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SGPC, Damdami Taksal on collision course
Sarabjit’s death to dominate House session |
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Schools closed, town observes bandh
Govt: Permanent jobs for Sarabjit’s daughters
Another undertrial dies in jail
Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad elections
Panchayat body poll
Chidambaram ‘purposely’ put off meeting with CM
Gurdaspur sees five SSPs in 13 months
Handloom units high on revival hopes
New energy policy soon, says Sukhbir
NREGA: Ferozepur has most pending complaints
Fraud by travel agents: NRI panel issues notice to Home Secretary
Lecturers allege bias in job extension
13-yr-old raped by teacher
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SGPC, Damdami Taksal on collision course Amritsar, May 2 Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, Golden Temple head granthi Giani Mal Singh and SGPC executive member Rajinder Singh Mehta were also present during the deliberations. Sources said Makkar raised an objection to Taksal’s move to dedicate the memorial to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and engraving his name at different points while terming it as “a direct interference” in the SGPC affairs. He said the boards and the marble on which his name had been inscribed should be removed. Talking to The Tribune, Makkar said they would not tolerate any intervention in the SGPC functioning. He said the SGPC was in charge of the memorial’s management and it would be run as per the ‘maryada’ of the Golden Temple, which was a symbol of communal harmony and peace. On the other hand, Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa has opposed any such move. He said they had strongly resented the SGPC plan to remove the board with Bhindranwale’s name. He said the SGPC had been warned not to tamper with the memorial. He warned that if any such move was initiated, it may cause a “division in the community, for which the SGPC chief will be responsible”. He said they will present a memorandum to the Akal Takht Jathedar on May 6, urging him that the memorial’s history should not be distorted. He said the Sant Samaj and Nihang outfits would take out a march from Chowk Mehta and reach Akal Takht in the form of a procession on May 6. He said there was widespread resentment in the Sikh Sangat over the SGPC’s move to remove the wall clock having Bhindranwale’s photograph. He alleged that Makkar’s attitude at a meeting held earlier was “dictatorial”. The Taksal chief has called a meeting to decide the future course of action over the suggestions being given by the SGPC. Though the meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere, no decision could be reached about the contentious issue. The opening of Operation Bluestar Memorial on April 27 here had sparked a row after it came to light that the Taksal had dedicated it to Bhindranwale. The SGPC cried foul play contending it was kept in the dark about it. The Taksal had inscribed Bhindranwale's name on six spots, besides putting up a wall clock with his photograph. In a damage-control mode, the SGPC had turned around the 'golak' with his name on it and also removed the wall clock. However, his name is still intact on five plaques outside the memorial.
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Sarabjit’s death to dominate House session
Chandigarh, May 2 A meeting of the SAD-BJP alliance today passed three resolutions. One of these resolutions demanded that responsibility be fixed for the failure to secure Sarabjit’s release. Another was on the “collusion’ of the UPA Government with the CBI to “deny justice” to the 1984 riots victims and the third expressed gratitude to political parties for jointly building pressure on the UPA Government forcing it to withdraw wealth tax on agricultural land. The government has decided to limit the special session to paying tributes to Sarabjit as well as former minister RC Dogra. The discussion on the Centre’s role in “failing” Sarabjit will be taken up while paying homage to him. Dr Daljit Singh Cheema ,SAD spokesperson, said since party legislators were keen to attend Sarabjit’s cremation at Bhikhiwind tomorrow, the session was likely to be a short one. The SAD is likely to make the cremation an anti-UPA show. The stage for tomorrow’s agenda was set by Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal this morning. He told Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar that since the reason for calling the session had already been addressed, the House was likely to pay only tributes on the occasion. Jakhar expressed his disappointment at the turn of events, saying the House could have “thanked” the Union Finance Minister for withdrawing wealth tax. Similarly, the SAD-BJP alliance could have explained the rationale behind imposing property tax as well as the increase in power rates. Jakhar said the Congress wanted to discuss the issue of withdrawal of Rs 3,200 crore on the last two days of the financial year 2011-12 as revealed by the Comptroller and Auditor-General. Jakhar said he asked the Speaker why the ruling alliance was afraid of a debate on important issues but failed to get a satisfactory reply. He suggested that the Chief Minister should take with him two Congress representatives to attend Sarabjit’s cremation to ensure all parties were represented on the occasion.
