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SAD ‘party’ over, leaders told to work hard for LS elections
Efforts on to solve grain storage crisis, says Union Food Minister
Union Food Minister KV Thomas on his way to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Wednesday. Photo: Vishal Kumar |
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Non-bailable arrest warrants issued against Ludhiana SSP
Wedding function held on Patiala hospital premises
State to limit use of red
beacons atop vehicles
Security pruning leads to
withdrawal of 5,000 cops
Bajwa seeks special status for border areas
PPCC chief Partap Bajwa (second from right) with CLP Leader Sunil Jakhar (right), MLA Rana Gurmeet Sodhi (extreme left) and other leaders in Ferozepur on Wednesday. A Tribune photo
Consumers footing govt’s power subsidy bill
All is not well at ICP, alleges trader body
Verdict in Tytler case
SGPC seeks trial in fast-track court
1,140 pilgrims leave for Pak to celebrate Baisakhi
Sikh pilgrims leave for Pakistan in a special train at the Attari railway station on Wednesday. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Will write to PM on visa issue: MS Gill
IPL bug bites jail inmates, but match timings play
spoilsport
One killed in blast at junk dealer's
house
Verdict on petition
challenging Saini’s appointment today
Patiala ex-DC’s bail plea rejected in land scam
Youths beat up cops to free drug peddler in Moga
5.5 tonnes poppy husk seized
Drug haul case
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SAD ‘party’ over, leaders told to work hard for LS elections
Panaji (Goa), April 10 While gaps in the administration of the coalition government and ways and means to bridge these was the thrust of the conclave, the MLAs have been told that their performance in the parliamentary poll would be taken “very seriously”. The conclave has also helped the MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates to bond with the legislators and leaders of their respective constituencies. They are also likely to work with ministers who have been told to look into their problems and sort them out quickly. In another major decision, the SAD has asked all of its ministers to fan out in the districts as much as they can so that the problems of party workers and the people can be addressed much before the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The SAD has also decided to appoint coordinators for each district who will individually look into the problems of the cadre and give feedback to the senior leadership. It was also decided to have better coordination between the SAD-BJP top leadership as well as legislators and senior leaders of both the parties. SAD president Sukhbir Badal took the lead on the issue and even emerged as the de facto leader of the coalition. The BJP missed inspiring leadership at the summit and it was up to Madan Mohan Mittal, who has a good equation with Akali leaders, to keep the party’s flag flying. The discussions at the two-day conclave have convinced the SAD-BJP leadership that it must make decentralisation of powers to the states its poll plank in the parliamentary elections. Sources said this would be the only way to counter the Punjab Congress that was taking credit for development which it claims is being done through central schemes. Sukhbir said the coalition would stress that it was in fact being wronged by the Centre and would call for empowering states to spend funds as per their needs. Incidentally, Gujarat Chief Minister Narinder Modi has also spoken about the need to decentralise powers to states.
Over to Anandpur Sahib
The SAD is now gearing up for a meeting of party cadres at Anandpur Sahib on April 22 and 23. Sources said the top leadership would give the cadre feedback on “Vichar Manthan” conclave and take the bonding exercise to the grassroots level. Youth Akali Dal president Bikram Majithia said: “In every organisation, feedback and bonding as well as planning are very important. The Vichar Manthan has helped us achieve this amongst legislators. We will now take this one step forward at Anandpur Sahib”.
Directions at conclave
Grewal takes time off to remember martyrs
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Efforts on to solve grain storage crisis, says Union Food Minister
Amritsar, April 10 After paying obeisance at the Golden Temple, the minister interacted with senior officials of the Food Corporation of India and the state government officials and discussed various issues related to the onset of rabi marketing season. Considered foodgrain bowl of the country, Punjab is the highest supplier of both rice and wheat to the central pool. The procurement of wheat this year is expected to be around 175 lakh MT, about 12 LMT more than last year. With states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh emerging as major wheat-growing areas, the procurement of foodgrain has escalated multifold; the movement of stock from Punjab has also got affected due to this. “Still, we managed to move out or distribute the entire additional quantity of 100 lakh MT of wheat last year. The entire operation of procuring, storing and transporting the unprecedented scale of food stock was handled aptly with reduced incidences of damage or wastage of grain,” he said. The minister said there were proposals to establish ‘state of the art’ silos in states like Punjab and Haryana to store foodgrain. About the scant supply of gunny bales, the minister assured that necessary quantity of both jute as well as polypropylene bags will be made available to the state government well before time. It was Thomas’ second visit to the holy city after taking over the portfolio of food ministry, the first being in 2011.
