Sriganganagar/Abohar, July 11
Vehicular traffic had to be suspended on the Tibbi-Sangaria road as Haryana released more water in Ghaggar, a seasonal river that rises from the Shivalik range of north-western Himachal Pradesh and flows through Pinjore in Haryana to meet river Saraswati. After passing through Ambala and Hisar districts of Haryana it disappears into the Thar desert in Rajasthan. The seasonal flow of the river is maintained by the monsoon rain.

A resident Prabhu Ram confirmed that water had hit the Ghaggar diversion channel (GDC) resulting in suspension of traffic on the Tibbi-Sangaria road. Construction of Rs 9 crore budgeted road overbridge has also been stopped. Another resident Nadeem said a dozen villages and farm houses (dhaanis) had lost contact with the rest of the world. However, paddy growers looked buoyant over additional water available for irrigation but feared it could be fatal also if the present discharge of water goes up from 6,000 cusecs level. The bus operators will have to burn more fuel to cover 12 km length on the alternate road that links Tibbi with Sangaria.

SDM Ashok Sharma said the control room has been activated and rescue teams put on alert.

Abohar, July 11
A serious confrontation between the cotton merchants, including ginning and pressing factories owners and the Punjab government has become imminent over the issue of payment of cess under the garb of Punjab Infrastructure Development Fund by the former to latter.

While the Excise and Taxation Department, Punjab, authorities have started issuing notices to the ginning and pressing factories owners to deposit the cess for the period of three years from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2008, the owners have decided not to deposit the same.

“We will prefer going to jails instead of depositing the cess for the period of three years,” claimed Bhagwan Bansal, president, Punjab Cotton Factories and Ginners Association, adding that a meeting of the association would be held on July 16 to decide other actions on its part.

He said that association might decide to go on strike from September 2010 when the cotton season would start. Thousands of people, who had been earning their livelihood from about 310 cotton ginning and pressing mills in Punjab, would be in trouble if mills were closed in the coming season and Punjab government would be responsible for that situation.

Information gathered by TNS revealed that the cotton factories owners were agitated over the fact that excise and taxation department authorities had issued them notices to deposit the cess pertaining to period of three years from April 2005 to March 2008 despite the fact that same was waived by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in their meeting held with him at Bathinda.

The owners alleged that such notices to them had been issued to them under deep rooted conspiracy hatched by vested interests to bring the cotton business in Punjab to complete halt. They said that how cotton merchants would survive when chief minister was not honouring his promises.

Sunil Jakhar, MLA, Abohar, who has come to support the cotton merchants, said that instead of reducing the percentage taxes and various kinds of cesses, being levied on the cotton crop, Badal's government was giving severe shocks to cotton industry to finish it forever.

He said that even a committee headed by financial commission (development), Punjab and set up by Badal himself had recommended the reduction of taxes being charged from the cotton merchants but nothing had been done in this regard so far.

Moga, July 11
Reacting to the orders of a Delhi Court regarding framing of charges against senior Congress leader and former MP Sajjan Kumar for murder and conspiracy during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, a US-based human rights group, Sikhs For Justice, has stated that the court's action proves that Congress as a political party was involved in organizing and orchestrating the riots in which hundreds of innocent Sikhs were massacred at that time.

The Sikhs for Justice and local organization All India Sikhs Federation (AISSF) are jointly working with the riot victims for seeking prosecution of those who were involved in the killing of Sikhs.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun legal advisor of Sikhs For Justice while talking to The Tribune from New York said, "The formal charge-sheet against Sajjan Kumar is merely a small step towards justice because thousands were killed. There were many more leaders of Congress like Kamal Nath, Jadish Tytler, Arun Nehru, Bhajan Lal, RK Dhawan and others also involved in the killings against whom several witnesses are willing to testify in the court if they are charged like Sajjan Kumar in the courts".

Adding that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's recent statement of labelling the supporters of 1984 riots to get justice as 'separatists' was unfortunate as it was made by a Sikh leader, he alleged that both the PM and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were shielding other perpetrators of the riots and hampering the victim's efforts to get justice.

While claiming that Congress leadership was clearly involved in the riots, he demanded that a judicial commission should be constituted to investigate the role of the ruling party in the riots just like a commission that investigated the role of the BJP in the 1992 demolition of Babri Masjid and massacre of Muslims.

Pannun said his organization would lobby with US, Canada and European Union governments to declare the Congress an organization involved in gross human rights violations due to its involvement in the killing of innocent members of religious minority in the 1984 incidents.

Meanwhile, Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, president of the AISSF, also claimed that many witnesses presently living in India and abroad might testify in the courts about the role of other Congress leaders in the crime. 

Rameshwar alias Badri Nath Kheechad, a farmer in village Ramsara near Abohar town, had no regrets for not having been blessed with a male child by the Almighty. He groomed all the six daughters like sons by providing them education, exploring all available means and was equally concerned over inculcating in them traditional values that keep the flag of Indian culture flying high.

