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Two-day police remand for Janjua
Kalia ‘upset’ over arrest |
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Purchase Tax on Foodgrains
Deserted NRI brides advocate female foeticide
MCs told to submit fire safety report of
schools
Gur prices touch all-time high
BJP steals the show in Nangal MC poll
SGPC elections
CBI to probe Tarn Taran double murder
High Court breather for Amarinder
Cabinet nod to new police dist
Cold chain plan to ensure fruit quality
’84 Riots
Braveheart defies age!
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Two-day police remand for Janjua
Mohali, November 10 The officials claimed to have recovered a diary containing vital details connected to the case. Public prosecutor Vijay Singla, while seeking the remand, said to decode the writings in the diary, questioning of the civil servant was required. The vigilance officials further claimed that they had recovered foreign currency, three sale deeds and a fixed deposit of Rs 15 lakh from Janjua. The role of the bureaucrat disbursing subsidies to the industries and allotting plots to his favourites was also being probed. While coming out of the court, Janjua alleged that the complainant had settled an old score with him. His wife Prabhjot Janjua also claimed that her husband has been framed. “We would fight the case court and unravel the truth,” she said. Meanwhile, Janjua’s supporters, including industrialists from the Mohali Industries Association, were present in there. They raised slogan against the government.
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Kalia ‘upset’ over arrest
Chandigarh, November 10 Kalia, who is slated to meet Badal, will convey his “displeasure” at being kept out of the loop when action was being planned against his department’s director. “I should have been informed if anything had come up against Janjua,” he said, adding, “Such interaction is part of the protocol as well as coalition dharma.” Though Kalia refused to comment on whether the BJP perceived the action against Janjua as one taken to intimidate the saffron party, his supporters said their leader had paid for being vocal and taking on the Akalis on successive issues. Kalia loyalists said the minister had actively differed with the SAD on the handling of the Sacha Sauda issue as well as protested against the “violence” perpetrated against BJP leaders during the municipal as well as the panchayat elections. Lately, Kalia had sown the seeds of the latest crisis between the coalition partners by holding a meeting of the party’s legislature party when the SAD was meeting in Shimla. The BJP legislature group subsequently demanded that the hike in power be subsidised and now the issue will be taken up by a two-member panel of Kalia and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Kalia said he did not want to comment on them, but went on to say that the corruption drive should be extended to other departments also. He said he would raise this demand with the CM also. He refused to comment on whether he was also being targeted through the Vigilance Department. Meanwhile, sources disclosed that the complainant in the case against the IAS officer -T R Mishra, who is Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ludhiana, had also contested the last parliamentary elections from Ludhiana against Munish Tewari.The businessman, who had polled around 8,500 votes, played spoiler for the Congress by attracting the Bihari vote bank in the city. The minister is likely to take up the issue at the party forum also even though other BJP ministers did not come to his rescue today. BJP ministers kept mum on Kalia’s statement on extending the corruption drive to other departments also - reading those held by the Akalis, during the Cabinet meeting.
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Purchase Tax on Foodgrains Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, November 10 The Empowered Committee met at New Delhi today to release the first draft of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which would become operational from April 1 next year across the country. Senior officials of the Union Finance Ministry led by the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee were also present at the meeting held in Delhi. Punjab earns a revenue of Rs 1,100 crore and Haryana of Rs 600 crore from the purchase tax which is charged on foodgrains such as wheat and rice, which are procured for the central pool. However, with the enforcement of THE GST next year, the entire tax structure in the country would change and uniformity would be restored in tax structure in the country. Punjab and Haryana, which had been earning Rs 1,700 crore from the purchase tax, have the apprehension that they may lose substantial revenue from this tax with the applicability of the GST in the country. Punjab and Haryana have, therefore, taken a collective stand on this issue, asking the empowered committee to ensure that the interest of both states would be protected in this regard. Both states have argued that they should be adequately compensated in case they suffered any loss on count of the GST following the enforcement of the GST. Asked in this regard, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who attended the meeting in Delhi today, said as of now, no decision had been taken with regard to the purchase tax. He said it had been kept pending. “We are all for protecting the revenue earned by both the states from purchase tax,” said Manpreet Singh. He said in case purchase tax was protected, there would be benefit to Punjab when the GST was enforced. “Punjab’s tax revenue would be go up because it would get share from the services tax, which is collected by the Union Government and from which no share is given to states at present. The Union Government earns a revenue of about Rs 60,000 crore from the services tax,” said Manpreet Singh. Punjab would get share from the services tax on the basis of its contribution to this tax. Officials sources said with the applicability of the GST, tax reliefs given by various populist state governments, keeping in view the vote bank factor, would have to be abolished.
