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moga
bypoll
SAD nominee will lose deposit, claims Capt
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Sukhbir says Cong will be fragmented
At last, respite for Indian exporters
Sarna has moved court to free schools from DSGMC control, claims SAD leader
Convict Lakhwinder gets parole for sister’s wedding
Traders appeal to Bansal on new rail link
Expert team visits Qila Mubarak, says
Rs 200 cr needed for renovation
4 more villages under Kharar civic body
VAT collection in Punjab up by
Rs 2,300 crore
Punjab transporters continue to pilfer steel
PRTC’s bid for modernisation
Army to tackle non-traditional threats in future: Experts
HC upholds pardon to DSP in custodial death case
Dera chief may have to appear in court on April 6
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moga
bypoll
Chandigarh, February 22 Disclosing this here today, Chief Electoral Officer (Punjab) Kusumjit Sidhu said complaints regarding the violation of model code of conduct had been pouring in almost everyday on behalf of different political parties and other individuals. Kusumjit Sidhu said considering the gravity of the complaints, the cases were being dealt at the highest level. She said the Election Commission had received the highest number of 42 complaints from the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Over a month of hectic campaigning and exchanges of diatribe by the ruling SAD and opposition Congress will culminate tomorrow as the Moga assembly is all set to witness a direct fight between the two parties in the bypoll. During the campaigning, leaders of both the parties launched no holds barred attack on each other. Although the Congress has lost the recently concluded Assembly polls in Punjab, the party has put all its efforts to defend the seat, which was vacated after one of its leader resigned. Security arrangements were also reviewed today. Paramilitary forces and the Punjab Police today jointly held flag marches in Moga town and in rural areas to create confidence among the electorate. The by-election was necessitated after Joginderpal Jain deserted the Congress to join SAD. He is seeking re-election against Vijay Kumar Sathi of the Congress.
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SAD nominee will lose deposit, claims Capt
Jagraon, February 22 Summing up the mood of the electorate in Moga constituency after campaigning for three weeks, Amarinder Singh said Congress candidate Vijay Sathi was certain to improve the last election’s victory margin for the party. Joginder Pal Jain had won on the Congress ticket in the 2012 assembly elections, but he shifted to the ruling SAD recently and also resigned from the assembly. “I am confident that the vote count should be at least double than what it was in 2012,” he said. “There are several factors that will be in play against the Akalis and Jain, which will help the Congress candidate win by a comfortable margin.” On Sukhbir’s claims that Jain was going to win by a margin of 51,000 votes, Amarinder Singh said, “His (Sukhbir’s) candidate’s security will be forfeited. There is unprecedented resentment against both Jain and the Akalis.” About the allegations of attempts to purchase votes levelled on the Akalis by the Congress, the PCC chief said he had full faith in the voters and those supporting his party. “Congress voters cannot be purchased. Try whatever means you can to win the election,” he challenged Sukhbir.
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Sukhbir says Cong will be fragmented
Moga, February 22 He described SAD candidate Joginder Pal Jain as a leader of the masses. He alleged that the Congress leadership had resorted to unhealthy practices during campaigning because it had no concrete issue to fight the election on. “We are seeking votes on the plank of development and communal harmony,” he said. He also claimed that most Congress men were fed up with their leadership and were willing to join the SAD after the Moga byelection. “They are waiting for the Moga election results. The Congress is certain to be fragmented,” he claimed. The SAD president said that the Congress could not to compete with the SAD-BJP alliance on the development agenda. Hence, the wise voters would vote for the SAD candidate. Sukhbir said his government was committed to development and administrative reforms.
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Joginder Pal Jain: SAD
I sacrificed the MLA's post for the people of my area. Development works in Moga were at a standstill for the past several years because the local representative in the assembly was from the Opposition.
My victory will pave the way for development in the constutuency. I am seeking votes on the plank of development alone Vijay Sathi: Congress
I am an educated man with a clean image. I belong to a middle-class family with Socialist leanings. My main rival (Jain) has a shady background. He betrayed 62,200 Moga voters who elected him by defecting from the Congress to the SAD. I am seeking votes to protect the principles of democracy in order to cleanse the politics Ravinder Dhaliwal: PPP
I am an educated man with a clean image. I belong to a middle-class family with Socialist leanings. My main rival (Jain) has a shady background. He betrayed 62,200 Moga voters who elected him by defecting from the Congress to the SAD.