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Non-bailable arrest warrants issued against Ludhiana SSP
Gurdaspur, April 10 Thirtyone-year-old hotelier Gurkirat Sekhon, alias Gikky, was allegedly done to death in front of his father Rajbir Singh Sekhon on April 21, 2011, in Jalandhar. The case had become an embarrassment for the SAD-led government as Gikki was allegedly murdered by former MLA Sarabjit Makkar's nephew Ram Simran Singh Makkar alias Prince Makkar, who was also a SAD councillor from Jalandhar. SSP (Vigilance) Satinder Singh is a witness in the case as he was posted as an SP in Jalandhar when the incident took place. Another police officer Sakattar Singh, who was the investigating officer in the high profile case, had sought exemption from personally appearing in the proceedings, citing official reasons. The court took cognisance of his application and granted him permission while at the same time Satinder Singh was issued the non-baliable arrest warrants. Karanjeet Singh, counsel for Prince Makkar, claimed that the SSP was adopting delaying tactics, unnecessarily prolonging the proceedings. The statement of Gurkirat’s father, Rajbir Singh, who is the main witness, has already been recorded. The statements of two dozen other witnesses have also been recorded in the court. All the four accused in the case - Ram Simran Singh Makkar, Amarpreet Singh Narula, Jasdeep Singh and Amardeep Singh Sachdeva - are lodged in the Gurdaspur Central Jail as undertrials. The FIR in the case was registered on April 21, 2011.
Delay tactics
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Wedding function held on Patiala hospital premises
Patiala, April 10 Since most staff members were attending the event, several patients had been ignored. The function continued till late into the night with loud music blaring and liquor flowing around, disturbing both doctors and patients alike. Sources said, the none had the permission to hold the function on hospital premises. Medical Superintendent DK Kaushik feigned ignorance on the matter and said, “I am not aware of any function. Please contact me tomorrow with an affidavit from the person who informed you about the function.” When this correspondent visited the spot late at night, a few doctors and some policemen were also seen attending the event. When asked about the incident, Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, said, “It is very unfortunate. I will ask Joint Director, Research and Medical Education, to look into the matter.” Later, Joint Director Research and Medical Education Dr AS Thind told the Tribune that officials did not have permission to organise a function on the hospital premises. “We will take strict action against the staff nurse and the Medical Superintendent for gross negligence,” he said.
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State to limit use of red
beacons atop vehicles
Patiala, April 10 The move comes following the Supreme Court’s observations that red beacons were being misused. Highly placed sources said those under the scanner included politicians having no constitutional post, lower rung policemen, board and corporation chairmen who are political appointees, bureaucrats, halqa in-charges and religious heads. "We will soon reduce the number of persons allowed to use red beacons. We will come out with an ordinance in this regard," said a senior officer. "Once cleared, the cabinet will issue a formal notification which will name individuals allowed to use red beacons by virtue of their post," he said. Additional DGP (Security) Dinkar Gupta said a decision in this regard might be taken soon. "A final decision will be taken in consultation with the Home Department and the transport wing," he said. A senior government functionary said Punjab had one of the highest numbers of VIPs using red beacons on their vehicles. "A majority of the leaders belonging to the ruling alliance, who hold no post or authority, have been using the facility to flaunt their status. The police has failed to curb the menace", he said. The Supreme Court has recently said beacons and sirens should only be used on ambulances and fire service, police and Army vehicles.
Welcome move
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Security pruning leads to
withdrawal of 5,000 cops
Chandigarh, April 10 Confirming the development, Dinkar Gupta, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Security, said of the withdrawn personnel, 1,200 PAP (Punjab Armed Police) constables had been sent back to police lines. He said they would be put through a refresher course before being deputed on routine policing duty. The police has withdrawn more than 1,000 Gypsies, an act that has saved the force both manpower and money. The orders were issued by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who is also the Home Minister. Among those who have had to witness a cut in their security cover are leaders of the ruling SAD, SGPC as well as the Opposition Congress. On the allegations of unfair pruning, Gupta said security was provided on the basis of threat perception to an individual’s life. “Can anyone question the need for security cover to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy Sukhbir Badal, DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, former DGP KPS Gill and Congress leader Maninderjit Singh Bitta? The pruning is a regular exercise carried out from time to time,” he said. The ADGP said “though there was no authentic data”, a perusal of records showed more security personnel were being provided to individuals these days than what used to be during the dark days of terrorism in late 1980s and early 1990s.