sad-BJP meeting
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Bhikiwind plunges into sorrow
Said 62-year-old Mukhtiar Singh, Sarabjit’s cousin: “The house was razed and reconstructed at the instance of Vaastu Shastra proponents. But the exercise proved to be futile.” With Sarabjit’s family in Delhi, hundreds of mourners thronged outside the house. “Sarabjit was implicated by the Pakistani authorities on frivolous grounds. He could not have been a spy. Nor could he have been involved in a bomb blast as alleged by Pakistan,” said his childhood friend Manjinder Singh (50), his voice choked with grief. “We were brought up together. We studied in the same class, from the primary level till Class X. We had attended each other’s weddings in the eighties. Nobody could have
known him better than me,” he said. A farmer by profession, Manjinder Singh said Sarabjit worked with him as a farmhand. “He was multi-talented and would repair and service the tractor he used to till the land,” he recalled. He claimed Sarabjit strayed into Pakistan during his visit to Awan village that is located close to the border. "That fateful evening, he consumed liquor and went for a walk. Those days, there was no barbed fencing and he inadvertently crossed the prohibited line. We learnt about the incident two months after his disappearance when news came that he was in Pakistan’s
custody," Manjinder Singh said. Another childhood friend Lakha Singh recalled Sarabjit as a fun-loving person and delighted in raising rare species of pigeons. “These pigeons were fed on a diet of almonds and nuts to prepare them for participation in rural games. I remember Sarabjit in a black kurta pyjama, his favourite outfit.” Satnam Singh said Sarabjit was well-built and would participate in wrestling bouts at the local akhara. Sarabjit’s nephew Bachchittar Singh said India should now expose Pakistan at the international level. “It is the least we expect from our leaders who should have the courage to admit that my uncle died because of poor diplomatic efforts,” he said.
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Schools closed, town observes bandh
Bhikiwind, May 2 The protesters, who raised slogans, carried Sarabjit’s pictures. Some criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for “not doing enough” to rescue Sarabjit. Surinder Singh said: “The authorities in Pakistan conspired to get Sarabjit killed as India remained a mute spectator. Had the Indian Government acted on time, Sarabjit would have been amidst us today”. Amarjit Singh recalled how anticipating Sarabjit’s release, the town broke into celebrations in June last year. “Today, the town is shrouded in grief. We could have never imagined that he would meet such a tragic end,” he said. Satnam Singh said: “What Pakistan has done is cowardly. But India’s failure to get its citizen freed is deplorable too”. Cabinet Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Virsa Singh Valtoha addressed a gathering. Ranike said had the Centre put pressure on Pakistan to send Sarabjit to India or another country for treatment, his life may have been saved.
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Govt: Permanent jobs for Sarabjit’s daughters
The Chief Minister spoke with Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur and expressed solidarity with the family. He announced a financial assistance of Rs 1 crore to the bereaved family. The government has announced that Sarabjit’s two daughters will be given permanent jobs. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa described Sarabjit’s death as a “cold-blooded murder”. He met the bereaved family at Delhi and assured them that the Pradesh Congress would extend all possible help to the family. Bajwa claimed the Congress and the UPA Government had used all diplomatic channels to secure Sarabjit’s release. “He was expected to be released but for the unfortunate attack inside Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail.” He condemned the Pakistan Government for failing to protect him and appealed to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to take up the issue of safety of Indian prisoners with Pakistan. In a hard-hitting statement, former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh described Sarabjit’s death as an “officially decreed cold-blooded murder.” Claiming that Sarabjit was “lynched”, he alleged the attack on the Indian prisoner was executed and authorised by the Pakistan Government. The Punjab BJP today held a condolence meeting to pay homage to
Sarabjit. Party state president Kamal Sharma alleged that Sarabjit had met this end only because the UPA Government at the Centre had failed to give a strong answer to Pakistan’s “inhuman acts.” “The Prime Minister should take responsibility for this,” he added.
