The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	district rice millers assn sets condition Won’t procure paddy till FCI accepts rice lying in mills Dharmendra Joshi Tribune News Service Kapurthala, September 29 Rice millers of this district have decided not to purchase the paddy during this season till the FCI accepts 42,000 tonnes of rice amounting to Rs 76 crore lying in the mills. J.P. Goel, the chairman of the District Rice Millers Association, flayed the new custom milling policy of the FCI as it was against the millers. The rice millers also held a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner two days ago and informed him of the difficulty being faced by them because of paucity of space in the godowns resulting in undue delay in the acceptance of custom milling rice by the FCI. According to new policy, the FCI demanded a bank guarantee of one per cent of the cost of the paddy stored in the mills for milling purposes and allowed three per cent each damage/discolour and broken rice up to 25 per cent. The rice millers demanded relaxation in the new policy as it was very difficult to prepare the rice with new specifications due to long rainy season and the poor quality of paddy. They asked for four per cent damage/discolour and 28 per cent broken as per the previous year specifications amended by the FCI and waiving of one per cent bank guarantee as the millers were already giving cash security of Rs 1.5 lakh per tonne. Millers said more than 42,000 tonnes of custom milling rice was lying in mills and the FCI was not accepting this rice due to paucity of space and technical staff.
	Ministerial staff on 3-day strike Tribune Reporters Tarn Taran, September 29 Work in government offices in the district remained paralysed on the first day of the three-day pen-down strike call given by the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union, here today. The education, revenue, health, roadways, public health, agriculture, waterworks, food and civil supplies, employment departments remained worst affected due to the state-wide strike. Sukhwinder Singh Sandhu and Devinder Singh, president and general secretary, respectively, said the union had been demanding removal of the anomalies in the pay commission report, release of arrears of the revised salaries, etc. Kapurthala: The ministerial staff working in government departments on Wednesday started a three-day pen-down strike in favour of their demands. They were demanding promotions and parity in pay scales with BEd teachers. The protesters also held a rally outside the DC’s office and raised slogans. The Suvidha Centre remained closed due to the strike, causing inconvenience for the general public. The protesters also submitted a memorandum to the DC in this regard.
	Ayodhya Issue Day of peace appeals; police on its toes Tribune Reporters Jalandhar, September 29 Keeping in view the Apex Court’s verdict on the Ayodhya issue, the Jalandhar police (city and rural) has beefed up security in the district. The police has made elaborate arrangements to tackle any untoward incident. All the entry and exit points to Jalandhar have been sealed. Additional police parties have been deployed at various strategic points. Senior police officers, including DCP AP Singh and ADC (general) also held meetings of the peace committee and chalked out plans for various preventive measures to be taken to meet any eventuality. ADCP (crime), Rajpal Singh Sandhu informed that heads of various religious organisations, leaders of every political party, pledged to maintain peace and harmony in view of the court’s verdict on the Ayodhya issue, awaited tomorrow. The ADCPO also informed that whatever the verdict, the peace committee would also hold a peace march in the city. The police will also hold a flag march in the city. Meanwhile, exercising his powers under sections 144 of the Cr PC, the DCP has banned the carrying of arms and ammunitions (including licensed ones) in the city. A ban has also been imposed on any kind of celebrations relating to the verdict of the Apex Court in this context. Hoshiarpur: To maintain peace, communal harmony and brotherhood following the proposed verdict of the Allahabad High Court in the 60-year-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title on September 30, the district administration convened a meeting of the representatives of political parties, social and religious organisations and prominent citizens here this evening. All participants assured the administration of their full cooperation for maintaining peace, communal harmony and brotherhood among all sections of the society. Deputy Commissioner Dharam Dutt Ternach and SSP Rakesh Aggarwal said 70 sensitive places had been identified in the district where extra police force had been deputed to avert any mishap. As many as 900 police constables had been deployed throughout the district to maintain law and order. The DSPs had been made in charge of their respective tehsils and the SP (H) had been made nodal in charge of the entire district. Mobile patrolling in the district had been intensified for which 10 mobile patrolling jeeps were moving in the district round the clock. Besides this, eight PCRs at Mukerian, four each at Dasuya and Garhshankar, 12 at Hoshiarpur were making rounds to watch the situation. Special nakas had also been arranged at all important crossings to check the movement of anti-social elements. They appealed to the people to cooperate with the district administration in maintaining communal harmony and peace. Nawanshahr: Activists of the District Youth Congress (DYC), led by Rajwinder Singh Lucky, DYC chief, organised a candle march and formed a human chain at nearby Kathgarh town in the district on Tuesday evening to request the masses to maintain peace and communal harmony after the announcement of court’s verdict on the Ayodhya issue. People from different communities participated in the candle march and pledged to educate the people to maintain peace and harmony. Avtar Singh Karimpuri, MP and Punjab BSP chief, and Narinder Kashayap, in charge of the state party unit, while addressing party office-bearers and workers at a district-level review meeting here today, exhorted them to maintain peace and harmony in the wake of the court’s decision on the Ayodhya issue.