Khaira questions rationale Former Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira has been time and again questioning the rationale adopted by the state government for extending security to individuals. Alleging vendetta, he claims the government has been "using the police as a weapon to settle personal scores with Congress leaders". "When only one constable is provided to even judges of the High Court, why is Bibi Jagir Kaur, facing trial in a criminal case, enjoying 11 security personnel." He alleged security had been withdrawn from Congress leaders whereas SAD leaders had been spared of the pruning. He said SAD leaders Nirmal Singh Kahlon and his son Ravi Kahlon had 14 policemen and escort vehicles, Sucha Singh Langah had 11 policemen, Ranjit Singh Brahmpura had 10 policemen and Balwinder Singh Bhunder and his son Dilraj Singh had 16 guards.
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Bajwa seeks special status for border areas
Ferozepur, April 10 Bajwa was at Lakhoke Behram to address a district-level meeting of the party workers. The occasion saw the Congress leaders sparing no effort to make their presence felt. The meeting almost took the form of a rally as thousands of Congress workers turned up at the venue. The PPCC chief ridiculed the SAD-BJP regime for “not doing enough” for the border residents. He said he would soon take a delegation comprising Congress MPs and MLAs from the border districts of Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Amritsar to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to apprise them of their problems. Calling them as the “second line of defence”, Bajwa lauded the sacrifices made by the border residents during the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971. The PPCC chief also demanded that an amount of Rs 5,000 per acre should be awarded as compensation to the farmers having land holdings across the barbed wire fencing along the zero line. Lashing out at Akalis over the “deteriorating” law and order situation in the state, Bajwa condemned the firing incident at the Faridkot Medical College yesterday. Bajwa alleged that SAD leaders and workers were behind most of the criminal cases that had taken place in the state recently. The PPCC president also opposed the average 9 per cent hike in power tariff for all categories of consumers. “This is the first gift of the SAD-BJP government to the people after the much-hyped “Vichar Manthan” in Goa,” he said. He said the “SAD-BJP MLAs who went to Goa had only returned with rich experience of gambling in casinos”. CLP leader Sunil Jakhar said the state government should reveal the facts and expenditures that had contributed to the increase in the state debt. Guruharsahai MLA Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi alleged that the SAD-BJP government had brought the state on the verge of bankruptcy due to its erroneous policies and poor governance. Sodhi said the “government had not fulfilled any of the promises it made in its election manifesto and its leaders had only befooled the state people by building castles in the air”. Among others who addressed the meeting were Parminder Singh Pinki, Varinder Kataria, Charanji Lal Garg, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Malti Thapar, Mahinder Rinwa, Darshan Singh Brar, Satnam Kaur, Hans Raj Jossan and Inderjit Singh.