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Another undertrial dies in jail
Police sources said the 27-year-old prisoner, Inderpal Singh, was found lying unconscious this morning. He was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared brought dead. The jail officials ruled out any foul play. A board of doctors conducted a post-mortem of the body and sent the viscera for a chemical examination. The sources said the possibility of a foul play in the prisoner’s death could not be ruled out. Though there was no external injury on the victim’s body, the exact cause of death could be known from the post-mortem report, they said. All efforts to contact jail officials proved futile. Jails Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur did not respond despite repeated calls on his phone. The incident comes within days after tension prevailed in Faridkot jail over the death of an inmate in the last week of April. In fact, three inmates had died within a week’s period at the (Faridkot) jail, following which the rest of the prisoners had taken to violence, which left seven jail personnel injured. Subsequently, the police had booked 13 inmates for arson and rioting on the complaint from Jail Superintendent JP Singh. A doctor had even hinted at the use of some lethal drugs by the deceased as they were shifted to the hospital in a highly critical condition. The police had conducted a search operation under the supervision of an SP-rank officer and jail staff. The officials searched all barracks in the jail and seized several banned drugs and used needles. Rampant use of drugs and intoxicants came to light after some senior doctors and inquiry officers had visited the jail. Some inmates said they had easy access to drugs, but at an exorbitant price. Visiting doctors had said there might be high prevalence of diseases like Hepatitis-C and HIV among the jail inmates as the use of a single syringe to induce drugs was common among them. Doctors felt the sudden rise in number of deaths in the jail might be due to the use of adulterated drugs. The thighs and lower limbs of one of the deceased were highly punctured due to incessant intra-muscular use of syringe to induce drugs, said the doctors.
Case file
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Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad elections
"It is an understanding of the Sanjha Morcha constituents with Congress leaders at the local level. But there is no electoral tie-up," said Manpreet Singh Badal, chairman of the morcha. He said the morcha was keen to mark its presence in these elections. "But the task of adjustment of seats with other parties has been left with the local leaders," he said. Senior CPI leader Dr Joginder Dayal said as local issues dominated in these elections, Sanjha Morcha leaders at the district level had been given a freehand to have an understanding with Congress leaders. Dayal said besides Sangrur and Mansa, there would be adjustment of seats in certain sub-divisions of Patiala and other places where the morcha had a significant presence at the local level. The Congress has left certain seats in Mansa, Patiala and Sangrur for the Sanjha Morcha. Will this adjustment lead to a larger electoral understanding in the Lok Sabha elections? There was no response to this question from the Sanjha Morcha leaders, although one leader said in case of good outcome of this adjustment in these elections, it could certainly lead to a tie-up in the Lok Sabha elections. Pradesh Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa has already hinted at an
electoral adjustment with likeminded parties in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.
the understanding
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Panchayat body poll
Ropar, May 2 Anouncing the names of candidates for Nurpur Bedi panchayat samiti elections, Cheema said Gurdeep Kaur would contest from Garbagha zone (SC women) as a SAD candidate. Others who got party the ticket were Numberdar Satnam Singh (Bajroor zone), Raj Kumar Mankoo, Abiana Kalan (reserved) zone, Kuljinder Singh Lalpura (Takhtgarh zone), Harket Singh (Barwa), Manohar Lal, Kartarpur (BC), Piara Singh, Singhpura (SC), Avtar Singh Bhaini, Thana, and Mohinder Kaur from Dumewal zone. The BJP candidates Om Dutt Sharma, Master Meet Ram, Rana Sharma, Santokh Singh Jhaj, Harjinder Kaur will contest from Takhtgarh,Jhandian Kalan (SC), Nurpur Kalan (women), Jhangrian and Kahanpur Khuhi zones, respectively. For Rupnagar panchayat samiti elections, Amar Singh Ghnaula, Master Joginder Singh, Udham Singh Chak Dheran, Manjit Kaur, Jagtar Singh Jagga, Hardev Singh, Baldev Singh, Surinder Singh Mianpur, Gurpal Singh Kheri, Satwinderjit Kaur and Madhu Chopra will be candidates from Sirsa Nangal (reserved), Daburji, Laudi Majra, Ghanauli (women), Ladal, Khwaspura, Magror, Thauna, Bindrakh (SC), Purkhali (SC women) and Mansoohan Kalan zones respectively.