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Deserted NRI brides advocate female foeticide
Jalandhar, November 10 Apprehending a bleak future for their daughters as the government and the judiciary had “failed” in their cases, the harassed girls and their parents do not want to see their daughters and granddaughters to go through the same ordeal. Narrating their tales of woes to The Tribune, over two dozen girls from across the state accompanied by Lok Bhalai Party chief Balwant Singh Ramuwalia advocated female foeticide. They lamented that the state machinery, including the police, administration, politicians and courts, have turned mute towards their agony. Holding back tears Rajwinder Kaur of Kapurthala and Sukhwinder Kaur of Jalandhar alleged they were deserted by their NRI husbands, Gurpreet Singh (in Australia) and Sukhdep Singh (in Canada), respectively, for money. After marriage the duo flew to their respective countries and demanded money from the girls. They even solominised second marriages without seeking divorce. Majority of the girls alleged harassment by their in-laws too. Many of them have been forced to live with their parents. After spending huge amounts on the weddings, they are now fighting a long legal battles to get back their dignity. The worst affected are the children who have been deprived of their rights. Meanwhile, Ramoowalia said he had prepared a special form for foreign marriages and appealed to the government to make it mandatory so that the “cheaters” could be bridled. the LBP chief claimed that he would approach Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal on the issue and also present him with a copy of the form to help curb the menace and provide justice to the deserted wives.
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MCs told to submit fire safety report of
schools
Ludhiana, November 10 According to the directions, the fire department of the civic bodies has been asked to inspect schools in their cities on five-point agenda, prepare a report and submit it directly to Punjab Education Director and a copy to the LB department. The points on basis of which schools are going to be inspected for fire fighting includes - firstly, whether before granting affiliation to the schools the state governments or union territories have ensured that the buildings were constructed according to the safety norms incorporated in the National Building Code (NBC) of India. Secondly, all existing primary and private schools shall install fire extinguishers within a span of six months. Thirdly, whether the school buildings are kept free from inflammable and toxic material. If the storage is inevitable, they should be stored safely. Fourthly, we direct that the concerned engineers and officials must strictly follow the NBC guidelines and safety certification be issued only after proper inspection. Dereliction in duty must attract immediate disciplinary action against the concerned officials. Lastly, whether training has been imparted to the staff and other officials of the school to use the fire extinguishers. Interestingly, government schools are likely to fall short of the basic requirements of the the five-point test agenda as they are running at the mercy of political leaders. Senior officials from the fire department of these corporations said, “While the government schools don’t have infrastructure for students, how can you expect a fire extinguisher. Similarly, every city in Punjab has private schools in congested areas and it would be a major lacuna of the state that would be highlighted after the submission of the report.”
