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Farmers of Muktsar village still in hiding, crops continue to suffer
Industrial policy mum on reviving co-op sugar mills
Recruitment record not available, admits Education Department
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Sidhu takes charge as Agriculture Commissioner
No shortage of fertilisers this paddy season
HC: Payment for works only on completion
Statues of national heroes in Pathankot face neglect
Names of 15 PPS officers cleared for promotion to IPS
Only medico-legal experts fit to do postmortem: Specialists
OPERATION BLUESTAR
Strong winds damage 2,500 power poles
Farmers pay for violating orders on paddy sowing
Traders urge Ranike to rein in Attari truckers
Patients protest as 4 docs at health centre shifted
Dera Beas chief visits Simranjit Mann
SMO accused of sexual harassment
FBI to track 'hate crime' against Sikhs in USA
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Farmers of Muktsar village still in hiding, crops continue to suffer
Mann (Muktsar) June 7 Three weeks after the incident, the village continuous to wear a deserted look. Male members of several families are in hiding.The standing cotton crop and paddy nurseries are dying for want of care. Several houses are locked. Protests by Pradesh Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa and Congress Working Committee member and former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar have not produced the desired results. Villagers claimed that encouraged by the visits of the Congress leaders and statements of senior police officers that there would be no witch-hunt, some of those on the run had returned home. However, fresh raids soonafter had forced them to flee once again. Harcharan Singh, a former member of the village panchayat, said 80 per cent of the residents owed allegiance to the Congress. Hence, the Akalis had unleashed terror on them. “We have spent Rs 1,000 or more per acre on seeds for developing a nursery of paddy saplings. But with the male members on the run, the saplings have died away,” he told The Tribune. Another resident Shiv Lal Singh also said he had suffered huge losses. Senior police officials maintained that the residents were “unnecessarily paranoid” and that they should cooperate in investigations. “Why will we name them in the FIR if they were not involved in the poll violence,” asked a senior official.The police, he said, had not made any fresh arrests. Of the 25 persons booked, only 10 had been arrested so far. Several vehicles were torched on May 19 after an alleged attempt to capture a polling booth. A case in this regard was registered on the complaint of an Akali worker. However, Congress leaders blamed “outsiders hired by the Akalis” for the violence.
police stand
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Industrial policy mum on reviving co-op sugar mills
Tarn Taran, June 7 A co-operative sugar mill in Sheron village, near here, is not operational since March 10, 2006. While the public sector mill went out of business, a private mill owned former MP Rana Gurjit Singh came up to fill the gap. As a result, this cooperative sugar mill, set up at a cost of Rs 16 crore in 1987, now houses birds and stray animals. The mill is spread over 96 acres and has a capacity to produce around 1,500 quintals of sugar every day. The mill was only public sector industrial unit in this border district. “The mill was doing fine and its employees had even got a 20 per cent bonus from its profits in 1998,” said Subhash Agnihotri, who was president of the mill’s employees union. Agnihotri alleged the mill went out of business because of mismanagement by senior officials and delay in payments to producers. The mill once had around 980 regular employees and it hired the same number of workers during peak season. He said though the employees had been given VRS in June last year, they were at a loss as they would not be able to find new jobs in their old age. The state government now plans to give the sugar mill on a lease for 35 years to some private entrepreneur. Sources in the Cooperative Department said around 75 per cent of the shares with the members had already been bought back and the process to give the mill on lease had started. ML Wadhwa, general manager (additional charge) of the mill, said: “The government has planned to revive it under the built own operate transfer system. The tendering process for the same will start soon”.
Not so sweet
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Recruitment record not available, admits Education Department
Fazilka, June 7 The Education Department finally submitted the affidavit to SIC Satinder Pal Singh after local resident Amit Kumar had filed an RTI application to seek information on the issue. The department is already under the scanner in the books scam. Amit Kumar had submitted the application on February 18, 2012, to the Secretary, School Education, Punjab, to find out how many headmasters were recruited directly through the C-DAC and how many were recruited on the basis of experience. Under the current procedure, only master cadre headmasters could have been recruited. But sources said the department had recruited teachers from other cadres also. When the department failed to provide the requisite information, Amit Kumar filed a petition before the SIC in November 2012. However, the SIC also could not get the information on the matter. During the fifth appeal, Public Information Officers of Secretary, School Education and DPI, submitted the affidavit (a copy of which is with The Tribune), stating they did not have a proper record of the people recruited. Satinder Pal Singh, SIC, in his orders observed, “It is strange that the file pertaining to the people recruited in 2006 could not be located either in the office of Secretary, School Education, Punjab, or in the office of the DPI (SE) Punjab. It is recommended that the Principal Secretary, School Education, Punjab, get the whole matter inquired.”
