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moga bypoll
Bypoll forced by Akali Dal on Moga voters: BSP
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Punjab to plant 10 trees for each one uprooted
Re-totalling scam
Badal blackmailing voters: Amarinder
Cong campaign bereft of issues: CM
SAD focusing on development,
Congress harping on ‘betrayal’
Capt’s diktats forced Jain to quit Cong: Sukhbir
Heavy security for Cameron’s Amritsar visit
Kin of Jallianwala Bagh victims disappointed
Fatehgarh Sahib panel directed to provide grant to labourers
Army drive draws crowds at Punjabi University
Hearing in 1984 riots case put off
Notice to Punjab govt on regulating lottery system
Rampant use of drugs in three state jails Mansa Shootout
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moga bypoll
Moga, February
19 In his complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner, Brar alleged that the Punjab Government had disbursed at least Rs 45 crore through various departments for development works in Moga town and its adjoining villages after the code of conduct came into force. The bypoll is slated for February 23. Demanding a CBI inquiry into the “violations”, the Congress leader alleged that the SAD-BJP leaders had misused public money from the state exchequer for its vested political interests just to lure the voters. “Why was the money distributed in the run-up to the byelection,” he questioned. Brar alleged that there was also free flow of drugs in villages and the official machinery had totally failed to keep a check on it. “The district administration is not checking private vehicles being used by the Chief Minister, his deputy and various ministers. There is a possibility of drugs and money being supplied through their vehicles,” he said. The Congress leader alleged that goons of the Youth Akali Dal were also pressurising the Congress workers with the help of civil and police officials. “They (Akalis) are using muscle power and the Election Commission should take action against them so as to conduct free and fair elections.” He warned that the Congress workers would give a “befitting” reply to the Akali goons if the latter did not “mend their ways”. Jagmeet addressed public gatherings at Thamanwala, Chotian Kalan, Kahansinghwala, Tarewala, Dhalleke and few locations in Moga in favour of party candidate Vijay Sathi. — Jagmeet Brar, Congress Working Committee member
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Bypoll forced by Akali Dal on Moga voters: BSP
Jalandhar, February 19 Talking to mediapersons here today, BSP’s Punjab affairs in charge Narinder Kashyap said, “Though it is legal to hold a by-election, it is unethical to ask a Congress MLA to resign and then field him on the SAD ticket and that too within a year of his earlier election. This is nothing but bypassing the anti-defection law.
” A Rajya Sabha member, Kashyap said the Akali Dal was allegedly responsible for imposing extra burden on the cash-strapped Punjab Government in the form of Moga byelection. The byelection is slated for February 23 and has been necessitated after the resignation of Joginder Pal Jain, who had won on the Congress ticket in last year’s assembly
elections. To a query, he said the BSP did not field its candidate in Moga as the party wanted to concentrate on the next parliamentary
elections. Accompanied by BSP’s Punjab president Parkash Singh Jandali and general secretary Sukhwinder Kotli, Kashyap said the party would soon form its NRI wing in the state for sorting out problems being faced by non-resident Indians settled in foreign countries.
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Punjab to plant 10 trees for each one uprooted
Patiala, February
19 Moreover, under the Compensatory Afforestation Scheme (CAS), the department will plant saplings in twice as much compensatory land to protect the green cover in the
state. However, the moot point is whether these saplings will survive in the future as Punjab government is planning to widen all the roads across the state.
In the first phase of the project in Patiala, the department has given clearances for uprooting nearly one thousand trees.
According to forest officials, in order to widen a stretch of road on the Bahadurgarh-Sangrur bypass, 1,044 trees will be uprooted from five hectares of forest land. Traffic from Chandigarh, Bathinda and Sangrur use this road to bypass
Patiala. Many such projects are already running on the highways from Ludhiana-Ferozepur, Patiala-Sangrur and on the national highway connecting
Rajpura-Amritsar. Moreover, over 15 such road widening projects are in the pipeline across the state, where thousands of trees will be axed in the coming few months.
In Patiala alone, the Forest Department has got 10 hectares of land near the Kherhi Gandian canal, where an estimated 10,000 plants will be sown to compensate for the lost forest cover.
The department will plant approximately 10 trees for every tree uprooted due to widening of roads.