	Crime File Balachaur man killed in Philippines Jalandhar: A 33-year-old Balachaur resident, who had settled in the Philippines about five years back, was reportedly kidnapped and murdered last Thursday. The Philippines police, during its investigation into the killing of Subhash Chander, found that Kamaljit Singh, a businessman there, had ordered his supari killing through Jatinder Kumar and Maninder Singh, both from villages in Nawanshahr, on a payment of 30,000 pesos. The police found the motorcycle of the victim dumped in a small creek. The police also intercepted and arrested the two youths who were speeding on a motorcycle while carrying his stained clothes and shoes to Kamaljit as proof of the murder. The body of the youth reached in his hometown today where it was cremated. — TNS Woman murdered Phillaur: Kulwant Kaur, a mother of three children, was reportedly murdered in mysterious circumstances at her residence in nearby Jaitowal Patti of Pasla village in Phillaur on Tuesday. Phillaur DSP Parampal Singh said all family members were away when unidentified persons entered her house and strangled her to death. The DSP said the police had registered a case under section 302 of the IPC and handed over the body to her family members after the post-mortem examination in the local Civil Hospital. While her children --- two daughters Simarjit Kaur and Manpreet Kaur and son Navandeep Singh --- were away to Sultanpur Lodhi, her husband Harjinder Singh was at his job place. The DSP smelt foul play in the murder and said the police was investigating and working on various theories. — OC Girl abducted Tarn Taran: Migrant labourer Jatinder Kumar of Bihar, in connivance with four others, including a husband and his wife, abducted a teenaged girl of Sangharkot village, 25 km from here, falling under Verowal police station. According to information, besides Jatinder Kumar, Dilbag Singh and his wife Ranjit Kaur, Rani and Kiran of Bihar have been identified as the other accused. A case under sections 363, 366-A and 120-B of the IPC has been registered against the accused. The father of the victim, in his statement to the police, alleged that his daughter was abducted by the accused when she had gone to the fields for work. He alleged that the accused lured his daughter to marry Jatinder Kumar and abducted her. Though the incident took place a week back, the police registered the case last night. — OC Chain snatched Hoshiarpur: Two motorcycle-borne youths snatched a gold chain from Jyoti of Kandhala Sheikhan, near the forest office here last evening. Jyoti, who had come to her parents’ house here, was going after taking medicine from a private nursing home. Near the local forest office at about 7 pm, two clean shaven youths brandishing sharp-edged weapon snatched the chain from her neck and fled on their motorcycle. — OC
	Four farmers injured as bus overturns Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, September 29 Four farmers received serious injuries when a Gill mini bus (PAB-7060), in which they were travelling, overturned near Kadgill village, 5 km from here. According to information, Lakhwinder Singh of Jhugian Natha Singh, Jagtar Singh of Toot and Bohar Singh of Rasulpur received head injuries, while Bhudha Singh’s left leg was fractured. The farmers, under the banner of the Zamhoori Kisan Sabha, were going to Jalandhar to stage dharna in front of the Commissioner’s office in support of their demands. The driver of the bus failed to control the bus due to potholes in the road.
	Six more dengue cases reported Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 29 The tally of dengue patients across the state has risen to 299. Six more patients of dengue, who are undergoing treatment in the various private hospitals outside Jalandhar district, were found positive for the disease today, revealed a senior official of the Health Department. With these cases, the tally of cases in Jalandhar has risen to 166. On the other hand, Dr Chander Mohan, Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, said that influx of the suspected dengue patients came down a bit today. However, the improvement in the situation was marginal and it could not be said that the situation would soon be better, he said. He said the first consignment of 25 beds had been installed in hospitals and remaining beds would be installed tomorrow. He said over 225 patients affected with fever were still admitted in the hospital. Meanwhile, owing to the relatively heavy influx of patients and their attendants, some local charitable organisations arranged langar of juice and bread for them on the hospital premises.