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Consumers footing govt’s power subsidy bill
Chandigarh, April 10 The commission has calculated the subsidy amount, which is to be paid by the state government, for the farm sector on the lowest tariff rate of Rs 4.25 per unit. Had the commission calculated the subsidy amount on the basis of the average cost of power supply (Rs 5.77 a unit), the government’s subsidy bill, which is pegged for the farm sector at Rs 4,778.13 crore for the current fiscal, would have gone up to Rs 6,268 crore. And if the subsidy for the weaker sections of the society is added to the bill, it would have shot beyond Rs 7,000 crore. The bill last year stood at Rs 4,608 crore. Apart from the state government, other consumers, including industrialists, shopkeepers and domestic consumers, would also have to pay from their pockets to compensate the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) for providing low-cost power to the farm sector. The largest burden, however, will have to be borne by the large-scale industrial units, which are charged at a much higher rate than the average cost of the power supply. Industrialists to feel the pinch
Large-scale industrial units pay Rs 1,063 crore as cross subsidy to compensate the PSPCL for providing subsidised power to farmers. The medium-scale industry has to pay Rs 160 crore and even the small-scale industry and commercial consumers and others have to pay some amount. In all, various categories of power consumers have to pay Rs 2,043 crore as cross subsidy to compensate the PSPCL for providing power to the farm sector and poor sections of the society. These categories have to pay tariff that is higher than the average cost of power supply. However, the commission has separated the agriculture feeders from the domestic and industrial feeders to make almost accurate calculation of the power supply units to the farm sector to rule out the possibility of showing inflated consumption in the farm sector. The PSPCL had projected the consumption in the farm sector at 12,029 million units. However, on the basis of separate feeders, the commission has calculated the consumption
of 11,221 million units and has allowed subsidy on the basis of it to the
farm sector for the current fiscal year. “Following separation of feeders for the farm sector, there are less power consumption figures in the farm sector,” said Romila Dubey, chairperson of the commission. High freight cost
But what is bothering the commission the most is the freight cost on coal. The coal is bought at Rs 1,480 per tonne from mines whereas the freight cost is around Rs 2,190 per tonne. After including freight, the coal costs Rs 3,670 per tonne to the PSPCL. Ultimately, this freight cost has to be borne by consumers. The fuel cost for the current fiscal will be Rs 4,440 crore. In case the system of freight equalisation is adopted by the Railways, the coal cost will come down by about Rs 1,300 crore, thus, leading to reduction in power tariff rates. Power Shock
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All is not well at ICP, alleges trader body
Amritsar, April 10 "There are complaints that local transporters demand Rs 15,000 or more for a faster movement of trucks to Pakistan," said the spokesperson. He said the other big issue was of unauthorised payment to the labour deployed at the ICP to handle import and export consignments. Chamber functionary Pardeep Sehgal said the handling of gypsum imported from Pakistan on tipper trucks did not require any labour, but the Centre Warehousing Corporation (CWC) charged Rs 137.50 per tonne even as the lifting of gypsum was done by mechanical fork lifters. "At present, 60 trucks arrive from Pakistan per day with a load of 35-40 tonnes. The charge has put an additional burden on the importers. The chamber has already brought this issue to the notice of the Central Government," he said. Similarly, large exporters who have the status of Star Trading House and Export Houses are exempted by the DGFT and the Ministry of Commerce from any kind of inspection by the Customs. But they are also made to pay huge labour charges. For perishable items, Rs 1,600 per truck were being collected by the CWC. The charges for soyabean extracts per truck are Rs 2,145. Traders are unable to bear these unreasonable charges. Jaspal Singh, a clearing house agent, said inadequate infrastructure like lack of storage space and concrete platforms for loose material like gypsum hindered the trade.
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Verdict in Tytler case
Chandigarh, April 10 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had exonerated senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler of his alleged involvement in the 1984 riots and filed the closure report in the Karakudam court. In a statement issued here today after his return from the Goa conclave, Sukhbir Badal said, “It is the first small victory for the thousands of riot victims in almost 30 years. The SAD has been able to defeat the nefarious designs of the Congress in giving a clean chit to the architects of worst ever massacre of Sikhs.” The SAD chief said despite being “indicted” by various inquiry commissions, Tytler and (Congress leader) Sajjan Kumar were “rewarded” by the Congress with various posts. “The Congress gave the party ticket for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections to the duo to indirectly send a message to riot witnesses that they should not depose against these leaders,” he said. Expressing concern over “using” a premier investigation agency like the
CBI as a tool to “exonerate culprits”, Sukhbir claimed that despite reservations by the then Joint Director (CBI), the agency went on to file a closure report in the case.
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SGPC seeks trial in fast-track court
Amritsar, April 10 “Now, the case is being reopened after almost three decades, which means it will take more time in the final decision. We want that the case be sent to a fast-track court so that justice is delivered to the victims without any further delay,” he said. Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh also welcomed the verdict, saying "better late than never". He hoped that the case would reach its logical conclusion. “Till now it has been a mere eyewash. The community had hopes of getting justice in the past too, but all of them were dashed,” he said.