I am seeking votes to protect the principles of democracy in order to cleanse the politics
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At last, respite for Indian exporters
Amritsar, February 22 The export of Indian goods to Pakistan via the rail route had virtually come to a halt in the last quarter of 2012 after Pakistan's traders stopped cement export to India because of repeated heroin seizures in rail cargo. While the move led to a fall in the number of rail wagons arriving from Pakistan, the Indian Railways failed to facilitate adequate number of wagons to Indian exporters which took a toll on their trade. However, if the traders are to be believed, things have now started looking up.Talking to The Tribune, leading exporter Rajesh Setia said a majority of soyabean exporters had shifted to the land route owing to non-availability of rail wagons. "Now, we are getting 25 to 30 rail wagons everday, apart from seven to eight attached with the Samjhauta Express." Among the items being exported via the rail route chemicals, herbs and spices, he said. Another trader Manav Taneja said the availability of rail wagons had certainly improved over the past few days. He attributed better movement of goods to "various goods exported to Pakistan are seasonal and are no more in demand. Now, goods are no more piling up at the rail cargo and are getting cleared within a week of arrival," he said. Deputy Commissioner, Customs, Vijay Bahadur Singh, said the movement of goods was still not up to the mark as it had a normal load of 70 to 72 wagons daily when the cement import from Pakistan was at its peak. Meanwhile, there are no signs of cement import from Pakistan picking up momentum. The All-India Cement Importers' Association president, MPS Chatha, said the market, which was passing through a bad phase, had declined further due to non-availability of sand and gravel in the domestic sector. Also, government projects were also not receiving grants due to this reason. He said they were receiving 10 to 15 wagons of cement from Pakistan as against 70 to 75 wagons during the peak season. The traders in Pakistan had stopped cement export to India via the rail route after repeated instances of heroin seizure in rail cargo. Over 150 kg of heroin was seized from rail wagons carrying cement from Pakistan between May and October this year. The move had spelled trouble for the Indian exporters with the frequency of Pakistan trains declining while the Indian Railways could not provide them adequate wagons to send their goods to Pakistan. Consequently, goods worth crores had piled up at the Amritsar rail cargo facility. Market in doldrums
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Sarna has moved court to free schools from DSGMC control, claims SAD leader
New Delhi, February 22 The chairman of the society’s governing body, Rachpal Singh Kochar, was general secretary in the previous gurdwara committee. Denying the allegation against him, Sarna said: “I have not filed any case. I have never filed a case against anybody. I have lost the election. I accepted that with grace. Why should I move the court ?” But Rachpal Singh admitted that the society had filed a petition, seeking exemption from DSGMC control on legal grounds. He said the society (number 483) was registered in 1970-71 to run schools independently. But four years later, it was “captured” by the gurdwara committee. “Whenever school teachers or employees are transferred by the DSGMC administration, they get a stay order from the court on the ground that the schools do not come under purview of the gurdwara committee. “The society is an independent body that runs the schools. Only the the society can take action against its school employees,” he said. The National Commission for Minority Education had in 2011 given a certificate to the society recognising that it was an independent body, he added. I have never filed a case against anybody. I have lost the DSGMC elections. I accepted that with grace
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Convict Lakhwinder gets parole for sister’s wedding
Chandigarh, February 22 Lakha had sought parole for two days from February 24 to attend the marriage. his counsel had told the court that Lakha could attend the wedding escorted by policemen. The accused in the case, Balwant Singh, Jagtar Singh Hawara, Gurmit Singh, Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh, had worked together in the execution of the assassination plan. Hawara had persuaded proclaimed offender Jagtar Singh Tara to buy an Ambassador car and had asked co-conspirators Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh to get the car painted white. The car was used in the crime.
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Traders appeal to Bansal on new rail link
Chandigarh, February 22 Pradesh Beopar Mandal president Amrit Lal Jain said that by linking the two cities, the distance to Mumbai would be shortened by 240 km. Once Amritsar was directly linked with Ferozepur, it would boost tourism and trade and export/import from the Mumbai port would become easier. — TNS
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Expert team visits Qila Mubarak, says
Rs 200 cr needed for renovation
Patiala, February 22 A three-member team of foreign experts today visited Qila Mubarak, the only fort built by a Sikh ruler. They said though the monument was in a dilapidated state, it could still be saved. While discussing methods to save the building from further damage, they said an amount of Rs 200 crore was required for restoration work. Scion of Patiala’s royal family Malvinder Singh accompanied the visiting team, which works under the name Icofort and is associated with the UNESCO. The team comprised Dave Bassett (representative of the Fortress Study Group of UK to the international fortress council), Margaret Urquhart (architect and conservation and UK based expert on fortresses and their upkeep) and another restoration expert Hans Smith.