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Sidhu takes charge as Agriculture Commissioner
The new institution of Commissioner, Agriculture, had been created on the directions of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who wanted a dedicated team of officials to handle various tasks to usher in the second green revolution in the state, said Suresh Kumar, Financial Commissioner, Development. Dr Sidhu, who served as Director, Agriculture, from November 2004 to December 2011, besides holding the charge of Managing Director, Soil Conservation, was working as Adviser, Agriculture, Punjab. A postgraduate in water management and economics, Sidhu is a doctorate in rural development. He has also served as Managing Director, Milkfed. In future, only a professor from Punjab Agricultural University or any other such university with an experience of seven years, or an IAS officer with a degree in agriculture sciences with a minimum service of 14 years or an official in the rank of Director, Agriculture, with a minimal experience of three years, will be appointed as Commissioner. The profile of Punjab’s economy has changed significantly during the past three decades. At one time the share of the agriculture sector in the state economy was the highest. Now it is the lowest. For instance, in 1980-81, the share of agriculture and allied sectors in the State Gross Domestic Product (SGDP) was 49.5 per cent, that of industrial sector 18.47 per cent and the service sector 32.03 per cent. In 2010-11, the share of the agriculture and allied sectors came down to 24.14 and that of industrial sector rose to 30.88 per cent and of the services sector to 44.98 per cent. An estimated 60 per cent population living in rural areas is dependent on agriculture and allied sectors. To improve the income levels of the rural people, there is an urgent need to take steps to make the farming more lucrative.
Task ahead
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No shortage of fertilisers this paddy season
Chandigarh, June 7 It is learnt that as against a demand of 2.50 lakh tonnes of DAP in the state, the state already has stocks worth 3 lakh tonnes. Sources in Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) said the state had a surplus stock of almost 1 lakh tonnes from the rabi season. With the new stock of 2 lakh tonnes now reaching the distribution agencies in the state, Punjab would have a surplus of DAP, thus ensuring that the farmers get a steady supply of fertilisers throughout the sowing season. In case of urea, Punjab’s demand for the paddy season is 6.76 lakh tonnes. Urea too was stocked in February and March. Officials in IFFCO said urea was to be supplied in batches over a period of time. In the past, farmers in the state faced shortage of fertilisers every growing season. There were incidents of fertilisers being sold on the black market or being sold only when clubbed with expensive seeds. This time, better supply management has ensured that the farmers will be saved from such unscrupulous practices. The timely import of fertilsers has also ensured that farmers will not see sudden fluctuation in prices. Since the price of imported fertilisers is dependent on the exchange rate, farmers have been saved from costly imports when the rupee is at an all-time high of Rs 57 to a dollar. “Most of the fertilisers were imported when the rupee exchange rate was better. As a result, the price of both urea and DAP are the same as last year. DAP is available at Rs 23,500 per tonne and urea at Rs 5,166 per tonne,”said sources. Last year, the prices of both urea and DAP had gone up by 30 per cent.
Plenty of backup
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HC: Payment for works only on completion
Chandigarh, June 7 In the event of non-completion of works within the stipulated time, they will be liable to penal action, including prosecution. They have been asked to undertake to compensate the state for the loss caused due to non-completion of works, if completed by some other agency. They will also be liable for proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act, in case they violate the undertaking. The unique directions were made by Justice Mahesh Grover and Justice GS Sandhawalia came on a petition by Jhirmal Singh and other contractors through senior advocate Anand Chhibbar. Questioning the legitimacy of the work-allotting process, he asserted that the other official respondents had clubbed the projects to inflate the value of the intended contract. The contractors were now required to have an annual turnover of Rs 15 crore “in any financial year out of the last three financial years from 2010”. This harsh condition of an annual turnover of Rs 15 crore and 50 per cent of the tender value to be retained in the bank account had made the petitioners ineligible for participating in the e-tendering process, he insisted. Denying there was a move to benefit individuals or a category of individuals, the respondents, on the other hand, stated that “the works were of utmost importance to prevent flooding and were undertaken every year”. Taking up the matter, the Bench asserted: “We may have to deal with a situation where in the eventuality of the challenge mounted by the petitioners being accepted, the entire process would necessarily have to be revisited, resulting in undue delay in the execution of the works. “What has captivated our attention is the underlying urgency of the works in question and their relevance to the prevention of floods…. As an interim measure, the Bench directed: “None of the allottees would be released payment even after completion of works till a report is submitted by a team to be nominated by the Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee….”