Now, before breathing his last at the age of 66 in the second week of July, he expressed the wish that his daughters should lend shoulders to his body while taking out the funeral procession and perform all the rites as is otherwise expected by society from the male child.

The daughters identified as Saroj, Santosh, Suman, Sunita, Alka and Ansuiya respected the last wish of their father. They led the funeral procession, performed religious rituals before lighting the pyre in the presence of scores of relatives and well- wishers of the bereaved family. This has perhaps happened for the first time in the region, elders said. Notably, women are normally debarred from marching to the cremation ground in the Abohar region on such occasions. — Raj Sadosh

Fazilka, July 11
The youngsters, who have been taking admission in Bachelor of Arts (BA-Part I) these days in the local MR Government College are very excited while stepping in the new and comparatively open atmosphere in the college as compared to the schools, from where they have just completed their 10+2 studies.

Hundreds of youngsters have thronged the college for taking admission. Long queues of the girls and boys can be witnessed in front of the admission windows. More than 500 students have taken admission in BA Part-I so far.

Besides, admission in BA Part-II and III, B.Sc. (non-medical) and for courses like Bachelor of Computer Education and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application (PGDCA) has also started. The Panjab University has not introduced any new courses in this government college this year.

A section of students whom this correspondent spoke to during visit to college premises, pointed out some problems during the admission process.

Vipin Kumar of village Panjeke Uttar of Guruharsahai block near Ferozepur alleged that the college authorities have rejected some admission forms of those students who wanted to take admission in BA Part-I due to a gap of more over two years after passing the 10+2 examination. The students questioned the validity of the decision and lamented that in the event of denial, the students shall be forced to seek admission in private colleges, the management of which could exploit the students. They shall have to shell out hefty fee.

Darshan Singh of village Achariki of Jalalabad said it was his third visit for completing the necessary formalities related to documents for taking admission. He was perturbed as the authorities have not mentioned the list of essential documents to be attached with the admission form.

The other students, Lakhmir Singh of village Chack Pakhi, Karnail Singh of village Jhotianwali, Ishant Wadhwa and Sachin Khurana of Fazilka town, rued that the college is charging an additional amount of Rs 800 for making temporary arrangement for lecturers which is called guest faculty in educational parlance. They have demanded immediately abrogation of the decision to charge Rs 800 per student to be deposited in PTA funds. The PTA funds are collected to meet the requirements of making temporary arrangements for a large number of vacancies of lecturers.

According to official sources, there are only seven lecturers against 31 sanctioned posts. The post of principal has been lying vacant for the last five years. The lecturers are being appointed every year on a temporary basis with PTA funds. Last year, there were a total of 1922 students but according to these sources, the number is expected to cross the 2000 mark this year. "For this reason, the college authorities have to charge an additional amount of Rs 800 per student to appoint lecturers as guest faculty," maintained principal Kulbir Singh.

Established in 1940 by a local philanthropist Munshi Ram Aggarwal Lakhpati, the local MR Government College is one of the largest and oldest government educational institutions in district Ferozepur.

Due to less cost of education in this college, even the students from Ferozepur area seek admission here as the admission fee in BA Part-I is Rs 2,659 per student. Contrary to this, in private colleges, admission fee goes upto Rs 20,000 per student. Due to this reason, the college is always flooded with a large number of students desirous of taking admission even though it does not have much facility in imparting education and has witnessed problems of discipline and eve teasing, lack of drinking water and sports facilities etc.

Bathinda, July 11
“The Operation Green Hunt is nothing but committing atrocities upon the poor tribals of Chhattisgarh with the motive of dislocating them from their land for the sake of exploiting the minerals lying beneath,” said Himanshu Kumar, an activist of the Vanvasi Chetna Ashram (Dantewada) in Chhattisgarh, known for making efforts for the welfare of tribals, there.

As part of his tour to cover various states of north India, Himanshu Kumar was here today to share his views with social thinkers and urge the latter to convince the union government that it should stop shedding the blood of “poor and innocent” tribals of Chhattisgarh by branding them as Maoists.

His speech was organized by the Operation Green Hunt Virodhi Jamhoori Front, Punjab at the local Teachers’ Home, where some literature related to the campaign was also distributed among those present.

The meeting had the district administration on its toes as the Teachers’ Home, where the event was held, was marked by heavy police presence. A number of intelligence officials were deputed inside and outside the venue to keep a vigil on those attending the conference.

Apprising people of his first-hand experience about the atrocities being committed on the tribes in Chhattisgarh, Himanshu Kumar said, “Adivasis (tribals) were so innocent that they even feared people who appeared to be well dressed and enjoyed their lives along with their community. But knowing that the land, where they were residing, contained lots of expensive minerals, the government launched a bloody operation to evict them to clear the way for mining.”