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Chidambaram ‘purposely’ put off meeting with CM
In a statement here, Harsimrat said the state government had approached Chidambaram repeatedly after farmers started getting notices from the income-tax authorities, asking them to deposit wealth tax. "We have phone records to prove our point," she said, adding it was unfair of the Finance Minister to claim the Punjab Government had not approached him. She said Chidambaram, who did not give an appointment to the Chief Minister despite requests, agreed to meet Badal only after his speech on the issue in Parliament. Harsimrat said the Centre's claim that no wealth tax was being enforced on farmers was also not true. She said when party MP Naresh Gujral raised the matter in Parliament in 2008, Chidambaram had said in his reply that the government was aware that wealth tax was being enforced in the country. She said farmers in Punjab had been receiving notices to deposit wealth tax since 2006. Recently, two farmers got notices regarding attachment of their land due to non-payment of wealth tax. It was unfortunate that even Pradesh Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa had tried to mislead the people by claiming that wealth tax notices were rumours started by the SAD, she added.
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Gurdaspur sees five SSPs in 13 months
Gurdaspur, May 2 The district has five former MLAs and ministers who have been designated as halqa in charge. Officers blame them for the frequent transfer of police officers. An
SSP, who did not want to be identified, claimed that it took a couple of months for an officer to understand the working of the local force. “By the time the officers settle down, they are shifted at the instance of various halqa in charge. This not only affects the morale of the force but also gives criminals and drug traffickers a chance to step up their activities,” he said. In March last year, the city was on the boil following the death of a Sikh student in a clash. The then
SSP, Varinder Pal Singh, was shifted allegedly at the instance of the Sikh clergy to appease Sikh radicals.The Pathankot
SSP, SK Kalia, was given additional charge for a fortnight after which Ravcharan Brar was posted as police
chief. Brar earned the displeasure of an area in charge, a former Cabinet Minister, after he sent a written complaint to the Inspector-General (Border) against two officers believed to be close to him. Brar was transferred to
Kapurthala. His successor Raj Jit Singh Hundal was at the helm of affairs for eight months till he reportedly developed differences with the BJP Dinanagar halqa in charge. At the SAD’s Goa conclave, the area incharge reportedly complained to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal that his “orders were not being implemented by the
SSP.” Two days later, Hundal was transferred despite the fact that the SSP’s sister, Sukhjit
Kaur, is an MLA from Dasuya. Kalia was again given additional charge. During his fortnight’s stay, he took to task drug traffickers and pharmacists. He was divested of the charge and was replaced by Sukhwant Singh Gill, who joined today.
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Pak Hindus eager to settle in India
Amritsar, May 2 Talking to The Tribune, Poonam, a resident of Jacobabad, who came along with her family members, said she was heading to Indore where her brother stayed. She made no bones of her intention to stay back in India, although she had arrived on a three-month tourist visa. She said she would like to make India her home by getting married to an Indian citizen. Another woman Kiran, who also hailed from Jacobabad, said she too would like to get married in India. When asked about the reason behind it, she said they don’t have much liberty in Pakistan where women mostly have to stay indoors. Moreover, she said the girls belonging to Hindu families did not get much education. “We can’t think of studying beyond Class 10,” she said, adding there was a world of difference in the mindset of the people living in India and those in Pakistan.