None of the allottees would be released payment even after completion of works till a report is submitted by a team to be nominated by the Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee... — Justice Mahesh Grover & Justice GS Sandhawalia
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State SC Commission head visits family of deceased sarpanch
Nawanshahr, June 7 In his suicide note, he has named nine persons for pushing him to take the extreme step. The police has registered a case under the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes Act. Chaman Lal has said in his suicide note that he was hounded by leaders of the ruling party for backing the Sanjha Morcha candidate in the rural elections. Sanjha Morcha leaders allege that Inderjit, OSD of Chief Parliamentary Secretary Chaudhary Nand Lal, had threatened Chaman Lal that he would be implicated in an embezzlement case. They have been demanding that Inderjit’s name and that of the BDPO be mentioned in the FIR for issuing Chaman Lal a notice, asking him to get the record of utilisation of grants checked despite the fact that the audit of the same had been done. Sanjha Morcha leaders Ram Kishan Kataria and Shingara Ram Shahungra, senior CPM leaders Mahan Singh Rouri and Darshan Singh Mattoo, Parminder Meneka (CPI) and Shiv Raj Singh Palli apprised the State Scheduled Caste Commission chief of the circumstances leading to Chaman Lal’s suicide. Bagha said the commission would recommend a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the bereaved family and a job to one of its members. Later, Bagha held a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Tanu Kashyap and the SSP, Dhanpreet Kaur. Raj Kumar Verka, Vice- Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, had also visited the aggrieved
family. About suicide note
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Statues of national heroes in Pathankot face neglect
Pathankot, June 7 However, the authorities have failed to maintain these statues, which are now surrounded by grime, dust and bird droppings, defeating the purpose of which these were establish. To make the matters worse, the bust of Sardar Patel, located at Patel chowk on land owned by the Pathankot Improvement Trust, is perennially surrounded by banners and hoardings belonging to middle rung politicians. The statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi chowk is in a pitiable state. Dr Samrender Sharma, principal, SD College, said the bust came to life just once a year on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The civic authorities clean the statue as politicians come to pay tributes. However, once the occasion is over, things are back to square one,” remarked Dr Sharma. In contrast, the Army authorities recently installed statues of seven soldiers who died serving the nation at the Tank chowk. The busts are regularly cleaned and the area has now been converted into a tourist spot. “The local army authorities evince keen interest in maintaining the statues. People from nearby towns visit the area with their children regularly. Senior Army officers can be seen passing instructions to their jawans to properly maintain the busts,” said former minister Raman Bhalla, who is a regular visitor to the place. Meanwhile, there is resentment among residents over the poor upkeep of these memorials. “There are a number of safai sewaks on the rolls of the Municipal Corporation. But, they do not clean the statues. If the authorities cannot do this job, NGOs should be roped in,” claimed Karthic Wadhera, a resident. "Sardar Patel was a national hero and remained the Deputy Prime Minister of the country. The administration should form a committee to take care of these busts,” said
Wadhera.
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Names of 15 PPS officers cleared for promotion to IPS
Chandigarh, June 7 The names of three more officers have been cleared but the details are awaited. The state government had sent a list of 33 officers to the UPSC for consideration for promotion to the IPS cadre.
names cleared
Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Patiala SSP Hardyal Singh Mann, BS Rathore, Gurpreet Toor, Gurpreet Gill, Pawan Kumar Uppal, Surjit Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Amrit Brar, Harbhaj Singh, Charanjit Singh and Iqbal Singh
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Only medico-legal experts fit to do postmortem: Specialists
Patiala, June 7 They say that medico-legal work is in itself a speciality and these cases are supposed to be dealt with by doctors having a post-graduation degree in forensic medicine. Unfortunately, due to the non-availability of forensic medicine experts in district hospitals, these duties are being assigned to simple MBBS doctors or other specialists. This is resulting in poor quality of medico-legal services which ultimately affects the outcome of criminal cases. Speaking to The Tribune, Dr DS Bhullar, former state president of the Punjab Academy of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology and now chairman, Young Doctors Forum of IMA, Punjab, said that post-mortem examination in India was generally conducted only in legal cases and that MBBS doctors are not properly qualified enough to handle such cases. “Since the court decides on evidence - immaterial of whether it has been given by a specialist doctor or an MBBS one - often defence lawyers take advantage of the lack of knowledge of non-specialist doctors,” he said. Due to the non-availability of forensic medicine specialists in district hospitals, bodies from far-off districts are referred to state medical colleges at Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot. This causes a lot of inconvenience to the public and delay in post-mortem examinations resulting in the loss of crucial evidence in some cases. Referrals of bodies puts extra financial burden on the state exchequer as the state government has to shell out money to pay travelling and daily allowances (TA/DA) to the experts visiting the courts for giving evidence in such cases. Therefore, seeking posting of forensic medicine specialist doctors at all district hospitals, IMA (Punjab) has sent a memorandum to Dr Raj Kumar Verka, vice-chairman of the National Commission for SC/ST. In its meeting dated September 25, 2012 with the chairman, National Commission for Schedule Castes, the Directorate General of Health Services, Government of India, had suggested minimum requirements in mortuaries at all district hospitals in India, but to no avail. IMA (Punjab) has already submitted a memorandum to Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, Vinni Mahajan in this regard but nothing has been done so far.