Elaborating on the project, Patiala Divisional Forest Officer SK Sagar said, “Under the CAS, the Ministry of Environment and Forests funds the planting of saplings in the compensatory land.” Protecting forests On the Bahadurgarh-Sangrur bypass, 1,044 trees will be uprooted from five hectares of forest land Under the CAS, saplings will be planted in twice as much compensatory land to protect the green cover in the state
The moot point is whether these saplings will survive in the future as Punjab government is planning to widen all roads across the state
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Re-totalling scam
Chandigarh, February 19 The committee, comprising Baba Farid University Vice Chancellor Dr SS Gill and Special Secretary, Medical Education and Research HS Nanda, has recommended that the case of tampering of answer sheets be handed over to the police for
investigation. Besides indicting Deputy Registrar KP Singh, programmer Vishal Pathania, superintendent Kaman Singh and data entry operator Sukhwinder Singh, it has recommended that five BAMS candidates and two GNM (nursing) candidates be declared as “failed” and that they be barred from re-appearing in the specific papers for at least three years. The report castigates the functioning of the university as well as that of the Vice Chancellor but does not indict
him. Sources said initially 25 answer sheets were found to have been tampered with but since the tampering did not have an effect on the final result, the inquiry committee concentrated on seven answer sheets in which “failed” candidates were declared “passed” after re- totalling their
marks. The committee noted that in the case of Kaumarbhritya subject of the BAMS, the first committee which considered the answer sheets for re-totalling recommended that the issue be examined by a subject expert. However, a second committee was formed and subsequently a third one that included KP Singh and Kaman Singh.
The inquiry noted that on the recommendation of the special committee, which did not take the tampering of the answer sheets into consideration and only totalled the marks on the answer sheets, Vice Chancellor OP Upadhyay ordered that the result be declared the same day. Programmer Vishan Pathania uploaded and declared the result without any written directions from the Controller, Examination, Dr Loveleen
Kaur. Dr Loveleen Kaur, who acted as whistleblower in the case after her contract was not renewed by the university, has been found lacking in supervision because the keys of the secrecy room never remained with her. These were said to be either in the possession of the programmer or the data entry operator. However, the committee has stopped short of recommending action against Dr
Loveleen. Appropriate action will be taken against those responsible for the re-totalling scam. I am yet to study the inquiry report in
detail — Chunni Lal Bhagat, Punjab Research & Medical Education Minister
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Badal blackmailing voters: Amarinder
Moga, February 19 Addressing public meetings at Salina, Chotian Khurd, Sosan and other villages today, he said Badal had been saying Joginder Pal Jain joined the SAD for Moga’s development and now the people must vote for him if they wanted development in the area. The PCC chief said it was unbecoming of a five-time Chief Minister to tell the people that they should only vote for the ruling party to ensure development. “This amounts to blackmail by using the threat of discrimination against the constituency,” he said. Alleging double standards adopted by Badal, Amarinder said: “The Chief Minister levels allegations that Punjab is being meted out step-motherly treatment by the Centre. It is in fact Badal who is discriminating against all those assembly constituencies which do not have Akali legislators”. He said none of the tactics of the Badals would work this time as the mood in both urban and rural areas was against the ruling alliance and Joginder Pal Jain in particular for his political betrayal. He claimed the government was bound to carry out equitable development.
— Capt Amarinder Singh, PCC president
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Cong campaign bereft of issues: CM
Charik (Moga), February
19 Addressing a public gathering at Charik village today, Badal said the Congress was yet to come out of the shock it suffered in the last assembly
elections. Commenting on statements by Capt Amarinder about his health, the Chief Minister said: “My good health is proving bad for their (Congress leaders’)
health”. Badal claimed the response he had been getting from the people was giving sleepless nights to their opponents. “I do not go to the people as a ruler but as a servant as I have been appointed by the people to serve them,” he said. Claiming that his government had done massive development works in the area, he said the people would ensure the victory of their candidate.
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SAD focusing on development,
Congress harping on ‘betrayal’
Moga, February
19 The SAD has made the need for development of the constituency, which has a history of returning members of the opposition to the assembly, its number one issue. SAD candidate Jain has also gone to the people on this plank.
