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Power project becomes bone of contention
Mansa, August 1 The construction of the 1350-MW thermal power plant in the private sector here has become a bone of contention between the Punjab Government and farmers of five villages where 880 acres of fertile land has been acquired for the purpose. Triangular contest likely
High Court ends controversy on validity of interim bail orders
Disbursement of incentives to candidates to begin soon
PCC approaches Centre on SAD monopoly over cable networks
Amritsar-Chandigarh Duronto Express train a non-starter
Special police stations to check fake currency soon
Printing gaffe leaves PSEB poorer by Rs 78 lakh
Punjab should emulate Haryana model of power banking
HONOUR KILLING IN FEROZEPUR
Panel wants no medical reps during OPD hrs
Recruitment of coaches hits roadblock
PIL: VB investigation of PPSC scam not fair
Ahluwalia saw turbulent times as Punjabi University VC
Khaira objects to govt ad
HC orders stay on Dhanda’s oath-taking
Govt contractor booked on forgery charges
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thermal
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Gobindpura (Mansa), August 1 The village has been cordoned off to thwart the entry of members belonging to the 17 farmer labour unions which announced the decision to reach the village in large numbers to uproot the pillars and barbed wire fencing on the controversial 166 acres of land being “forcibly” acquired by the administration for setting up of a private thermal plant, on Tuesday. No one was allowed to enter Gobindpura except the residents of the village. They too were allowed entry after proving their identity. During a visit to the village, The Tribune observed all religious places and educational institutes were wearing a deserted look. Fear was quite visible on the faces of the villagers, who feared a clash between the police and the activists of farmer unions to take place on Tuesday. “Police force to such an extent has never been deployed in the history of this village. The heavy deployment of police is indicative of the apprehension of an untoward incident taking place tomorrow. We are praying that the day passes off peacefully,” said Harditt Singh, an octogenarian, while pointing towards the cops who have made a camp office at the village health centre. Fearing the imposition of curfew, many residents preferred to leave the village this morning, after locking up their establishments. “Our school is closed tomorrow since there is a curfew in the village,” said a student, who said his teacher had announced it in the classroom today. Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh, the sarpanch of the village said, “Tension is mounting as both groups are at loggerheads with each other. This land row has isolated the village from the outer world as no outsider was given an entry to the village.” The arrival of a police contingent, anti-riot vehicles and quick-reaction teams continued till the evening. The Mansa Deputy Commissioner, Ravinder Singh, termed the protest ‘baseless,’ claiming that more than 90 per cent farmers had already accepted the compensation amount and this was just an attempt by some anti-social elements to come int the limelight over this issue. “As we are committed to maintaining law and order, all arrangements are set in place,” said Ravinder Singh. However, sources in the Intelligence Department of the police said that leaders and activists of the unions who were expected to reach village Gobindpura were being detained as preventive measures. Meanwhile, the four-member fact-finding committee of the BJP Kisan Morcha headed by state president Major Singh Deswal was denied entry to Gobindpura this afternoon. “We had come to assess the situation and find an amicable solution but after being prevented from entering the village by the administration, we called some of the affected farmers and recorded their statements at Bareta Mandi,” said Rajniesh Bedi, general secretary of the morcha, adding that “now, we have decided to meet the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the coming days to discuss the issue.”