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4 more villages under Kharar civic body
Chandigarh, February 22 Exercising his powers under the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911, Punjab Governor Shiv Raj Patel announced the commencement of the process to extend the municipal limits of Kharar under the ‘Schedule of Boundaries’. Importantly, those having any objections to the addition of new areas to Kharar council have been asked to write to the Principal Secretary, Local Governments, within a month. Confirming the development, a senior officer said, “The decision to add new villages had been taken a long time ago. There is a growing demand to include new areas within the municipal limits because of the burgeoning population growth in adjoining areas.” Ram Mehr, a senior citizen, said, “At least five villages were added before the last municipal elections held more than four years ago and the number of wards was to be increased to 19 from the existing 15. This led to a court case where it was decided that the municipal council elections should be held as scheduled. This led to a status quo and no new areas were added.” Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sukhjit Singh said, “The township limits need to be redefined in wake of the fast urban growth on all sides. Apart from the development that has resulted due to its proximity to Mohali and Chandigarh, the town, on its own, has witnessed a noticeable increase in the number of work opportunities and population.” Speaking on the development in the area, Rajpal Singh, a Human Resources manager, said, “The authorities need to keep their eyes open to sizable unregulated growth near the township, particularly the colonies. Going by their capacity of votes, most colonies might manage to get an entry into the council land.” He said, “Property prices will definitely go up once the areas were notified within the municipal limits. Among the real estate developers, there is talk that at least a couple more villages are likely to be added to the town’s municipal limits. ” Lax Authorities
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VAT collection in Punjab up by
Rs 2,300 crore
Patiala, February 22 The VAT collection for 2011-12 was Rs 12,223 crore. Sources confirmed the government was expecting to collect Rs 2,300 crore more in revenue as compared to last fiscal. With each passing year, the state government has seen considerable increase in their revenue collection through VAT. In 2009-10 the collection was Rs 8,284 crore which shot up to Rs 10,778 crore in 2010-11 and a further up to Rs 12,223 crore the next fiscal. “We have been on track so far this year and are hopeful to reach our target by March-end,” Punjab Excise and Taxation Commissioner Anurag Verma said. “The target for the next financial year will rise and our focus will be on computerisation in order to ensure maximum compliance of our anti-tax evasion policies,” Verma said. Officials in the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department said the VAT collection from petroleum products was above Rs 2,500 crore this fiscal. Of late, the state government has been critical of the Congress regime at the Centre for the hike in diesel and petrol prices but has kept mum on the consequent increase in revenue of the state through VAT and cess on petroleum-products. “Our collection from petroleum products is good but our taxes on diesel are one of the lowest in the country. However, we will collect somewhere in excess of Rs 2,500 crore this financial year,” said GS Gill, District Excise and Taxation Commissioner.
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Punjab transporters continue to pilfer steel
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 22 The local police has seized two trucks and arrested the driver, Balwinder Singh, taking the total number of such vehicles to 15 since December 10 last year, and recovered 105 quintals of steel. Sources said more than 100 trucks have been equipped with the special boxes. Senior Superintendent of Police Hardial Singh Mann said Kirandeep Khattar, resident of Khanna, in his complaint to Inspector Ramandeep Singh, CIA in charge, Sirhind, had loaded a consignment in truck no PB 11AR 8237 and dispatched the same to Mohali-based Wan Bindrawan Construction firm. The driver Balwinder Singh, resident of Wazir Nagar, Sirhind, stole 30 quintals of steel and sold it to Morinda-based scrap dealer Neela Kabadia. Mann said they have also arrested Ajay Kumar, resident of Ward no 16, Khanna, and seized 3 trucks fitted with the concealed boxes. The police recovered 10 quintal of steel. On December 10, the CIA staff of the Sirhind police had seized 8 such trucks and arrested two persons in the case. During investigation, it was revealed that a Khanna-based firm, owned by Lachman and his son Gurpreet, used to charge Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh to install the box. He said a search operation had been intensified to nab the other accused. Mann said the police had also arrested Baljinder Singh, resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, seized 3 trucks and recovered 20 quintal of steel. He said the truck drivers sold part of the consignment to Razak Mohammad and Aaseen Mohammad, both residents of Iklaha, Khanna. Mann further said a case under Section 407, 411, 420, 120B IPC has been registered against the accused and investigation in the case was on.