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Gur prices touch all-time high
Chandigarh, November 10 While sugar mills are paying Rs 230 a quintal for the recovery of 9.5 per cent of sugar, private buyers, including those running indigenous gur-making stills - kulharri, shell out a little more - Rs 250 to Rs 260 a quintal - to the farmers in their immediate periphery. S Khan, who owns a gur-making still at his native Jharherri village, near Landran, says that in his 40 years in gur manufacturing, he has never seen a 100 per cent jump in prices over last year’s prices. “We ran our still till March this year and were paying Rs 160 to Rs 180 a quintal for sugarcane we bought. We were selling gur for Rs 25 to Rs 30 a kg. In fact at the start of the season in 2008, we were buying sugarcane for Rs 130 to Rs 140 a quintal. The trends are almost the same and we expect by the time we close our this seasons’ operations in March-April next year, we would be buying sugarcane at Rs 270 to Rs 280 a quintal and selling our gur for Rs 75 a kg,” added Khan. Bahadur of Dhuri, who has been running a similar gur making still in the same village for the past 13 years, corroborates S. Khan’s views holding that since he started early, he got his first supplies of sugarcane for Rs 240-250 a quintal. “But now the rate is Rs 260 a quintal. “An average gur-making still, employing five people, can crush up to 25 quintals of sugarcane a day,” says Bahadur, holding that by selling “gur and shakar - gur powder - for Rs 50 to Rs 60 a kg, we can sustain our operations well till March-April next year. Prices of sugar, he asserts, are bound to touch Rs 60 a kg by the turn of the year, as there is not much of sugarcane available in the region. There are hundreds of such indigenous gur-making stills in parts of Malwa, Doaba and Majha. Muslim artisans run some of these units from Saharanpur, who enter into unwritten agreements with sugarcane growers for the purchase of their entire produce. The most popular product of these gur-making stills has been the “masala gur” that contains some of the popular spices and dry fruit. While the bigger stills also supply gur to nearby markets, others sell their products at the still only. The minimum support price for sugarcane fixed by the Union Government is a pathetic Rs 107.76 a quintal with a return of 9.5 per cent sugar content. For every additional 0.1 per cent of sugar content, farmer is entitled to additional payment of Rs 1.13. In 2008, the MSP for sugarcane was Rs 81.18. The state governments, however, fix their own MSP. In Punjab it has been Rs 180 a quintal and farmers producing 100 quintals or more are entitled to an additional payment of Rs 15 a kg. |
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BJP steals the show in Nangal MC poll
Nangal, November 10 ADC Manishvi Kumar said about 80 per cent polling was reported. Baljit Kaur from the Nangal Vikas Parishad won from ward No 1. The winning Congress candidates include Harpal Bhasin from ward No 2, Surinder Pamma from ward No 3, Abju Bala from ward No 10, Indu Bala from ward No 11, Paramjit Singh Pamma from ward No 12, Sonia Saini from ward No 13, Shashi Sandal from ward No 14 and Anita Sharma from ward No 19. Winning BJP candidates are Chanchal Sharma from ward No 4, Sukhdev Parmar from ward No 5, Shobha Rana from ward No 7, Rakesh Sharma from ward No 8, Rajinder Hans from ward No 15, Ashok Puri from ward no 17 and Dr Rajinder Kumar from ward No 18. BJP-supported Independent candidates are Ranjit Singh from ward No 6, Rajesh Chaudhary from ward No 9 and Saroj Bala from ward No 16. Polling remained peaceful. While there is thin margin of victory, the decision of winning candidate from the Nangal Vikas Parishad may remain a deciding factor. BJP leaders like Tikshan Sud and Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu had campaigned for their party candidates. The honour of sitting Nangal Congress MLA Rana KP Singh and BJP leader chairman district planning board Madan Mohan Mittal was at stake during the elections. They had been camping in the area for the past many days.
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SGPC elections
Jalalabad, November 10 While talking to the mediapersons after laying the foundation stones of various development projects in Jalalabad today, Sukhbir said more than 60 per cent population consisted of youths and, thus, it was imperative for the SAD to give due representation to the dedicated youngsters during the forthcoming SGPC elections. He said final decision regarding allotment of tickets would be taken by the working committee of the party. The Deputy Chief Minister also stated that the SAD-BJP government had put the state on the roadmap to development as construction work was on fast track and over 800 km of national and state highways were being widened at a combined cost of Rs 5,000 crore.
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CBI to probe Tarn Taran double murder
Chandigarh, November 10 Nearly eight years after Tarn Taran resident Sukhdeep Singh and his brother-in-law head constable Rashpal Singh were murdered, Justice Augustine George Masih has directed a CBI officer not below the DSP’s
rank would carry out the investigations. The directions follow a petition by Sukhdeep Singh’s father, Som Singh. Taking up his complaint, the police had registered FIR number 12 for murder and another offence under Section 302 and 201 of the IPC at Chabbal police station on January 28, 2002. An untraced report submitted by the police following its inability to find out the murderers was subsequently accepted by Tarn Taran judicial magistrate (first class) on July 23, 2005. Justice Masih took note of the fact that the order accepting the report was passed without issuing notice to the petitioner complainant. Notices were, rather, issued to an accused in the case Rajbir Singh on several occasions. Coming down heavily on the Punjab police for its inability to take the matter to its logical conclusion, Justice Masih asserted: “I am sad as the investigation conducted by the police in the present case is much below the required care and caution expected of an investigating agency. The efforts made by the police are not up to the mark and the matter requires a thorough and a deep investigation by a specialised agency.” Justice Masih added keeping in view the totality of facts and circumstances of the case, the court “is satisfied that the matter requires deep and thorough investigation by the CBI”. The state had earlier contended all efforts had been made by the police to find out the truth, but was unable to collect any evidence pointing an accusing finger towards any person. Before parting with the orders, Justice Masih asserted: “The complete record be handed over by the state of Punjab to the CBI, Chandigarh, within three weeks from the receipt of the order’s copy”.