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Power project becomes bone of contention
Mansa, August 1 The farmers have been paid compensation ranging from Rs 23.24 lakh to Rs 23.77 lakh per acre. However, they are now demanding that the amount should be enhanced to the prevailing market rate of Rs 40 lakh. About 900 farmers have been affected in the land acquisition process. As many as eight families have refused to accept the compensation for their 120 acres, said Deputy Commissioner Ravinder Singh. The Punjab State Power Corporation had signed a memorandum of understanding with IndiaBulls Power for constructing the 1,350 MW coal-based thermal power project for which land has been acquired in Gobindpura, Sirsiwala, Jalbehra, Falluwala and Bareta villages. The Poena Power, a subsidiary of IndiaBulls, would execute the project. The project would be set up in two phases. The first phase will consist of two units of 270 MW each to generate 540 MW and in the second phase, three units of 270 MW each will be built to generate a total of 810 MW. This is one of the four thermal power plants that the Punjab Government had proposed to build to augment power generation capacity in the state so as to meet the increasing electricity demand and to achieve higher growth rates. The Draft Land Acquisition Bill of the Centre banning acquisition of multi-cropped and irrigated land and the other incentives offered in the proposed package were also tempting for the farmers whose land has been acquired. IndiaBulls recently took possession of the land and fenced it under police protection. They have also put up a board warning against any encroachment. Acquisition of land for the project began in October last when many farmers offered their land without any resistance. However, the sudden increase in the land price in the state has become a cause of unrest among the farmers as they were not in a position to purchase alternate land with the compensation received by them. The work on the other thermal power plant of 2640 MW being built by the Vedanta Group at Balianwala in Mansa district is progressing smoothly. This will be the first supercritical largest coal-based thermal plant in the state.
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Triangular contest likely Amritsar, August 1 Reason being the SAD (Amritsar) led by Simranjit Singh Mann and the All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) led by Karnail Singh Peermohammed have not joined the “Panthic Morcha” formed by these groups. Talking to The Tribune, Mann ruled out the possibility of his joining the Panthic Morcha. He said his party had already released a list of 112 candidates for the SGPC elections. He said they all were meeting in Moga tomorrow to chalk out their future course of action. He said they would contest the SGPC polls on the issue of Khalistan, a resolution that, he claimed, was also passed by the SGPC in 1946. Mann said, “The ruling SAD is a proxy of the BJP while the SAD (Delhi) led by Paramjit Singh Sarna, which is a part of Panthic Morcha, is a proxy of the Congress. Our party will represent Sikhs in the SGPC elections. We will enter into an alliance with a party which is not proxy of Congress or BJP and which agrees to the SGPC resolution on Khalistan.” Similarly, Peermohammed, who participated in yesterday’s meeting but later walked out of it, said he would not be a part of the front formed by splinter SAD groups, but is open to a tie-up with Mann. “We will ally with a party which maintains equal distance from the SAD as well as the Congress.” Peermohammed even gave a representation to the Akal Takht today, seeking action against Sarna for presenting a “siropa” to Rahul Gandhi at a recent function in New Delhi. On the other hand, Sarna has already made it clear that they would not forge an alliance with any party raising the issue of Khalistan. The only possibility of Mann and Peermohammed joining the Panthic Morcha is a proposal which is doing the rounds in the political circles for the last 24 hours. As per the proposal, the moderates, which include most of the SAD splinter groups, and the hardliners, including SAD (Amritsar) and Khalsa Action Committee, should form their separate fronts before entering into a seat-sharing arrangement. Already the proposal has got the support from Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh who felt that it would pave the way for inclusion of Mann in the Panthic Morcha. Meanwhile, even the Panthic Morcha, the formation of which was announced in Chandigarh last evening, seems to be a move taken in haste, which is evident from the fact that it wasn't declared as to who will lead the alliance. Moreover, the top leadership of the key constituents of Panthic Morcha was not present in yesterday’s meeting and the decision was reached by the second-rung leaders. Also, the Panthic Morcha could not take the shape of a consolidated front due to non-inclusion of SAD (Amritsar) and AISSF (Peermohammed). However, Sarna said it could not be dubbed as a “step in haste”. He said, “Though we were not present in the meeting, our leaders reached the consensus regarding the alliance, which is a good sign. We would have stepped in had there been any hurdle in the talks.” He said they would announce the name of their front's convener by August 5. On Mann not joining their front, he said Mann should support their candidates in the areas where he doesn’t have strong contenders from his own party. SGPC poll
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High Court ends controversy on validity of interim bail orders