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PRTC’s bid for modernisation
Patiala, february 22 The team spent the last five days in the field, surveying all the 10 PRTC depots in Punjab, checked the stores, inventory and the condition of the buses. It also took feedback from a number of commuters. The team held discussions with DPS Kharbanda, Managing Director of PRTC, in this regard. Kharbanda is hopeful of getting the grant. If PRTC gets the grant it will be able to become a fully modernised State Transport Unit (STU). As of now, there are only six modernised STUs in the country. Kharbanda said the team was happy with the way PRTC overcame the losses it had been making for the last two decades. “Once we get the grant, we will set a benchmark for other STUs. We will also start the e-ticket process so that we can keep a close eye on our sources of revenue at any given moment. This will prevent the driver and the conductor from pilfering funds,” added Kharbanda.
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Army to tackle non-traditional threats in future: Experts
Patiala, February 22 Lt General Chachra laid stress on the growing relevance of the non-traditional threats in today’s security environment. He also spoke on the changing definition of security from traditional to non-traditional, and the significant role globalisation had played in bringing about this change. He said even the Army would have a major role to play in addressing these new non-traditional security threats. He gave the example of the Royal Thai Army that assisted the civil administration in controlling HIV-Aids. —TNS
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HC upholds pardon to DSP in custodial death case
Chandigarh, February 22 An NGO, Lawyers For Human Rights International, had moved the High Court on the basis of a news-item dated November 6, 2005, stating that two DSPs, undergoing imprisonment for custodial death, have been granted pardon by the Punjab Governor. The NGO, through counsel Navkiran Singh, had claimed that the Governor had not exercised his powers properly in granting pardon to Jaspal Singh and Swaran Dass. At the time of hearing, Navkiran Singh “fairly stated” that nothing wrong in granting pardon to Swaran Dass by the Governor was discernible from the records. Challenging the grant of pardon to Jaspal Singh, Navkiran Singh submitted that he was convicted for custodial death of Amrik Singh, when he was posted at Patran police station. He was convicted by Patiala Additional Sessions in 2001 and his appeal against conviction was pending in the High Court. But during the pendency of the appeal, he also moved a mercy petition for pardon before the Governor. It was stated that Jaspal Singh had remained in custody for 19 months, though his period of custody was only 14 months as he was on parole for five months. Dismissing the petition, the Bench observed that Jaspal Singh, in his representation, categorically stated that he had undergone incarceration “for a period of 19 months”. “We find that for the offence which he purportedly committed, he was convicted and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for a period of seven years. Therefore, whether he was in jail for actual period of 14 months or 19 months may not make much difference. “The record further shows that it was not the determinative factor which went into the mind of the Governor while exercising his power for pardon…. Suffice it to point out that the note (put up before the Governor) proceeds to record the onslaught which was faced by him while discharging his duties as DSP. It also mentions about his brave act in that capacity and the awards and medals which he was given for gallantry by the President. The record not only mentions the killing of his kith and kin at the hands of terrorists but also mentions his young age and he being the only bread winner in the family with two minor daughters and one son…”. Case file
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Dera chief may have to appear in court on April 6
Bathinda, February 22 The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) had moved the application two days ago, requesting six weeks' time to either make arrangements for video-conferencing of the accused or security arrangements for his personal appearance. The dera head was booked in May 2007 for allegedly donning an attire similar to the one worn by the Tenth Sikh Guru.
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Voters ‘lured’ with liquor Moga, February 22 There was a rumour that a canter carrying liquor cases was impounded by the police. But was later let off. Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner Rajwinder Kaur said a team of officials sent to investigate the matter had returned empty-handed. Adding that she had received several phone calls regarding distribution of liquor but all such reports were found baseless. She said the local police had seized 10 cases of liquor late last night. There were reports that both the Akalis and Congress activists distributed money among voters for liquor. The serial number of the notes were given to the ring leaders operating in localities and villages who, after verifying the number, supplied liquor to the voters. Reports of votes being purchased in Dalit localities could not be verified.
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Amritsar, February 22