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1,140 pilgrims leave for Pak to celebrate Baisakhi
Amritsar, April 10 The first train chugged out of the Attari railway station at 11.45 am while the second left at 4.10 pm. Among the Sikh organisations that sent the pilgrims to Pakistan were SAD (Delhi), Khalra Mission Committee, Nankana Sahib Sikh Yatri Jatha and Bhai Mardana Yadgari Kirtan Darbar Society. Pilgrims from other states like Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Maharashtra also left for the pilgrimage of historic gurdwaras in Pakistan. Sources said PSGPC (Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) chief Sham Singh greeted the pilgrims on reaching the Wagah railway station (in Pakistan). The pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda and Kartarpur Sahib before returning on April 19. Meanwhile, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said they will take up the matter of denial of visa to their jatha members with Pakistan through Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
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Will write to PM on visa issue: MS Gill
Chandigarh, April 10 Gill said he would write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to take up the issue with the authorities concerned to allow free access to Sikhs to their holy places in Pakistan. He said it was unfortunate that even after 66 years of Independence, Sikhs faced hassles in visiting their holy place (Nankana Sahib). The governments of both Indian and Pakistan should address this issue, he stressed. Earlier, the SGPC refused to send its jatha to Nankana Sahib keeping in view the denial of visa to a majority of the 1,400 Sikh pilgrims
by the Pakistan High Commission. The High Commission has, however, issued visas to the pilgrims who were part of the DSGMC jatha and other Sikh
organisations.
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IPL bug bites jail inmates, but match timings play
spoilsport
Ludhiana, April 10 Since the inmates can only watch TV from 9 am to 9 pm, they get to see only one inning of the match. The matches start at 7pm. Several nail-biting matches this IPL have smitten many a prisoner. They have even requested the jail authorities to allow them to watch matches till the end. Sources said a group of inmates had approached the authorities on Sunday to extend the timings till late. A television set has been installed at each of the 25 barracks of the jail, which houses over 2,600 inmates. “There has been a drastic change in the behaviour of the inmates ever since the sixth season of the IPL started. They have not been causing any trouble and been quietly returning to their barracks to watch the cricket matches,” said a jail official. Earlier, the jail had a centralised television set and only the state-run Doordarshan channels were shown on it. In 2011, the then Jails Minister Hira Singh Gabria had installed TV sets in every barrack of the central jail. The Jail Department, initially, showed DVDs of the latest movies to inmates but soon began relaying cable channels when they found the inmates glued to the TV. “I have received their request to extend the timings. The prisoners have assured that they would maintain discipline. I would take up the issue with my seniors,” said Central Jail Superintendent SP
Khanna.
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One killed in blast at junk dealer's
house
Sangrur, April 10 The incident took place when Tanuj
Kumar (26), scrap dealer's son, and Mohammad Raja, a servant, were
sorting the scrap. They were rushed to the local Civil Hospital from
where they were referred to CMC Hospital, Ludhiana. Tanuj died on the
way to Ludhiana. Harcharan Singh Bhullar, Senior Superintendent of
Police (SSP), said he had called explosive experts of the Army from
Patiala. The experts observed that the explosion took place due to
breaking open of a compressor of a fridge or an air conditioner, he
said.
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Verdict on petition
challenging Saini’s appointment today
Chandigarh, April 10 As the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain will convene Thursday morning, it will pronounce its judgment on a petition challenging his appointment. Just about two months back, the Bench had reserved the judgment in the matter after completion of arguments by the Punjab Government and senior advocate KN Balgopal. An NGO, “Voices for Freedom”, had initially challenged Saini’s appointment by filing a petition in public interest before the High Court on the ground that he was facing a trial for abduction and other offences. The petitioner had contended: “On the basis of allegations that Saini is involved in the abduction and physical liquidation of three persons sometime in the year 1994, this Court referred the investigation against him to the CBI. “After detailed investigation, it filed a report confirming the abduction and physical liquidation of three persons and accordingly chargesheet was filed and sanction was accorded by the competent authorities”. The petitioner contended one of the “questions of law of substantial public importance” was “whether a person, who is facing a trial before the CBI court for abduction etc can be treated as having very good record for the purpose of being appointed to the post of Director General of Police?” The matter was taken up suo motu after the Bench dismissed the petition. The Bench said it would pursue the case even as it dismissed a petition filed in public interest in the matter by the NGO.