Chandigarh, August 1 The judgment, affecting almost all criminal cases where interim relief is granted, is significant as it clarifies that the benefit will stand extended on its own, if it is not specifically granted for a certain period. Clarifying the law, Justice Alok Singh has asserted: In the opinion of this court, if the courts grant interim order saying “meanwhile”, it would be in force till it is vacated or modified. Elaborating, Justice Alok Singh has asserted since the order is already in existence, “there is no need for the court to extend the order again and again on every date fixed. “Interim order requires extension only when the interim order is passed for a fixed period, that is till the next date of listing”. The ruling came just before Justice Alok Singh held a sub-inspector has prima facie committed contempt of court by arresting a groom despite interim protection. “I am of the prima facie view that SI Malook Singh has committed contempt of court by arresting Paras Sharma, accused, in total violation of the protection granted by this court to him. Going into the background of the controversy, Justice Alok Singh observed an abduction case was registered on February 28 at Ferozepur on the statement of Sukhdev Raj, after he alleged Sunita was allured by Paras on the pretext of marriage. The couple too moved the High Court for protection of life and liberty after claiming they had tied the knot against their parents’ wishes. Acting on the plea, the court ordered: “Meanwhile, the petitioner number two - Paras Sharma - shall not be arrested or harmed in any manner….” Justice Alok Singh observed the Ferozepur senior superintendent of police said Paras Sharma’s arrest could not be dubbed as violation of the court order March 3, as the court on April 18 had not extended the interim protection granted to him. Justice Alok Singh concluded the court on April 18 “never vacated the order dated March 3”. “let the matter be placed before the Bench hearing contempt for appropriate directions on the judicial side”.
The judgment
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Disbursement of incentives to candidates to begin soon
Jalandhar, August 1 The department, under its three-member board of officers, recently completed the modalities of disbursing grants to all District Sainik Boards across the state. Advertisements pertaining to the scheme would be released soon. Under this scheme, candidates, including female candidates, who have undergone training in the armed forces academies, namely, NDA Khadagvasla, IMA Dehradun, OTA Chennai, Naval Academy and Air Force Academy on or after April 1, 2010 would get a one-time lumpsum incentive grant of Rs 1 lakh. The presiding officer of the scheme, Lt Col Manmohan Singh (retd), also the Deputy Director District Sainik Board, Jalandhar said, “All regulations have been framed and the first batch of candidates will soon get the grant. The Directorate of Sainik Welfare, Punjab, will send letters to commandants and heads of all armed forces academies to provide a list of Punjab domicile cadets and gentlemen cadets undergoing training or those who have undergone the training at the academies after April 1, 2010. He added that the parents of the cadets would be asked to approach the Directorate of Sainik Welfare for further verification of the domicile status. “After scrutiny of the documents by the board of officers, a nominal roll of candidates eligible for the award money would be listed at the respective District Sainik Boards”, said Col Manmohan. Lauding the incentive scheme, he further said that the Sixth Pay Commission coupled with the Rs 1 lakh grant would give a much-needed boost to the Punjabi youth aspiring to join the armed forces. “Punjab witnessed a decline in the number of youth joining the armed forces as commissioned officers. However, efforts by some selected District Sainik Boards in training the armed forces aspirants have yielded results in the past. Rural students have turned up in large numbers which is positive sign”, he maintained. It is pertinent to mention here that the scheme was mooted in the year 2009 but launched last year after a Cabinet decision by the Punjab government. A notification in this regard was published by Punjab government (Department of Defence Services Welfare) on March 31 this year.
Who is eligible
Candidates who have undergone training in the armed forces academies, namely, NDA Khadagvasla, IMA Dehradun, OTA Chennai, Naval Academy and Air Force Academy on or after April 1, 2010
Mode for getting the incentive
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PCC approaches Centre on SAD monopoly over cable networks
Chandigarh, August 1 Addressing various committee members, PCC president Capt Amarinder Singh and party in charge Gulchain Singh Charak repeatedly raised the issue and said they had brought the matter to the notice of the Government of India which had assured them of appropriate action. During the meeting of the PCC media committee, the members said the local cable networks, run by a company supported and funded by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, had monopolised the trade, blacking out certain channels. To this Capt Amarinder said, he had already raised the issue with Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni. The Congress leadership said the state was totally dependent on various central grants coming through the 16 flagship programmes of the UPA Government. Both Capt Amarinder Singh and Charak said without these grants the state government would have gone bankrupt. The two leaders emphasised the need for telling the people of Punjab that various grants being sanctioned and released by the state government were actually coming from the Centre. At a meeting of the UPA Flagship Programmes Implementation Monitoring Committee, Charak said the main issue in the forthcoming elections would be development.