“All tribals, who objected to dislocation, have been labelled as Maoists and the armed forces like CRPF have been directed to commit atrocities on them. As many as 644 villages have been devastated to displace the 
villagers for mining the minerals,” Himanshu alleged.

Showing some photographs of brutally killed girls and women, Himanshu Kumar said, “Under the garb of this extra-constitutional operation (Green Hunt), the CRPF jawans and police personnel are raping girls and killing them. They are not even sparing children, who know nothing about the operation.”

“Despite handing over a CD of some atrocities and its victimized people to the union home minister P. Chidambaram, nothing has changed just because they all are hand in glove. I confess that even after fighting a number of such cases of tribals in the courts for a long time, I could not facilitate justice for even a single person,” lamented Himanshu.

Speaking further he said, “I admit that Adivasis too deal violently with the armed forces but it is done only because our politicians taught them the power of the guns. If they had brought the constitution to the adivasis and taught them to respect the law, in a lawful manner, they could have respected them both. But they weren’t taught that.”

On the massacre of 76 CRPF jawans in Dantewada, he said, “It is our ill-fate that both the jawans of armed forces and the members of tribal communities, who are killing each other, belong to poor families. This means, poor is killing poor and capitalists have been deriving monetary benefits out of this bloody war.”

Referring to a statement of the union home minister P.Chidambaram, Himanshu said, “During his speech in London, he invited foreign companies to India in business here saying the East India Company had come but had to go back. This time when they come, they can stay on for ever. This speech was a clear attack on our freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives to make the East India Company leave the country.”

He said the tribals found all the avenues of justice closed for them, be it the state machinery or even the courts. This act of violence was an act of desperation on their part indicating the urgent need to redress their grievances taking into account their social, economic and environmental concerns. He lamented that the government, instead of doing this, was taking recourse to violent suppression of its own people. The Salwa Judum in Madhya Pradesh encouraged by the government had resulted in terrorizing of the tribals, pointed out.

National general secretary of the CITU Tapan Sen (centre) accompanied by national secretary Dr Hem Lata and state secretary Raghunath Singh adresses media persons in Bathinda on Sunday. Photo by writer

Bathinda, July 11
National general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU), Tapan Sen, today announced that all central trade unions supported by a number of other employee unions and federations would bring the country to a halt for a day in September.

Refraining from announcing the exact date, Sen, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, claimed that it would be announced after the national convention of CITU, which was scheduled for July 15. However, he maintained that more than 10 crore workers/employees would take part in the strike to make the government come out of its slumber.

Tapan Sen, accompanied by national secretary (CITU) Dr Hem Lata and state secretary Raghunath Singh was here to participate in the two-day state level CITU convention, commencing from today. The convention was reportedly organized to mobilize people for lending support in making the strike a success.

Speaking to media, he took a dig at the union government, saying, “The union government is a capitalists’ government, so it remains least bothered about the common man. Unfortunately, it found a magic word ‘recession’ under the garb of which, all capitalists were provided with an opportunity to slash the salaries/wages of poor staff, who toiled for them.”

“However, the face of the government was exposed, when some major companies showed a dividend profit of 30 to 40 per cent for the period when the government was creating a hue and cry over recession all over,” said Sen.

Condemning the skyrocketing prices of some basic commodities like crude oil, sugar, fertilizers, aoyabean etc, he said, “It is also a monetary game as these commodities have been linked with the international market and we have to pay much more even for our home produced goods.”

“Wherever speculation exists, price rise is but obvious. So, it is high time people united and raised their voice for the cause,” he added.

Replying to a query about his stand over the prevalence of Maoism in the country, he said, “We are very clear that Maoism is the joint handiwork of capitalists and the government to misguide people.”

“We condemn the Naxals and Maoists as extremists, they can never be people friendly,” Sen added.

Bathinda, July 11
Bathinda MLA Harminder Singh Jassi, in a press release issued here today, claimed that ever since the SAD-BJP alliance came to power, Bathinda residents had been witnessing 
neglect by the state government.

“Drinking water, sewerage, drainage system and street lights are crying for attention. But after being defeated in Bathinda during the last Assembly polls, the Badal government decided to ignore this city. Later, when during the Lok Sabha polls, SAD (B) candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal failed to get lead from the city, the SAD-led government imposed a complete ban over the development of the city,” alleged Jassi.

However, he claimed that once the Congress comes to power in the state, he would bridge the gap in development.

Bathinda, July 11
Authorities of the Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (AIMSR) held a meeting of central anti-ragging committee in the institute here recently. Lt Col Dr GPI Singh, Dean, colleges, and director principal of the AIMSR, and Harmel Singh, BDPO Nathana, Dr Harkiran Kaur, chairperson of the anti-ragging committee were prominent among those who attended the meeting and spoke about arrangements being made to check the menace.