Ironically, even those inimical to Jain's candidature are being wooed in the name of development, with SAD sympathisers agreeing that Jain is not the ideal candidate but urging them to take advantage of having a say in governance for the next four
years. The first family in Punjab politics, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Badal and Minister Bikram Majithia, are now concentrating on the city by making man-to-man contact with the electorate and urging them to give votes to usher in development in the
constituency. Parts of the city are still rallying against the SAD juggernaut. Sources said the Akalis were confident of getting the votes of the downtrodden but were meeting with resistance from the middle and upper middle class, who were standing by Congress nominee Vijay Sathi. Sathi is mainly highlighting Jain's "betrayal".
Congress sources said they were trying to retain their own votes and spending money for the same. "We cannot compete in money with the SAD but our leaders are keen to protect the Congress votes from shifting to the SAD. For this, we are spending money wherever necessary," a source
said. With the Akalis likely to secure a lead in rural areas, which comprises 80,000 of the 1.78 lakh voters in this constituency, the seat is likely to be decided by the urbanites of this town.
The SAD is trying to put up a united front and has been successful in getting both former Agriculture Minister Tota Singh as well as former DGP PS Gill to support Jain
publically. In a last-ditch effort, hundreds of officers who have relatives in this constituency have also been put into service to woo the electorate in favour of the
SAD. However, the Congress is continuing with a spirited campaign, which has been possible because Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh has stayed put in the constituency.
Senior leader Rana Gurjit said the urbanites were fed up by the manipulation in rates of sand and gravel and miffed at the imposition of property tax. "They are waiting to teach a lesson to the government and we are optimistic about a good result," he said.
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Capt’s diktats forced Jain to quit Cong: Sukhbir
Moga, February
19 He said the Moga byelection was the outcome of Amarinder Singh’s refusal to allow Congress legislators to bring the benefits of development to the people. "The result of the Moga byelection will have an impact on the coming Lok Sabha elections,” the Deputy CM claimed.
Alleging that the Congress campaign in Moga had received a poor response from the people, he said most Congress leaders were sneaking out of the constituency at night. “They appear to be merely marking their presence to escape the wrath of the party high command”.
Sukhbir said Amarinder Singh was doing to the Congress in Punjab what SS Ray had done to West Bengal. Ray, the darling of the Nehru-Gandhi family, was made the Chief Minister of West Bengal (1972-1977) “After Ray’s exit, the Congress never won an election in that state,” he remarked. Likewise, the Congress in Punjab would disappear after the byelection
results. Welcoming Vijay Sharma, a retired Superintendent of Police (SP) into the party fold at New Town area, Sukhbir said that barring 2002, “turncoat” Amarinder Singh had brought defeat to any organisation that he was associated with, including the SAD (Longowal) when his party won only two seats in
1992. The Deputy CM said ruling alliance was going to the people on the agenda of development and peace and communal harmony. “In the past six years, we have never lost an election. This is proof enough that the people want development and good governance,” he added. — Sukhbir Badal, Deputy Chief Minister
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Chandigarh Moga Moga
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Heavy security for Cameron’s Amritsar visit
Amritsar, February 19 He will visit Amar Singh Chawal Wala Suppliers of internationally acclaimed ‘Lal Kila’ basmati, at Chattiwind Gate on the Tarn Taran road at 11.30 am where a memorandum of understanding (MoU) may be signed between the rice suppliers and the UK-based firm East End Foods for technical collaboration in the cultivation of organic basmati and for setting up a pesticide testing lab here with technical assistance from the UK firm. The owner of the firm, Kuldeep Singh Vohra, is one of the business delegates accompanying the British PM. Three-hour visit
The British PM and a team of 60 business delegates, most of them of Indian origin, will be in the city for about three hours.The delegation will be received by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at Guru Ram Dass International Airport, Amritsar, at about 9 am. From the airport, the delegation will go straight to the Golden
Temple. The British PM will spend 45 minutes in the Golden Temple complex. He will visit the Langar Hal and pay obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum. A special gold-plated replica of the Golden Temple would be presented to the visiting dignitary by the SGPC
chief. Turban issue
The SGPC is likely to raise the issue of turban restrictions on Sikhs in France with David Cameron in the hope that he would influence his French counterpart to remove the
ban. Thereafter, the delegates will visit Jallianwala Bagh where the British PM will lay wreaths at the martyrs’ memorial. City on alert
Amritsar has been put on high alert. Unprecedented security arrangements have been put in place by the UK Secret Service and officials of the Indian security agencies. At least 3,000 police personnel from Batala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Tarn Taran as well as PAP battalions will provide a security cover. A security drill was also held at the airport
today. Meanwhile, preparations are on to make the places to be visited by the British PM free of garbage. Municipal workers were seen sweeping and fogging in the vicinity of the Golden Temple and the Jallianwala Bagh. The Jallianwala Bagh gallery has been spruced up. Cameron’s itinerary To head for Golden Temple after landing at Amritsar airport at about 9
am To visit Jallianwala Bagh thereafter; lay wtreath at martyrs’
memorial To visit basmati rice suppliers on Tarn Taran road at 11.30 am
An MoU between the suppliers and UK’s East End Foods likely It will envisage technical collaboration in growing organic basmati and for setting up a pesticide testing lab here
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Kin of Jallianwala Bagh victims disappointed
Amritsar, February 19 Expecting the British Prime Minister to apologise for the massacre during his proposed visit to the Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial tomorrow, they got together to discuss the matter here
today. Jallianwala Bagh Shaheed Parivar Samiti president Bhushan Behal, whose grandfather Hari Ram Behal was among those killed at the historic Bagh, said they had waited the whole day but there had been no word from the British High Commission.