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Amritsar-Chandigarh Duronto Express train a non-starter
Amritsar, August 1 Ferozepur Divisional Railway Manager Vishwesh Chaubey said: “No date has been given for the launch this year.” Amritsar MP Sidhu said he intended to keep his word on launching an agitation and taking up the issue on the floor of Parliament in protest against the delay. However, there was no need to act in haste, he said. He said he had information that the trials were being run. He said he would shortly speak to the General Manager of Northern Railway Zone on the matter. He did not foresee any further delay. The Left parties had held over a month-long fast from April 30 to June 14 at the Amritsar Railway Station to impress upon the authorities to start the train service. Amarjit Singh Asal, district secretary CPI, said they had lost count of the number of times the deadline for the launch of the train had been extended. He alleged that the government was dithering on its promise on pressure from the transport mafia in the state involving several bigwigs. The proposed train, with 17 coaches, including, three air- conditioned, is expected to benefit thousands of commuters. But its launch is bound to dent the business of private bus operators. These operators daily ply air-conditioned buses between Amritsar and Chandigarh charging Rs 250 to Rs 300 per passenger. The Duronto ticket is priced at Rs 67. The train, that was announced in the 2009 Railway Budget, also finds mention in the new timetable. About the train We have lost count of the number of times the deadline for the launch of the train has been extended.The government is under pressured of the transport mafia involving bigwigs — Amarjit Singh Asal, CPI
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Special police stations to check fake currency soon
And all these police stations would be equipped with modern gadgets to check the smuggling and circulation of fake currency. Sources in the Police Department said the decision was taken following a recent meeting between of the “state-level committee against fake currency”. The top brass of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the crime and intelligence wings, too, was present. A senior police official said 68 ultra-violet lamps had already been given to the district police wings and the intelligence officials to check the growing menace of fake currency. The racket is being run in an organised manner in the border districts of Amritsar, Ajnala and Ferozepur, the official said. According to official record, the police seized fake currency of Rs 1.17 crore face value in 2008. The count stood at Rs 1.10 crore in 2009 and almost doubled to Rs 2.12 crore in 2010. And until April this year, the seizures stood at Rs 58 lakh. While the police arrested 126 persons with fake currency in 2008, the count stood at 90 and 70 in 2009 and 2010, respectively. A top Punjab police official said that following RBI inputs, the state intelligence and district police wings would further tie up with the Border Security Force, the Customs and other Central intelligence agencies. “The menace of fake currency affects the economy of the state badly and, therefore, numerous agencies need to coordinate to tackle this menace as ISI agents based in Pakistan constantly try to find moles and pass this currency into India, the official said. An officer of the ADGP rank, who did not wish to be identified, said numerous strict measures would soon be in force to ensure a stringent check on the circulation of fake currency. “A notification is in the pipeline and will be issued soon; the government has already given its approval for it,” he said. Counter steps
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SP lands in Vigilance net
Jalandhar, August 1 Uppal is the third senior Punjab Police official to be arrested in a bribery case, after the recent arrests of DSP Raka Ghirra and AIG Parmdip Singh in similar cases by the CBI. These arrests have created ripples across the police top brass in the state. Ohri has alleged that Uppal had demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh for taking action against his Hoshiarpur-based tenant who had sold off his ancestral shop in the Kotwali Bazaar on the basis of fake documents. Meanwhile, a Vigilance Bureau team led by the Jalandhar Vigilance Bureau SSP, Surjit Singh Grewal, and Hoshiarpur Vigilance Bureau DSP, Baldev Singh, has sealed the official residence of Uppal.The SSP has also despatched another special team to raid the Amritsar-based residence of Uppal. “We expect to find more incriminating evidence or articles from his house,” said a Vigilance Bureau official. Uppal who, offered no resistance at the time of his arrest from his office around 5 pm has been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act. “He was caught red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant,” said Grewal. Uppal was posted as the SP (D) at Hoshiarpur about an year ago. He was to be shifted to Department of Jails but was successful in stalling his transfer midway. Ohri has alleged that he had already paid Rs 10,000 as advance ‘booking money’ to the Reader of the SP and he was summoned by the SP today to pay the next instalment of Rs 50,000. As per the ‘settlement’, the rest of the amount was to be given after ‘finishing of the job.’ IG Vigilance Bureau Kuldip Singh said the accused would be produced in the court tomorrow. He said another Rs 1 lakh was recovered from his office drawer for which Uppal failed to give an explanation. “Though, Ohri is the first complainant against Uppal, we will investigate the case thoroughly. The recovery of the unaccounted sum of Rs 1 lakh will also be subjected to thorough scrutiny,” said Kuldip Singh. Amritsar: The Vigilance sleuths raided the house of arrested SP (D) Randhir Singh Uppal at Meeran Kot on the Amritsar-Ajnala road this evening and recovered two AK-47 rifles and a revolver.