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Handloom units high on revival hopes
Within the textile industry, it is this sector which accounts for a large portion of employment, of which the participation of women in both the weaving and related activities is quite significant. “The handloom industry is growing. All thanks to the modern designers who are using hand woven material in garments and home furnishings. Right from bed spreads to coasters and table linen, hand woven stuff is making waves,” said a handloom unit owner. The handloom industry’s morale got a boost when it was able to avail benefits of schemes started for the textile industry. Among others, the mill gate scheme has helped many handloom units face competition. Under this scheme, handloom operators get yarn at subsidised rates, which is up to 10 percent less. Besides, they can avail the benefit of the health insurance scheme at a nominal cost, as a major part of the premium is paid by the Centre. Identity cards have been issued by the District Industries Centre (DIC) to handloom operators so that they can avail benefits of all the Central Government schemes. "All benefits are available to the handloom operators if they have identity cards. Besides other benefits, there is a provision of raising credit at lower interest rates,” said an official of the DIC. “The central schemes helped us sustain our business. The mill gate scheme proved beneficial. The handloom sector is slowly emerging from a bad phase after its demand in the fashion world started increasing. Now, we have customers in India as well as abroad,” said Abdul Sheikh, a handloom unit owner at Ludhiana. “The handloom industry was in a sorry state of affairs due to the arrival of automated machines. The government too did not pay attention at the earlier stage. Panipat today is a hub of the handloom industry, having a huge export market. The industry in Punjab should have been developed on the same lines,” said Harinder Singh, a weaver from Amritsar. “The trend is slowly setting in and we are perhaps getting ready for another revolution. The current scenario indicates that handlooms are here to stay,” said a worker engaged in the wooden inlay handicrafts at Hoshiarpur.
Schemes for sector
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New energy policy soon, says Sukhbir
Chandigarh, May 2 Speaking at the “Samridhi” conference here today, Sukhbir said: “We are giving finishing touches to a new energy policy of the state aimed at meeting the increasing power demands of every sector for at least next 25 years”. He claimed the three upcoming thermal plants would take care of the state’s power demand of the next 10 years. Speaking on the investment promotion policy, the Deputy CM said its launch had been postponed because he was going into the minutest details to make it an effective instrument. He said: “With transparent and paperless taxation procedures, the state has been able to increase VAT collections from Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 16,000 crore. We have a target to collect Rs 40,000 crore in the next three years without raising the rate of tax”. Reiterating his resolve to bring down the GSDP to debt ratio to 24 per cent, he said: “We have been able to bring down this ratio from 46 per cent to 30 per cent. We will further reduce it to 24 per cent by next year”.
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NREGA: Ferozepur has most pending complaints
Muktsar, May 2 A majority of the complaints are related to the payment of wages, funds used in an improper method and corruption in purchasing stationary. The official figures procured from the Department of Rural Development revealed that a maximum 23 complaints were lying pending in Ferozepur district. The next is Muktsar district with 16 complaints and on third place is Patiala district with 15 complaints pending. Kapurthala district has 12 such complaints while Ludhiana has six. Tarn Taran, Bathinda and Jalandhar have five complaints each. Hoshiarpur has three pending complaints whereas Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali have two complaints each. Among the districts having one pending complaint each are Amritsar, Barnala, Moga, Faridkot, Nawanshahr and Sangrur.
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Fraud by travel agents: NRI panel issues notice to Home Secretary
Chandigarh, May 2 A spokesman said the NRI Commission had taken suo motu cognisance of reports published in newspapers regarding the fraud with the 13 youths, who had to return from Iraq. The commission spokesman said one of the youths, Jagdeep Singh, had still been held a hostage by armed assailants in West Asian as his family could not arrange Rs 50,000 to secure his release. Travel agents Parminder Singh, Sunil Kumar and Saheb, with their office in the Rama Mandi area, had sent these youths to Iraq in exchange of Rs 15 lakh and promised them jobs, he said. “The promises were not kept and the youths were forced to spend tense days in a foreign country.” The family, he said, was in the possession of a video clip showing the youth in the captivity of the goons armed with lethal weapons. The travel agents are absconding and their offices are locked up, the spokesman added.
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Lecturers allege bias in job extension
Chandigarh, May 2 “Whereas all other departments have been giving extension to their employees without showing any reservation, the Education Department is dilly-dallying in the case of lecturers,” he said. The state government had earlier issued directions that no department would discriminate with any employee seeking extension in service post-retirement.
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13-yr-old raped by teacher
Ludhiana, May 2 On returning home in the afternoon, the victim reported the matter to her parents who informed the police. The accused has been booked under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code. The police is yet to arrest him.
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Bhikhiwind (Tarn Taran), May 2
Chandigarh, May 2
Patiala, May 2
Chandigarh, May 2
Chandigarh, May 2
Ludhiana, May 2