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Patiala ex-DC’s bail plea rejected in land scam
Patiala, April 10 In a related development, a separate court accepted the Vigilance Bureau’s application to declare the two absconding accused in the case, NP Singh and Ravdeep Singh, as proclaimed offenders. Garg was allegedly instrumental in marking the government's 6,000 sq yards land situated on Grand Post Office Road, Patiala, as private property to allow its further sale. A probe by the then Divisional Commissioner SR Ladhar had indicted him for execution of the land sale deed of the plot estimated to be worth Rs 250 crore for just Rs 6.3 crore. Other than Garg, nine more persons have been named co-accused in the Vigilance FIR that was registered last year.
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Youths beat up cops to free drug peddler in Moga
Moga, April 10 A three-member police team, including an ASI and two Head Constables, from Ludhiana, was on their way to the city to produce him in a local court. Sona is facing at least six cases under the NDPS
Act along with a few criminal cases. Confirming this, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Toor said the policemen were not carrying any weapons with them and the assailants took advantage of that while releasing Sona. He said the police team and the under-trial came to Moga city on a bus. When they stepped out of the bus, at least 12 youths came on two vehicles, thrashed the cops and released the undertrial. They were beaten up just 50 metres away from the city police station. He said an FIR under Sections 224, 332, 337, 353 and 149 of the IPC had been registered against the smuggler and the youths who released him from police custody. Toor said he had constituted special teams of the local police and flashed messages to the neighbouring districts to set up special nakas to nab the culprits. “Investigation is on and we will nab them soon,” the SSP added.
Narrow escape
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5.5 tonnes poppy husk seized
Bathinda, April 10 The poppy husk consignment was hidden in a truck loaded with onions. The accused have been identified as Sucha Singh and Kuldeep Singh of Harike village in Tarn Taran district. The police was on the lookout for one Nishan Singh from Moga, who had allegedly supplied the money to smuggle the contraband. Jain said they had busted a notorious gang of drug smugglers with this arrest. The accused had been convicted for smuggling drugs earlier too. They had returned to the crime after spending ten years in jail. Jain said the accused had brought the contraband from Kishangarh in Rajasthan and had managed to pass several pole barriers in Rajasthan and Haryana. He said a special operation groups’ team, led by AIG Ajay Saluja, had laid a trap and nabbed the duo with the drugs.
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Drug haul case
Ropar, April 10 It was on March 7 that the police had recovered 26 kg of heroin, worth Rs 130 crore in the international market, from the house of an
NRI, Anup Singh Kahlon, in Zirakpur. Later, more contraband was seized and its value mounted to Rs 484 crore. Sixteen persons, including boxer Ram Singh, have been arrested so far while Olympian Vijender Singh has also been facing the heat in the case.
— TNS
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Amritsar, April 10
The government has initiated a process to limit the use of red beacons atop vehicles in the state.
DS Bains, Principal Secretary, Home, said the government would soon prepare a draft in consultation with the transport wing and the
IG, Traffic. "The proposal is to allow the use of red beacons only to those holding constitutional posts. The state cabinet will soon issue a formal notification in this regard," he said.
"There are complaints that local transporters demand Rs 15,000 or more for a faster movement of trucks to Pakistan," said the spokesperson.
Ferozepur, April 10
Amritsar, April 10
While the SGPC could not send its jatha to Pakistan due to denial of visa by its High Commission in New Delhi, around 1,140 pilgrims sponsored by other Sikh bodies today left for the neighbouring nation for celebrating the festival there in two special trains from Attari railway station.
Such is the craze of the Indian Premier League
(IPL) that even the walls of the city’s central jail reverberate with the inmates’ cheers whenever the ball is hit out of the cricket ground. However, the timing of the matches is proving to be a spoilsport for them.
Since the inmates can only watch TV from 9 am to 9 pm, they get to see only one inning of the match. The matches start at 7pm.
Several nail-biting matches this IPL have smitten many a prisoner. They have even requested the jail authorities to allow them to watch matches till the end.
Sources said a group of inmates had approached the authorities on Sunday to extend the timings till late.
The two-day conclave meant many things to different participants. Some remained engrossed in work, others took time off to go sightseeing while many were just content bonding with colleagues by the sea side. However, SAD leader and the Chief Minister's adviser, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, went on a mission of his own: to find the plaque commemorating the supreme sacrifice made by his maternal uncle during the liberation of Goa from the Portuguese in 1961. He spent a few moments to pay respects to his uncle Major Shivdev Singh Sidhu who was martyred while trying to free Indian prisoners from the central jail on December 19, 1961.