— TNS
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Printing gaffe leaves PSEB poorer by Rs 78 lakh
Mohali, August 1 “Deputy Secretary Karan Jagdish Kaur is in charge of the examination section entrusted with printing the examination forms, but no one checked the forms and the previous rates were published. Though the anomaly was detected in June, the officials preferred to push the issue under the carpet,” said sources. The PSEB, in one of its meeting held on December 6 last year, had decided to increase the migration fee from Rs 120 per student to Rs 150 per student in order to increase the income of the board. The increase in the migration fee was part of the decisions to increase the fee for various examinations related jobs. Sources in the board said an inquiry had been marked to fix the responsibility. To cover up the gaffe, the board officials have decided not to charge the difference from the students, as it was causing embarrassment to the authorities. It has also been decided that increased fee would be charged from the next academic session. The loss is on account of Rs 30 less than the prescribed migration fee of Rs 150 charged from around 2.60 lakh candidates, who are scheduled to appear in the annual board exams being conducted through the semester system. Meanwhile, the board had twice extended the deadline to accept the examination forms with late fee, but decided not to recover the money from the students.
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Punjab should emulate Haryana model of power banking
Chandigarh, August 1 Of the 1340 lakh units (LUs) of power that Haryana now uses, 262 lakh units of power comes through power-banking arrangements. This ensures most categories of consumers are not subjected to long power cuts. The state also gets power at the rate of just Rs 2.93 per unit, as against Rs 5- 6 per unit, that is available on power-trading exchanges. Haryana was purchasing huge quantities of power till last year by trading on power exchanges or through short-term power purchase agreements. “The average cost of power through these trading arrangements varied between Rs 5.50 - Rs 6.61 per unit. By making banking arrangements we are buying power at Rs 2.93 per unit, thus saving on the cost,” says Arun Kumar, managing director of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam. Consumers in Punjab continue to suffer from long, unscheduled power cuts, even as the state has spent a whopping Rs 1000 crore on buying power from other states, boards, private companies, through short-term power purchase agreements. Punjab has been forced to buy power at high rates for the paddy season. Officials in the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited said that they have made short-term purchases only for the three-month paddy season ( July 10- October 15). Though the agriculture sector is getting adequate power supply, the rural as well as urban domestic consumers, especially in the Malwa belt of Punjab, are facing unscheduled power cuts, ranging from four to six hours a day. The steel rolling mills and arc furnaces in the state are forced to suffer from two days of compulsory power cuts, while the general industry faces a one day weekly cut. “The cuts being imposed on industry are because of a system constraint, which do not allow us to supply more power than what the system is capable of transmitting,” said a top official. Rohit Gupta, who owns a steel unit in Mandi Gobindgrah, told The Tribune that the industry was being pushed to the brink of closure. “The state government is not providing us enough power, and has hiked the power tariff. What is worse is that they are making it difficult for the industry to buy power from private entities. Industry will be left with no option but to close down, or shift base out of Punjab,” he lamented.
