B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

I will contest only from Bathinda, says Jassi
Bathinda, November 23
“I will not contest from any constituency other than Bathinda in the coming assembly elections.”.

Congress MLA from Bathinda Harminder Singh Jassi along with other party leaders after a press conference in Bathinda on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Headmasters oppose decision on parity in grade with lecturers
Abohar, November 23
The sub-divisional headmasters association has criticised the state government for offering grade to lecturers in the government schools at par with the headmasters. At a meeting presided over by president Vinod Kumar Doodi, the association described the cabinet decision in this connection as arbitrary and unprecedented.

More incentives sought for farmers
Abohar, November 23
The Jamhoori Kisan Sabha at its district-level meeting here made strong plea to bring down the cost of agricultural production.

Faridkot DC inspects jail, finds food stock rotting
Faridkot, November 23
Five days after the Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, ordered the suspension of the superintendent and the store keeper of the Faridkot jail for dereliction of duty and serving poor quality, worm-infested food to the prisoners and undertrials, Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat visited the jail and found 46 quintal of foodgrain and other eatables in a perishable state.

Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat inspecting the food stock in Faridkot jail. A Tribune photograph

‘It appeared more like a photo khichao rally’
Ferozepur, November 23
It was like a “musical chair” for the Congress leaders hailing from this constituency as they could be seen jostling with each other to occupy the space next to the PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh and get themselves photographed with him during the “Punjab Bachao” rally held here today.

Former minister Pandit Balmukand Sharma trying to secure a place on the stage during the Punjab Bachao Rally of Congress in Ferozepur on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

 

Winners all
	The Indian women’s kabaddi team with Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh during a visit to the Takht Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo on Wednesday after lifting the World Kabaddi Cup. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

I will contest only from Bathinda, says Jassi
Sushil Goyal
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 23
“I will not contest from any constituency other than Bathinda in the coming assembly elections.” This was stated by the Congress MLA from Bathinda Harminder Singh Jassi while talking to the reporters here today.

Jassi said in place of contesting from any other constituency, he would prefer to support the party candidates and cast his vote in the elections. He said the Congress party had allotted him party ticket four times and the people had cast votes in favour of him, so he could also cast his vote for any other candidate of the party. He said the claimants of the party ticket might be more besides himself. But who ever gets the party ticket, he would stand by him, he added.

With regard to his affiliation with party president Captain Amarinder Singh, Jassi said he was neither with Amarinder Singh nor with Rajinder Kaur Bhattal as he always remained with the party president, appointed by the party's national president Sonia Gandhi.

However, he said people of the state had been saying that Capt Amarinder Singh would become the next Chief Minister. He said it is the only Congress party that could save Punjab from various crises.

Jassi also said that as he did not know anything about the followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda as to whom they would cast their votes for. Besides, he also did not know whether Manpreet Badal had met the Dera head or not, he added.

Jassi also discussed various problems of the city and said that if the Congress is voted to power then it would initiate inquiries into various scams in Bathinda.

On the occasion, a list of office-bearers of the block Congress committee-II, Bathinda, was also released. 

Headmasters oppose decision on parity in grade with lecturers
Our Correspondent

Abohar, November 23
The sub-divisional headmasters association has criticised the state government for offering grade to lecturers in the government schools at par with the headmasters. At a meeting presided over by president Vinod Kumar Doodi, the association described the cabinet decision in this connection as arbitrary and unprecedented.

Explaining that seven years of experience is mandatory for promotion as headmaster with MA B.Ed degrees, it is 8 years in case of persons having BA B.Ed qualification, whereas lecturers having MA B.Ed degree only will get the same grade. No other government had ever shown such favour to lecturers who sans administrative experience. The association urged the state government to increase the quota for promoting headmasters as principals from existing 30 to 40 per cent and relax experience limit from seven to four years to fill the vacancies in the government senior secondary schools.

The meeting resolved to launch stir if the state government fails in amending its decision on parity.