Poor substitution
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OPERATION BLUESTAR
Amritsar, June 7 Addressing a gathering, Taksal faction head Baba Ram Singh announced that they would make a documentary which would portray the Sikh struggle from 1978 till date. Earlier, the faction had supported the move to engrave the name of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in the memorial building during its meeting on May 24. It had also demanded that a list of names of all those killed in the army operation should be put up at the memorial. It had also urged the SGPC to set up a committee of intellectuals so that history could be properly presented at the memorial so that future generations could draw inspiration from it. The programme to mark the Operation Bluestar anniversary at Sangrawa was also attended by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and former Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti.
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Work on lawyers’ chambers gets under way
Ferozepur, June 7 Earlier, continuing with its effort to develop the complex further, District and Sessions Judge Fatehdeep Singh yesterday kick-started the construction work for raising 45 lawyers' chambers on its premises. Rajinder Monga, former president of the Guruharsahai Bar, said that the construction of the lawyers' chambers would help them do their work in an effective manner. Monga said that keeping in view the rise in the mercury level, the Sessions Judge has also commissioned a new water cooler on the court premises for the general public. This was another step towards providing better amenities. Suvinder Singh Sidhu, founder president, Ram Singh, president, Ashok Kamboj, secretary of the Bar, and several other practicing lawyers also appreciated the ongoing efforts for the development of this court complex in the border district.
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Strong winds damage 2,500 power poles
Patiala, June 7 Power supply to many villages in the state was disrupted and even after the passage of a day, it could not be restored in some villages. Sources in PSPCL said that around 97 per cent power supply has been restored, but these strong winds just before the paddy season have caused heavy losses to the corporation. The worst-affected was the southern zone of PSPCL. Chief engineer of southern zone Harnek Singh confirmed that around 1,000 poles were damaged and 200 transformers were affected in his zone.
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Farmers pay for violating orders on paddy sowing
Ropar, June 7 Ropar District Agricuture Officer Lakhvinder Singh Hundal said to avoid further depletion of ground water, the farmers had been directed to sow paddy on or after June 10. A notification in this regard was issued on April 26 last year. He pointed out that the water table was declining at an alarming rate with farmers drawing excessive groundwater through bore wells for irrigation purposes. A study of the water table levels in 137 blocks conducted by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) had found 103 blocks as "over-exploited", five "critical" and four "semi-critical." Experts had time and again advised farmers to transplant paddy only after June 10 to prevent a high moistur content. Punjab Agriculture University scientists had also appealed to the farmers to cultivate late varieties of paddy for maximum yield and low moisture content. Hundal said he was informed that Raghbir Singh of Rasulpur village in Morinda and Harbans Singh of Beli village near Ghanauli had sown paddy. An inspection team found that paddy was sown by them on nearly two acres of land each. They were issued a warning not to repeat the offence, Hundal added.