What is power banking?
Power banking is a practice adopted by various power boards and corporations to trade any excess power with other states, which are facing a power shortage. In exchange for this, the state can get the same amount of power back during the lean months. Haryana has been giving excess power to Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and other states in winters, when Haryana's power demand goes down. In return, these states return this power to Haryana during its lean months, mainly during the paddy-sowing season
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HONOUR KILLING IN FEROZEPUR
New Delhi, August 1 The state government’s standing counsel, Kuldip Singh, had argued that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had itself acknowledged that the crime could not be taken lightly as it amounted to honour killings. However, the HC reduced the life sentence awarded by the trial court to five years of rigorous imprisonment. “The argument is undoubtedly correct. However, considering that the incident in question took place in the year 1993 and thus 18 years have passed. Further, considering the fact that the accused persons had not even crossed the age of 25 years at the time when the incident took place and further considering the fact that they have already undergone rigorous imprisonment for five years and have come out of jail, we are not inclined to interfere with the quantum of sentence and would choose to dismiss this appeal,” a Bench comprising Justices VS Sirpurkar and TS Thakur held in their verdict. The apex court also agreed with the HC’s decision not to rely on the statements of some of the witnesses. “We do not find any reason to differ with the conclusion arrived at by the HC that the offence was committed due to grave and sudden provocation,” after noticing their sister, Paramjit Kaur, in a compromising position with her boyfriend, Gurnam Singh of Pakan village under Sadar Fazilka police station.
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Panel wants no medical reps during OPD hrs
Patiala, August 1 The five-member committee, including members President of the All-India Trade Union Congress, Punjab, Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, Congress of Indian Trade Union, Punjab, Hari Singh Daun Kalan, Democratic Lawyer Association, Punjab, Rajiv Lohatbadi, Bhartiya Kissan Union (Ekta Dakaunda) Dr Darshanpal and Secretary, AFDR, Punjab unit, Patiala, Vidhu Shekhar Bhardwaj, raised various issues. Negligence in handling sophisticated machinery in the Eye Department, extra charges for parking, shortage of staff, lack of super specialists, shortage of ventilators, etc. were the main issues raised by the committee. The committee also demanded ban on the entry of medical representatives during the OPD hours stating that it caused inconvenience to the patients as a lot of time was wasted in attending to them. The committee members said they were convinced with the meeting and were hoping that suitable action would be taken. The committee has been formed to benefit patients and would continue to take up their problems with the administration in future also. Talking to The Tribune in this regard, principal of Government Medical College Dr KD Singh said, “We will try our level best to solve the problems within our resources. Various issues have been highlighted in the meeting. The idea is to provide best medical facilities to public at large. We will have extended meeting with a large number of people concerned on August 15 as today’s meeting was attended only by me, Medical Superintendent Dr Manjeet Kaur Mohi and Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Harshinder Kaur. All the heads of the departments of the hospital will meet these committee members on that day to find best solution to all the problems,” he added.
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Recruitment of coaches hits roadblock
Chandigarh, August 1 Disposing of the petition filed through counsel HC Arora, Justice Surya Kant observed the petitioners have raised a “serious issue” that the selection criteria mentioned in the advertisement issued by the Subordinate Services Selection Board, Punjab is in violation of the provisions contained in “Punjab Sports (Group-C) Service Rules, 2001”. Justice Surya Kant directed the Secretary, Sports, to treat the civil writ petition as a representation by the petitioners, and decide all the issues raised in it by passing a speaking order, and till then selection process shall not be started. Justice Surya Kant also directed that in case Secretary, Sports, came to the decision that petitioners have raised valid point, a corrigendum to the already released advertisement shall have to be issued for changing the selection criteria. In case the points raised by petitioners are not found acceptable, the speaking order passed shall have to be communicated to the petitioners. The coaches, engaged by the sports department through a private agency in 2008, had stated that during the previous two-and-a-half years, they played a vital role in several international matches, including the four-nation hockey league, and the word kabaddi cup in addition to the inter-state matches and sports meets.