He said the samiti members had held an agitation at Rajghat to seek an apology from the Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to India in 1997.
Another descendent Tek Chand Sharma, 67, said his father Gian Chand was only three when his grandfather was killed at Jallianwala Bagh. He showed a receipt of Rs 200 dated February 18, 1926, which his family had received from Lahore.
Another descendent Nand Lal Arora, 82, said they were not demanding any compensation, only an apology. Bhajan Lal Khurana, 71, did not seem keen on an apology. He said: “The incident occurred much before the birth of Prime Minister Cameron and many leaders of his government.”
The district administration has constituted an eight-member inquiry committee, including four Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) and four members of the Jallianwala Bagh Shaheed Parivar Samiti, to trace the descendents of those martyred.
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Fatehgarh Sahib panel directed to provide grant to labourers
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 19 Stating this in a press release, Deputy Commissioner Yashvir Mahajan said over 1,500 labourers engaged in various construction activities had been registered and under the scheme, Rs 2.12 lakh had been distributed among 193 beneficiaries till date. He directed the Block Development and Panchayat Offiers and executive officers of various municipal councils to register all the labourers so they could avail the benefits of various welfare board
schemes. Mahajan also instructed the Deputy Director, Factories, to initiate steps for ensuring the safety of workers employed in various steel firms of the district. He asked the Sub Divisional Magistrates to ensure that mill owners register the migrant workers under the Migrant Labour Act. He directed them to ensure safe drinking water for the workers of all the steel mills located in the district.
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Army drive draws crowds at Punjabi University
Patiala, February 19 This exhibition is a part of the national seminar on “Non-Traditional Threats to India's Security: Challenges and Responses”, being organised by the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies. 155 mm Bofors, Shilkas and other advanced equipment will be displayed at the exhibition and the visitors will be informed about the way it functions.
Dr Kamal Kinger, Head of the Defence and Strategic Studies Department, said the main aim of this seminar was to attract more youth towards the Army. The interest of the present generation seems to have shifted a little in favour of other professions. However, military profession still remains the noblest of all and this is an attempt to highlight this,” said Dr
Kinger.
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Hearing in 1984 riots case put off
New Delhi, February 19 Though the case was fixed for today, it had to be adjourned for March 20 with prosecutor Sanjay Kumar seeking time to make his arguments, pleading that he was given the file only recently. On the last date of hearing, the prosecutor was not available. Senior advocate HS Phoolka and advocate Kamna Vohra, appearing for the victims, have concluded their arguments.
Granting time to the prosecutor, the Judge made it clear that he would pass the verdict without hearing the CBI further if it sought any more
adjournment. In his arguments, senior advocate Phoolka said: “I have completed the argument but the CBI has not recorded the statement of three witnesses who were named by one Surinder Singh. A CD given by the accused to the CBI shows RK Dhawan and Amitabh Bachchan standing close to Tytler at Teen Murti Bhawan. But the CBI has examined neither Dhawan nor Bachchan. The CBI has examined two other witnesses whose names were given by
Tytler”. He said the CBI should record the statements of all the witnesses and put these before the court. “The CBI can give its opinion on the liability of witnesses but cannot refuse to examine other witnesses. It should produce the statement before the court, that is the final authority,” he said.