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DSGMC told not to raise memorial to riot victims
New Delhi, June 7 The notice has warned that any violation of the direction would invite imprisonment with a fine of Rs 5,000, said Manjit Singh (GK), president of the
DSGMC. Manjit Singh, along with a delegation of senior leaders, visited the Director, NDMC, and expressed anguish over the government move to prevent the construction of the memorial. In a statement, Manjit Singh said the foundation stone for the memorial would be laid by the five known Sikh personalities. “We do not expect justice from the government. In 2012 the MCD had given the DSGMC permission to construct a memorial in a park. But the Delhi Government did not allow this to happen. Again the Congress Government in Delhi has pressurised the NDMC to prevent the raising of the memorial though it is to be constructed within the gurdwara premises.” He said the memorial would be constructed legally and “if we are stopped from doing so, we will come face to face with the Delhi Government,” he warned. SGPC flays Delhi Govt’s move Amritsar: The Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak committee (SGPC) has flayed the Delhi Government’s move to stop work on the memorial being raised in memory of the 1984 riots victims at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib. Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC chief, said legal recourse should be taken, if possible, to pave the way for the construction of the memorial. — TNS Another act of injustice, says SAD Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday condemned the Delhi Government for not allowing a memorial at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib. In a statement, SAD secretary Daljit Singh Cheema and Chief Minister’s adviser Maheshinder Singh Grewal said by deputing the police to stop work on the memorial the Delhi Government had committed another excess on the Sikh community. Since the memorial was to be raised within the gurdwara, no permission was required from the Delhi Government for the same, they maintained. They accused former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Paramjit Singh Sarna of being hand in glove with the Congress, as was evident from his statement that the Sikhs killed in the 1984 riots could not be equated with martyrs. Cheema said the SAD would finalise its next course of action in consultation with the DSGMC. — TNS
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Traders urge Ranike to rein in Attari truckers
Amritsar, June 7 A spokesman of the Confederation of International Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CICCI), said if the truckers continued to create hurdles in trade, they would approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The spokesman said the traders had been giving a lot of business to the local truck union despite having to pay 15 per cent higher freight rates. He said they had been hiring 75 to 80 per cent trucks from the local union. Some big traders were giving work to the Attari truckers to the tune of crores annually. The CICCI asked the minister to implement that agreement put on board during a high-level meeting in April 2013 wherein all stakeholders, including the truckers’ union, had decided to run the trade in a smooth manner without any glitches. Earlier this week, a strong police force was deployed at the Attari ICP to ensure that there was no hindrance in the trade between India and Pakistan. At least 150 policemen led by two DSPs were deployed at the check post following reports that the truckers were likely to create a ruckus at
Attari.
Simmering tension
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Patients protest as 4 docs at health centre shifted
Sangrur, June 7 Except Dr Karan Singh, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of the CHC, no other doctor was reportedly present on the premises. The protesters also locked the gates of the CHC and chemists near the CHC closed their shops for
some time. When contacted, Dr Karan Singh said all four specialist doctors of the CHC, Dr Parveen Markan (paediatrician), Dr Kesar Singh, Dr Aneesh (both surgeons) and Dr Kuldip Singh (orthopaedic surgeon) had been transferred. Assistant Civil Surgeon (ACS) Dr Pardeep Chawla also confirmed the same. Barring the SMO, the CHC did not have any other doctors working there for the time being. Parshotam Phaguwala, a patient, said a large number of patients had been waiting for the doctors at the CHC and when no one turned up, they held
the protest. Phaguwala said they would hold a massive dharna in front of the centre on Monday if the government doesn’t post a few doctors at the health centre soon.
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Dera Beas chief visits Simranjit Mann
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 7 Sources said Mann was not present at his residence as he had gone to attend the 'bhog' of the mother of one of his party workers at Talania. After receiving information about Dhillon's visit, Mann immediately returned to the house. The dera chief stayed at Mann’s residence for about an hour. The agenda of the meeting could not been known. Mann said that it was a private visit and had nothing to do with politics in the state. He said the dera chief had come to explain about the renovation of three gurdwaras near the Beas. He said that they earlier had differences with the dera over the demolition of the three shrines, but his party had been able to convince the dera authorities about the renovation of the shrine. He said he would visit the dera after Dhillon's return from the UK. He said that now there was no dispute between his party and the dera. However, political analysts termed the meeting as important in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
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SMO accused of sexual harassment
Sangrur, June 7 The inquiry will be conducted by Sangrur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gurpreet Singh Dhindsa. SSP Mandip Singh Sidhu said the nurse, posted at CHC, Longowal, in her complaint said the Acting SMO sexually assaulted her after calling her to his house on the pretext of looking into a complaint against her. Sidhu said a deputation of the nurses met him this evening and apprised him of the incident, besides demanding action against the Acting SMO. He said the inquiry committee would include Sangrur DSP, a male govt doctor and a female govt doctor. The report is to submitted by Sunday. Further proceeding will be initiated thereafter, Sidhu added.
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FBI to track 'hate crime' against Sikhs in USA
Amritsar, June 7
The newly constituted American Sikh Congressional Caucus had raised the matter with the FBI. The American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC) today congratulated the Caucus as its proposal was accepted. In a press statement issued here, AGPC President JS Hothi and coordinator Dr Pritpal Singh thanked Caucus members,
especially Judy Chu, the co-chair, for their concerted efforts to raise the matter.
— TNS
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Chandigarh, June 7