More incentives sought for farmers

Abohar, November 23
The Jamhoori Kisan Sabha at its district-level meeting here made strong plea to bring down the cost of agricultural production. State president Satnam Singh Ajnala launched a scathing attack on the state government for pursuing the policies that allegedly favoured corporate and MNCs even when the state is known as a major contributor in the national food grain pool.

Besides levying heavy taxes on fuel, he said, the state government had been lacking in passing on the benefit of the subsidies that were offered by the Centre to promote diversification in agriculture and rural development.

The area committee president Satnam Rai and the secretary Kulwant Keerti regretted that the tenants who had been cultivating government seed farm land around the regional fruit research station here for five decades were assured by the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in 2007 that they would be handed over the ownership rights but nothing had been done. — OC 

Faridkot DC inspects jail, finds food stock rotting
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, November 23
Five days after the Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, ordered the suspension of the superintendent and the store keeper of the Faridkot jail for dereliction of duty and serving poor quality, worm-infested food to the prisoners and undertrials, Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat visited the jail and found 46 quintal of foodgrain and other eatables in a perishable state.

The DC ordered destruction of this rotten food stock as it was not even fit for consumption by the animals. The stock of rotten foodgrain, including 10 quintals of jaggery, 20 quintal of pulses and 12 quintals of wheat, was emitting a fetid smell when the DC reached a store in the jail for inspection.

Last week, over 600 inmates in the newly-constructed jail in Faridkot went on hunger strike, complaining about the poor quality of food being served to them. After a news report about the hunger strike appeared in The Tribune, DS Bains, Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, conducted a sudden raid in the jail and inspected the quality of the food.

Finding that most of the food being served to the jail inmates was worm-infested and cooked in unhygienic conditions, Bains ordered the suspension of the jail superintendent Raj Mohinder Singh Dhaliwal and a store-keeper.

Interestingly, the incident happened just a week after the Chief Minister inaugurated this first ultra-modern jail, constructed at a cost of Rs 122 crore.

So the Faridkot Deputy Commissioner's visit to the jail yesterday was to check the quality of the food being served in the jail.

Tejinder Singh Maur, the new jail superintendent, told the DC that the rotten food stock was not being served to the inmates and the jail authorities have already sent a proposal to the ADGP (Jails) to grant permission to destroy the stock.

Sources in the jail revealed that it was because of negligence on the part of the jail officials that the huge quantity of food stock was deteriorating.

In the first week of November, the food stock and prisoners were shifted from the old jail to the new. Though there was a lot of dampness in the floor and the surrounding walls of the newly constructed jail, the food stock was placed on the floor without taking any precautions. More over, when the food stock started rotting, instead of fixing the responsibility for the negligence, the officials preferred to cook this food and serve it to the prisoners, revealed sources.

While speaking to the DC yesterday, the prisoners said they had started getting good quality food only after the sudden inspection by the Principal Secretary. A team from the health department was also accompanying the DC.

‘It appeared more like a photo khichao rally’
Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, November 23
It was like a “musical chair” for the Congress leaders hailing from this constituency as they could be seen jostling with each other to occupy the space next to the PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh and get themselves photographed with him during the “Punjab Bachao” rally held here today.

There was total pandemonium on the stage when the Captain arrived at the venue couple of hours behind schedule. All the Congress leaders who are staking their claim for the party ticket from Ferozpur (Urban) and Ferozpur (Rural) constituencies, tried their level best to show their proximity to the former CM and woo the crowds that had turned up in large numbers.

Seeing their leaders bumping into each other during the photo session with the “Maharaja”, one senior Congress leaders from the area said, “It seems more like a “Photo Khichao” rally rather than the “Punjab Bachao rally.” Former minister Pandit Balmukand Sharma, in his address, said, “Eh photo naal kuch nahi hona (You will get nothing by getting the photographs clicked), kuch kam karke dikhao.”

A few Congress leaders preferred to sit back quietly and witness the amusing drama going on the stage. Darshan Singh Brar, coordinator for the rally was acting as the “ring leader” as he repeatedly snubbed the Congress leaders from the dais ordering them to behave properly. Brar virtually snatched the mike from every leader who addressed the crowd after the stipulated time of “two minutes” fixed for speaking. (See also P4)