Sikhs from different areas of Delhi protested outside the court demanding punishment for Sajjan and Tytler. Sajjan,s trial was also fixed for today but it was adjourned for February
26. Sukhpreet Malhotra, an advocate, said, “if justice is not given to Sikhs, they will feel annoyed”. Sattu Singh another victim said accused in Gujarat riot case has been punished, Afzal hanged but nothing has been done in the anti-Sikh riots case. The accused has not been punished even after 28 years of the incident.
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Notice to Punjab govt on regulating lottery system
Chandigarh, February
19 The Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain today issued the notice for March 8 on the petition filed in public interest by advocate Santokh Singh of Ludhiana for a direction to the respondents against operating more than one weekly
lottery. The petitioner stated in the PIL that in view of Section 4 (H) of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, no State can have more than one weekly lottery. The Central Government has framed Lotteries (Regulation) Rules, 2010. The petitioner brought it to the High Court’s notice that the Punjab Government has published a public notice inviting applications for allotment of sole selling agencies for 28 different weekly lottery schemes. This move of the State Government was illegal.
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Two Nabha Jail inmates booked
Patiala, February 19
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Rampant use of drugs in three state jails Chandigarh, February 19 In September last year, the police had caught a visitor trying to smuggle opium inside the Bathinda jail complex in a cabbage. A Ropar court had ordered that 38 prisoners (in separate cases) be kept in isolation for 30 days for possessing cell phones. In one case, a prisoner was awarded separate confinement for 50 days. The court ordered that four prisoners be kept in isolation for 30 days for possessing Lotomil, a medicine for diarrhoea also used by addicts. More than 200 drugs and tablets were found in the possession of women prisoners in the Ludhiana jail. In the Bathinda jail, addictive substances were found inside match boxes and a tin box. The RTI reply did lot mention any action against any of the jail warders for the recoveries. — TNS
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Mansa Shootout New Delhi, February 19 The special cell of the Delhi Police received information that Neetu, on whose arrest the Delhi Police and the Haryana Police had declared a joint award of Rs 7 lakh, and his associate Dayanand alias Deena would be visiting Punjab's Sardulgarh tehsil. A picket was set up at the village and all vehicles checked. At 3.45 pm, as Neetu and his aide neared the picket and were signalled to stop, they opened fire at the police. The police retaliated but the two escaped, said official sources. Later, their vehicle was found abandoned at Boop village in Sirsa district. Dayaram was found in injured. Neetu, who is also believed to be injured, escaped. Neetu was extorting money from businessmen in Delhi and Haryana after he escaped from police custody in April last year while being taken to a Delhi court from the Bhondsi jail. He had created a gang that was “active in kidnapping, carjacking, robbery, dacoity and contract killing,” a senior police official said. Neetu was active in Punjab and was planning to kidnap the grandson of a local businessman. — PTI
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In a green drive, the Forest Department will plant 10 times the number of trees being uprooted in the ongoing widening of roads in the state.
Moreover, under the Compensatory Afforestation Scheme (CAS), the department will plant saplings in twice as much compensatory land to protect the green cover in the
state.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said Congress leaders are resorting to personal attacks against their opponents as they have no ideology and issues to present before the
people.
Descendents of Jallianwala Bagh massacre victims are disappointed that no official from the British High Commission in New Delhi met them today (as had been conveyed to them yesterday), to arrange their meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron who is to visit the city tomorrow.
Punjabi University students made a beeline to catch a glimpse of the latest military equipment brought in from
Ambala, Sangrur, Patiala and Bathinda cantonments for the exhibition-cum-awareness drive organised by the university. 
The Punjab Government disbursed Rs 45 crore through various departments for development works in Moga town and its adjoining villages after the code of conduct came into
effect
It is unbecoming of a five-time Chief Minister to tell the people that they should only vote for the ruling party to ensure
development
The result of the Moga byelection will have an impact on the coming Lok Sabha elections. They (the Congress) appear to be merely marking their presence to escape the wrath of the party high command. In the past six years, we have never lost an election
Charak joins Sathi’s campaign: