The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Manpreet’s Abohar rally on Nov 12 May be a litmus test for Gurdas Badal who will share the dais with his son Raj Sadosh Abohar, November 8 It may be a litmus test for Gurdas Singh Badal, younger brother of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and former MP, as well as his political followers in the segment when former finance minster Manpreet Singh Badal will visit Abohar to address a meeting on November 12. Confirming the visit Surinder Saluja, district general secretary and SAD general council member, said today that Gurdas Singh Badal will also share the dais with his son. Interestingly, the venue (Sangam Place) located near the Bala Ji Dhaam on the college road was used by the Badals to launch the party campaign during the last Vidhan Sabha elections. Notably, Saluja was the first Hindu/non-Sikh worker to join and actively work for the SAD long back. Even when some other senior SAD workers from Balluana segment had openly criticized Manpreet Singh Badal and his father for betraying the party, the swing will be adjudged by the size of the meeting and the presence of SAD supporters. Seetogunno belt, a strong hold of the Bishnoi community, had been siding by and large with the Congress due to the social roots that former Haryana CM Bhajan Lal had here. His sons were also married in this segment. However, former Deputy PM Devi Lal and former CM Om Parkash Chautala, who too had relatives in this area, were instrumental in pursuing the Bishnois and Jats to support the SAD later. The population of Bishnois was estimated at 25,000 during the survey conducted by the Yuva Bishnoi Sabha last year. The community had got the maximum number of fire-arms licences in Ferozepur district and some of their big landlords had lost lives, as well as wealth, due to decades-old animosity. Even siblings fell prey to this. Regular counselling by senior political leaders was instrumental in downsizing the stigma during the past decade. Parkash Singh Badal had been announcing during the public meetings that he had assigned it to his younger brother Gurdas Singh Badal to nurture the Seetogunno belt that forms part of Balluana constituency. Gurdas Singh Badal had reportedly worked hard to strengthen the SAD by regularly attending social functions of Bishnoi families on behalf of his elder brother. After taking over as CM, Parkash Singh Badal had reportedly given strong indications not only to the district officials but to senior political activists also that Gurdas will have the final word on important decisions. Most of the loyalists are believed to have got plum positions only because they were close to the younger Badal who was considered think-tank of the SAD. However, Sukhbir Singh Badal, while inaugurating the first ISO certified Suvidha Center as Deputy CM here in August-end last year had said, "Hun CM sahib ne zila Ferozepur mere hawale kar ditta hai." This was interpreted as a clear message to the administration as well as political workers that Gurdas Singh Badal was no more in charge of this district. The faction that had been feeling uncomfortable with Gurdas Singh Badal had now come closer to the Deputy CM. They will leave no stone unturned to prevent the people from attending the November 12 meeting, sources said.
	R&V sqdn to be set up at Ghudda The squadron would train NCC cadets in skills like horse riding, horse upkeep etc Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, November 8 After the allocation of the Central University of Punjab and a University College, now the Government of India (GoI) is going to add another feather to the cap of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s ancestral village, Ghudda in Bathinda district, by setting up the Rs 2.93-crore Remount & Veterinary (R&V) squadron there. After the approval of the Ministry of Defence (GoI), the site plan of the squadron has been prepared. However, the PWD (B&R), the construction agency, is awaiting the CM to lay the foundation stone for the work. The project is being termed as the CM’s baby. Sources in the government informed that aiming at giving impetus to NCC training so that the energy of the youth could be channelised in a constructive manner thereby weaning them away from the menace of drugs, the CM convinced the Union ministry to allocate the project to the region. The project would be run by the Army but the basic infrastructure like land and building is to be provided by the state government. The state government has allocated a chunk of 7.93 acres of the acquired land for the purpose near the Central University of Punjab and assigned the construction of building to the PWD (B&R). The construction is to be completed within six months from the day of laying the foundation stone. As per the approved plan, initially, there would be four-six horses but there is a provision to set up a stable with capacity of 16 horses. A batch of about 200 students (NCC cadets) would be imparted training in skills like horse riding, horse upkeep, baby jumping, etc. A certificate would be issued after the completion of courses. Executive engineer of the PWD (B&R) Kulbir Singh Sandhu said there would be an establishment of administrative block, residential facility for the trainers and directors, as well as the medical assistance team. He informed that project was passed in September this year, after which the construction job was assigned to them by the Department of Higher Education, Punjab. At present, 49,000 NCC cadets from different educational institutions were being imparted training at camps organised in the state from time to time under the supervision of group headquarters at Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala.
	Two arrested for raping 2 minors in separate cases Tribune News Service Bathinda, November 8 The Bathinda police today arrested two persons for raping two minor girls, who belonged to Kuttiwal Kalan and Sehna villages. It is learnt that the five-year-old daughter of Balkaran Singh, a Dalit, was playing in the street on Sunday afternoon when their neighbour Lakhwinder Singh asked her to come inside his house and play with his daughter, who was also in same age-group. The accused was alone at home when he called the girl in. Immediately after she entered his house, he raped her. Listening to her cries, some villagers rushed to his house and found the accused in compromising position with the girl. However, he fled from the scene before the villagers could catch hold of him. Lodging a case under section 376 of the IPC against the accused, the Maur police nabbed him today. In another incident in village Sehna, the 15-year-old daughter of a truck driver was alone at her house on Sunday night when one Swaranjeet Singh of Rampura, also a truck driver, came and enquired about her father. Finding the girl alone, he raped her and fled from the spot. Acting upon the statement of the girl and the medical report, the Rampura police booked Swaranjeet Singh under section 376 of the IPC. Though sources in the police confirmed his arrest, the investigation officer denied the development.
	Dist admn, police differ on law & order situation Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, November 8 An obvious contradiction in the functioning of the district administration came to notice today. On the one hand, the civil administration is anticipating grave threat to law and order, and on the other, senior police officials refuted any such threat and claimed things were normal. The anomaly was noticed in the circular issued by the ADC (General), Upjeet Singh Brar, in which he stated that considering the current situation in the district, which poses a serious threat to the law and order situation, it was necessary to impose a complete ban on carrying of all weapons including the licensed ones. Moreover, he cancelled even the special permission orders, previously issued by his office, for carrying the weapons. Using his power under section 144 of the CrPC, he issued the order that will remain in effect till January 3, 2011. On the other hand, SSP Bathinda, Sukhchain Singh Gill expressed surprise over this. “There is no threat to the law and order situation. Everything is peaceful. I am surprised why the ADC stated any threat to the law and order,” the SSP said. Speaking further, Gill said, “I am not at all against the banning of brandishing of weapons in the district but the reason given for the issuance of orders is not justified.” Later, verifying the facts, it was observed that issuance of such banning orders under section 144 of the CrPc, which is otherwise a serious issue, was a regular practice in Bathinda for the civil administration. It is not only the ban on carrying of weapons. The civil administration has also imposed a ban on various activities like prohibiting the use of military and olive coloured dresses as well as the plying of jeeps and motorcycles of that very colour, on the roads till January 3, 2011. The ADC stated that the vehicles and dresses of military colour used by the civilians can disturb peace in society and to check this, the order was necessary. But due to lack of coordination between the civil and police administration, the practice has continued unabated in the city. Visiting the Mehna chowk market in the city, it was witnessed that a number of cloth merchants were selling military dresses to civilians as there was no one check the illegal act. Further, the ADC, in continuation of the previous order restraining the chit fund schemes and weekly and monthly money draw schemes, extended it till January 3, 2011. But here, too, the gap between the issuance and implementation was recently exposed when a number of people were duped at the hands of persons running the illegal trade of such money doubling schemes. Further, two more orders—ban on the digging of borewells and bursting of fireworks during weddings— have been issued. But in the absence of coordination between the two government functionaries, positive action is still awaited.
	CBSE may begin vocational courses from Class X Amaninder Pal Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 8 To give a fillip to the self- employment scheme and imparting entrepreneurial skills among students, the CBSE may introduce vocational courses from class X-XII from the coming session. This was stated by CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi, who was here today to attend a conference on Continuous Comprehensive Examination, the grading system introduced by the CBSE to do away with examination system. The workshop was organised by Cambridge International School for Girls and over 125 principals participated in the meet. The courses would not be introduced uniformly across the country but in coherence with the nature and demand of industry based in the particular region. “For example, vocational courses of hosiery would be introduced in the schools situated in Ludhiana and surrounding region. Similarly, courses related to foundries and manufacturing of hand tools and sports equipments would be introduced in schools of Batala and Jalandhar region, respectively,” Joshi added. He further stated that the board was even mulling over to introduce such courses from class IX onwards. “However, the debatable issue is whether replacement of all other subjects, except languages, with a package of vocational courses, would be favourable for overall personality development of under matriculation students”, he added. On the single girl child scheme introduced in 2006, Joshi said after litigation by managements of some schools, the scheme had been reframed and now its implementation depends only on the discretion of the school management concerned.
	Damage to statue of black buck condemned Abohar, November 8 The Akhil Bhartiya Jeev Raksha Bishnoi Sabha has strongly condemned the damage done to the statue of black buck here by some miscreants. Sub-divisional president Vishnu Dhattarwal informed at an emergency meeting of the Sabha here that he noticed during a morning walk near the Assumption Convent School here today that one of the horns of the statue of the black buck at the Jeev Raksha Chowk had been damaged and carried away by unidentified miscreants. National president Ramesh Kumar Bishnoi, while presiding over the meeting, recalled that the Jeev Raksha Chowk was inaugurated on the Seetogunno road by former union minister and environmentalist Maneka Gandhi who had also unveiled the statue of Sant Kumar Bishnoi, recipient of Indira Gandhi Environment Award and a founder member of the Sabha. The miscreants dared to damage the statue of black buck again even when the office of the DSP Balluana segment is also located near. State vice-president Viplesh Bhadoo and Lokesh Godara and others expressed resentment. Later, a deputation of the Sabha met the SHO of the city II police station and demanded a thorough probe into the incident. The SHO assured that investigation would be initiated soon. — OC