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High Court breather for Amarinder
Chandigarh, November 10 Amarinder Singh had moved the high court seeking directions for the grant of blanket bail to him in view of what he termed as politics of vendetta unleashed against him by the Akali-BJP government since it came to power. “The SAD-BJP alliance led by Parkash Singh Badal does not seem to have any agenda except to unleash revenge against its political opponents,” the former CM had asserted. He added that the manner and method adopted by the Punjab police in arresting its former chief SS Virk, while ignoring all norms and rules of law, showed the working of a vindictive mind which could go to any extent to take revenge. Describing it as “shameless abuse of power” and “mockery of provisions of law”, he said the state machinery was being misused for involving opponents in false cases.
Pinky’s bail plea dismissed
CAT commando Gurmeet Singh Pinky’s attempts to secure bail in a murder case have failed to find favour with the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A Division Bench of Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Justice RC Gupta have dismissed in default a petition for bail filed by him in person. The plea was dismissed after no one appeared for Pinky even after repeated calls. Pinki was sentenced to life term in October 2006, for shooting Avtar Singh, a youth from Ludhiana, on January 7, 2001. He has already been held at fault for “hoodwinking” the court to “remain out of jail for a long time”.
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Cabinet nod to new police dist
Chandigarh, November 10 Giving details of the meeting, CM’s Media Adviser Harcharan Bains said the council had also approved amendment in the policy pertaining to disposal of rural evacuee land by transfer on the basis of continuous cultivation and possession to its currently unauthorised occupants. As per the amended conditions, continuous undisputed cultivating possession of eligible applicants should be established in the revenue record from kharif crop 2004 for the transfer of land. It also approved the proposal to amend Section 153-A and Section 295-A of the IPC to make the law more stringent to ensure punishment to those who flare up communal tension and exploit religious sentiments. The council also reviewed the ongoing procurement operations of paddy and expressed satisfaction over smooth and hassle-free lifting of procurement so far and hoped it would cross the target of 140 lakh MT. The draft of the revised rates of court fee was also cleared and it was decided to carryout the revision of these rates through an ordinance to be prepared by department of Legal and Legislative Affairs. It also approved the acquisition of land for the construction of a subdivisional complex at Shahkot in Jalandhar district.
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Cold chain plan to ensure fruit quality
Chandigarh, November 10 Taking part in deliberations after a detailed presentation made by the Director of Adani Group, Pranav Adani here, Badal said Punjab was the biggest kinnow producing state in the country and had a tremendous export potential in the world market. He hoped that with the setting up of the cold chain, prospects for the export of kinnow would increase manifold.The CM also asked the group to visit kinnow juicing plants at Abohar and Hoshiarpur to study ways and means for their modernisation and expansion to ensure quality production of juices in the internationally market. He also appreciated the concept of silos for the storage of foodgrains and asked the group to work out modalities for the setting up of silos in the state.
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Sikh leaders to meet UN official today
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 10 A seven-member delegation of leaders of Panthic organisations, led by Justice Ajit Singh Bains, will meet the Director, United Nations Information Centre, in New Delhi tomorrow.
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A local court today sent Vijay Kumar Janjua, Director-cum- Secretary in the Department of Industries and Commerce, to a two-day police remand.
Growing age does not deter Colonel (retd) Bikramjit Singh Gill to undertake para-jumping from a high flying
aircraft. The 64 years old Gill did the latest para-jump on October 29 at Malpura dropping zone near Agra on the occasion of reunion of a parachute brigade. He retired from active parachuting in
1987. Residents of the town have appreciated his courage. "This not only exhibited the courage of the veteran officer but also displayed the indomitable para spirit," said a senior army officer. Lt. Colonel Ashish Maini, officer commanding of a para unit, said, "It would not be out of context to mention that only a very rare breed of veterans have such courage and love towards adventure, which is a matter of great motivation to the younger generation".
— TNS
