if an industrial establishment is going to tap ground water resources, it’s matter of serious concern.” The matter would be taken up with the state government, he said.

On the other hand, vice-president of Jaiprakash Associates Limited Brig KK Talwar claimed both cement plant and captive thermal plant unit would have state-of-the-art German technology that would minimize pollution levels to negligible. “Forty per cent of the total water consumed in both units will be recycled,” he said.

Bathinda, August 30
The railway station in the hub of Malwa, Bathinda junction, which has the distinction of being Asia’s biggest railway junction, is devoid of a fast-and-better connectivity among all major cities of Punjab, including state capital Chandigarh and even national Capital New Delhi.

There is no super-fast train connecting Bathinda to major cities like Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. Nor is there one on the Bathinda-Chandigarh line.

Only two super-fast trains pass through Bathinda. These are 2137/2138 Punjab Mail, which runs between Ferozepur and Mumbai CST via New Delhi and 2481/2482 Sriganganagar-Delhi Inter-city. Bathinda has also been given the responsibility of serving the area, which houses one of the biggest Army cantonments.

There is no train from New Delhi to Bathinda at night between 9.30 pm and 1 pm. “After 9.45 pm, one has to wait for about 16 hours for the next train to Bathinda. Similarly, there is no train from Bathinda to New Delhi or Delhi after 8.30 am. The next train to the national Capital is after 15 hours,” a senior railway official said.

People have been demanding the introduction of Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi Express between Bathinda and New Delhi. But there is no taker for their request in Baroda House.

Vice-president, Rail Passengers Association, Northern Zone, Hanuman Dass Goel said instead of introducing new trains and extra facilities, the Railways had actually withdrew amenities. “The 2481/2482 Inter-city Express, which had been running between Sriganganagar and New Delhi, now runs between Sriganganagar and Delhi,” Goel said, adding, “people of the area prefer to go to New Delhi as it is the station where they get trains for most of the places.”

The station for the Inter-city Express was shifted from New Delhi to Delhi in July last year when renovation work was going on at the New Delhi station. The work at the station has been completed, but status quo for the train movement has not been implemented.

The Railway authorities have also withdrawn one of the two air-conditioned coaches from the Inter-city Express citing economic unviability and lack of passengers as the reasons. “The reasons are unfounded,” Goel said, adding, “a long waiting list for AC chair-car most of the time in a year certainly suggests that there is a demand for AC coaches in the train”.

Demanding immediate implementation of status quo on the movement of the Inter-city Express, Goel said leaving the train at Delhi station and rushing to the New Delhi station carrying luggage had been a nasty experience for passengers for the past one year. “For senior citizens and kids, the whole exercise is like an ordeal,” Goel said. He also demanded the introduction of one more AC coach in the Inter-city Express.

Chandigarh, August 30
There is an urgent need for the Victorian police to have a multicultural wing by giving adequate representation to ethnic communities, says Tim Singh, a Sikh councillor in the Darebin City Council in Victoria, Australia. Of the 11,000-strong Victorian police by the end of 2006, there were only eight Indians in it.

Of these eight Indians, four were Sikhs. The number may have come down now as many in the police keep on seeking jobs elsewhere and get back to the areas of their interest, says Tim Singh.

“But, now when the number of Indians in general has gone up tremendously, I feel that the Victoria government should encourage members of the Indian community, especially the youngsters to join the police. Some of other migrant communities, including Lebanese, have strong representation in the police.

“If Punjabis can earn a name for themselves by working for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, British Police, Malaysian Police and other police departments worldwide, I see no reason why Punjabis who constitute nearly 60 per cent of the Indian community here, cannot do well.

I have raised the issue with the Victorian minister dealing with the police and hope to get a positive response soon,” Tim Singh told The Tribune here yesterday.

He says many members of his own family, including grandfather and grand uncles, have worked in the police outside India. They all had an excellent track record.

With the induction of more and more Indians, especially Punjabis, it would be much easier for the Victorian police to improve its community relations and community outreach programmes, he adds. “I have been to schools and universities here and did my higher education here as well.” Tim Singh says that Indian students in general and Punjabis in particular are most welcome to Australia. They have been providing additional business opportunities and contributing tremendously to the Australian economy.

“In my city of Darebin with a population of 1,35,000, there are about 2,000 Indians besides other migrants. Now, we have a couple of new businesses, including Indian grocery shops, music shops and some other businesses that have added to the economy of this small city. We have worked out certain programmes to help and assist new migrants, including Indian students, to settle down and adapt to Australian living conditions well.

Besides Tim Singh, other Indians who are councillors in different cities and counties with good Indian population in the Victoria province include Harvin Dhillon of Blackburn.

“We have been trying to help the Indian students and new migrants. It takes a while for them to settle down. Australians are warm, friendly and most hospitable people and as such the chances of any racial attacks or slurs are virtually non-existent here.

Crime is everywhere and some opportunistic attacks are not unusual at a time when the world is facing its worst ever recession,” adds another member of the Indian community. Tim Singh also wants new Indian students to get involved in the new society by offering to volunteer in local activities, especially in civic works.