— TNS
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PIL: VB investigation of PPSC scam not fair
Chandigarh, August 1 In his petition placed before the Bench of Acting Chief Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice A.K. Mittal, petitioner Baltej Singh asserted Sidhu is close to the Punjab Chief Minister. Quoting the statements of approver Jagman Singh, the petitioner has added: “He has deposed that he used to take the question papers to the residence of Parkash Singh Badal. Since the same Chief Minister is again in power and the Vigilance Bureau works under his supervision, a free and fair investigation cannot be expected”. He has added that a committee of three judges in their report dated February 8, 2007, clearly indicted candidates Harsuhinder Pal Singh Brar, Balkaran Singh, Yadwinder Singh Sandhu, Shish Paul, Karanjit Singh, Anita Darshi, and Amandeep Singh Bhatti. It also indicted one of the PPSC members Amarjit Singh Sidhu. But they have not been made accused by the Vigilance Bureau in the FIR. The petition filed through R.S Bains said the non-action on the part of the Vigilance Bureau regarding the candidates was illegal, unjustified and non-sustainable in the eyes of the law. Taking up the matter, the Bench issued notice of motion for November 23.
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Ahluwalia saw turbulent times as Punjabi University VC
Hundreds of students took to the streets, demanding that he be sacked for a fair probe into the case. Undeterred by the agitation by the students and the university teachers, there was never a day when Ahluwalia skipped office. A curfew-like situation prevailed in the university for about two weeks and the campus was virtually turned into a fortress with heavy police deployment to prevent any untoward incident. No classes were held and vacations announced, which lasted till the VC was removed. It was on April 19, 2002, when the police presented the chargesheet against Ahluwalia in a Patiala court and subsequently, Ahluwalia was sacked as VC on April 21, 2002. Ahluwalia maintained that the allegations against him were politically motivated. After more than seven years, on January 23, 2010, the court acquitted Ahluwalia of all charges. Though, Dr Ahluwalia’s tenure as Punjabi University VC remained mired in controversy, music lovers still remember his efforts to promote jhummar (folk dance). They say he invited famous jhummar dancer Pokhar Singh to hold workshops in the university's Theatre and Television Department.
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Ferozepur celebrates Ronjan’s feat
Ferozepur, August 1
Scores of relatives, friends and sports enthusiasts today converged at his residence at The Mall in the cantonment to congratulate his parents and family members, after he was crowned with the world No 1 rank by the ISSF today.
Ronjan’s parents, Malwinder and Geetanjali Sodhi thanked all the well-wishers on Ronjan’s behalf. The latter has been sent by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs to Italy as a part of the training and preparation for London Olympics. Overwhelmed with joy, Malwinder, himself an ace shooter who has been worked hard on training Ronjan all these years, said he was grateful to the ‘Waheguru’ for his son’s success. “I would like to make a special mention of Russell Mark, the shooting coach whose training and guidance has helped Ronjan to attain present status of being numero uno in world rankings,” said Malwinder. He thanked Mittal Champion Trust, Sahara Group and Samsung Electronics for monetary help and sponsorship. The Sports Ministry has also helped Ronjan to arrange his training sessions abroad under the care of the best foreign trainers in the field of shooting, he said. Meanwhile, the local sportsmen were excited by the fact that a Ferozepur lad has made it to the top international rank in shooting. Ashok Sharma, secretary Sports Association of Ferozepur (SAF), exclaimed, “Once he returns to Ferozepur, we will organise a massive public reception in his honour,” he said, adding that “it is really a historic moment for this town”. Sunil Kumar District Sports Officer, besides scores of members from the sports fraternity also congratulated the parents.
— TNS
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Khaira objects to govt ad Jalandhar, August 1 Congress MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the ad, issued by the Pathankot Improvement Trust for the auction of properties, carried the photographs of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, BJP state president Ashwani Sharma and Local Bodies Minister Tikshan Sud. Khaira claimed the publication of photos in such a manner was a violation of the code of conduct applicable in Punjab in view of the SGPC elections.
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HC orders stay on Dhanda’s oath-taking
Refusing to pave way for his oath-taking ceremony, a three-Judge Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today restrained the State of Punjab from going ahead. The state has been asked to produce the “record relating to Dhanda’s appointment process” Taking up the petition filed in public interest by advocate Salil Sabhlok, Justice Hemant Gupta, Justice Permod Kohli and Justice K Kannan asserted: “After DS Patwalia, advocate for the petitioner, and PP Rao, senior advocate, concluded arguments, Rao sought to withdraw the statement made before this court on July 13 that oath-taking of respondent number four - Dhanda - will be deferred till this petition is decided. “Rao has chosen to withdraw the statement after completing the arguments. The post of Chairman is lying vacant since the first week of May 2011, after the death of Sanjit Sinha, the then Chairman. Therefore, we restrain the administration of oath to respondent number four till further orders”. The development is significant as the state will not be able to administer oath to Dhanda till the petition is decided or unless it moves the Supreme Court and gets relief. A section of lawyers believe that the move to withdraw the statement could have been a part of a well-thought-out strategy by the state to bring the matter under the Apex Court’s scanner. Having undertaken not to go ahead with Dhanda’s oath, the state was finding itself in a fix over the issue. It was left with no option but to wait for the case to conclude. But now the adverse order has give the state a chance to knock the doors of the Apex Court and hope for a favourable interim order. The case also saw both the States of Punjab and Haryana furnish details of the posts taken out of the Public Service Commission’s purview. In an affidavit, Punjab Under Secretary Surinder Kaur said the posts include that of PCS judicial officers, medical teachers, medical officers, excise and taxation officers, assistant professors, senior lecturers and readers. The Bench asked Punjab Additional Advocate-General VK Jindal and Haryana Advocate-General HS Hooda “to disclose as to how many recommendations of the Public Service Commission are made subject matter of challenge or how many recommendations are not challenged before the court". The Bench also asked the Union of India to tell “whether there is any criteria or guidelines to empanel a candidate for consideration for appointment as member of the Union Public Service Commission of India.” The case will come up for hearing on August 3.
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Govt contractor booked on forgery charges
Patiala, August 1 The complainant had alleged that the accused contractor was given Irrigation Department work worth Rs 30 crore on the Ghaggar, but his certificates were later found to be bogus and the work was left midway. According to the police, a case under Sections 420, 465, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered at the Tripri police station against the accused identified as DS Pannu, a resident of Chandigarh. “We are yet to arrest the accused and he will soon be arrested,” they said. As per the complaint of SE, BML, PS Bhogal, done by December last year, Pannu was allotted work on the Ghaggar worth Rs 30 crore. “He was to construct weir inside the river that would have fed the Banur canal system. However, after the completion of 25 per cent work, he allegedly left the work in between with 25 per cent money released to him,” Bhogal told The Tribune. Meanwhile, Bhogal said they got the certificates, submitted by DS Pannu to bag the project, verified from the authorities outside Punjab, where Pannu had claimed to have done those works. “The certificates were allegedly found to be bogus and we recommended an FIR against him to the Patiala police that conducted a probe by a DSP-level officer,” he said. Patiala SSP Gurpreet Singh Gill confirmed that an FIR was registered after a thorough probe by a DSP-level officer, following an official complaint. “We will try to ascertain as to how he procured those certificates,” added Gill. Senior Irrigation Department officials said the action against the contractor comes following the report of the Estimates Committee of the Vidhan Sabha that slammed the Irrigation Department for rampant corruption and failure to take action against the erring officials last year. The reports submitted by chairman of the committee Virsa Singh Valtoha had unearthed a scam worth crores on the construction of a weir across the Ghaggar by the Irrigation Department and recommended action against the executive engineers and the contractor concerned. The committee members said the contractor had grabbed the project on the basis of fake and misleading documents. It has also asked the government to lodge an FIR against the contractor, besides blacklisting him.
The Case
The action against the contractor comes following the report of the Estimates Committee of the Vidhan Sabha that slammed the Irrigation Department for rampant corruption and failure to take action against the erring officials — Irrigation Dept officials
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Patiala, August 1
the flip-flop
Patiala, August 1
Chandigarh, August 1