B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Carving new colony on sugar mill land puts PUDA in a fix
Faridkot, July 8
In a classic case of biting off more than one can chew, Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) is facing an embarrassing position a month after it invited applications for the allotment of 428 freehold residential plots in one of its newly carved colonies in Faridkot.

86-year-old does Abohar proud, wins 3 gold medals in national veterans’ meet
Abohar, July 8
Creating a history of sorts in the region, 86-year-old Joginder Singh has won three gold medals in the five-day 34th National Masters Athletics Championship that was organised recently at Bangalore jointly by the Master Athletics association of Karnataka, Master India Meet and Master Athletics Federation of India.

Joginder Singh, escorted by his son in law Gulshinder, displays the medals won by him in veterans’ meet. Photo by writer

Post-poll violence continues in Ferozepur district
Ferozepur, July 8
Though the panchayat poll is over in the state, its reverberations in the form of incidents related to post-poll violence is still being felt. The spate of post-poll violence has continue unabated in the district as at least 52 persons have been booked during the last few days in as many as 13 criminal cases which have been registered in this connection till now.

Criminals making use of godown sheds to escape from police
Abohar, July 8
An alert family in Model Town foiled an attempt to burgle their house during the wee hours forcing the miscreant to jump from the rooftop. The family then inquired from the staff on emergency duty at the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital as to whether someone with injuries had been admitted. Receiving a confirmation, the family informed the police and the miscreant, Raju of village Kalian in neighbouring Sriganganagar, was nabbed.

1 killed as car turns turtle
Abohar, July 8
A day before she was to take maiden flight abroad Sukhdev Kaur (65) of village Goluwala was killed and her daughter along with a servant were injured seriously as a tyre of the car by which they were traveling busted on Sadulshehar-Abohar road.

Carving new colony on sugar mill land puts PUDA in a fix
Balwant Garg/TNS

Faridkot, July 8
In a classic case of biting off more than one can chew, Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) is facing an embarrassing position a month after it invited applications for the allotment of 428 freehold residential plots in one of its newly carved colonies in Faridkot.

Days before PUDA started the process of alloting the plots, the agency came to know that 137 acres of land, earmarked by it for the colony, could not be transferred to PUDA as a dossier of litigation was enmeshing the land.

The land, embroiled in controversy, belongs to the cooperative sugar mill (now closed) in Faridkot. Six months back, the state government decided to hand over this 137 acres of prime land, situated on Kotkapura-Faridkot road, to PUDA. After planning a residential colony on this land, the PUDA invited applications for the allotment of plots on June 3 this year.

But some days back, PUDA came to know that the ownership of this land could not be transferred in its name as there were already many financial encumbrances. In many cases, the courts had attached the land due to non-payment of the purchase price by the state government to many farmers for the land acquired way back in 1988.

In a latest case, a judicial court in Faridkot attached the land of the sugar mill on February 8, after a farmer, Gurdial Singh, revealed to the court that he was not yet paid the purchase price of his land which the state government acquired in 1988 to establish a sugar mill.

“The sugar mill started and then closed. Now, PUDA has carved out a residential colony on this land but I’m still waiting for the price for my land which was acquired by the state government in 1988,” regretted Gurdial Singh.

In January, 2013, the Sugarfed Punjab wrote to the revenue department in Faridkot to transfer the ownership of this land in PUDA’s name but the revenue department was not able to transfer the land ownership as it had many financial encumbrances.

Until a land is free of all financial encumbrances, its mutation can’t be changed in the revenue record. Moreover, in the present case, besides the many encumbrances, the sugar mill land was attached by the courts for non-payment of purchase price to the farmers, said a senior revenue official in Faridkot.

Though PUDA is applying pressure on us to change the ownership, we are helpless due to legal obstacles, he said.

The PUDA authorities claimed that an amount of Rs 29 crore was deposited in Faridkot treasury to clear all pending encumbrances on this land. But there were no specific directions to the district treasury for the disbursal of the payment. Therefore, the Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, has now written to the Sugarfed and PUDA to be specific.

However, pending this confusion, many farmers have demanded that the state government restore their acquired land. "In the last 25 years, the state government could not pay us the price of Rs 25 per square yard for our land but now, PUDA is selling this land for Rs 9,000 per square yard," farmers wrote in a letter to the Financial Commissioner, Revenue, Punjab.

86-year-old does Abohar proud, wins 3 gold medals in national veterans’ meet
Raj Sadosh

Abohar, July 8
Creating a history of sorts in the region, 86-year-old Joginder Singh has won three gold medals in the five-day 34th National Masters Athletics Championship that was organised recently at Bangalore jointly by the Master Athletics association of Karnataka, Master India Meet and Master Athletics Federation of India.

Born on January 18, 1917 at Baghapurana, Joginder Singh had been staying with his daughter Jaspal Kaur and son-in-law Gulshinder Singh Jassal. Joginder Singh started participating in the 33rd Punjab Veterans Athletic meet held in 2010 at Mastuana Sahib in district Sangrur and won gold medals in track and field event, javelin and shotput.

Sharing his experience, Joginder Singh said he walks two kilometres daily besides doing regular practice under the guidance of his coach Gulshinder Singh who too had won many silver and bronze medals in veterans' meets held in Rajasthan and Chandigarh. Joginder Singh’s daughter Jaspal Kaur had won 17 gold, silver and bronze medals in athletics meets organised at different places in Punjab and Rajasthan.

“Entry into the Guinness Book of World Records is my aim. I will leave no stone unturned to achieve the goal," said Joginder Singh. He wants the state government to promote sports sincerely at the school and college level since it would not only create sports persons but also put a check on the drug menace that clouds the state of five rivers.

Post-poll violence continues in Ferozepur district
Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, July 8
Though the panchayat poll is over in the state, its reverberations in the form of incidents related to post-poll violence is still being felt. The spate of post-poll violence has continue unabated in the district as at least 52 persons have been booked during the last few days in as many as 13 criminal cases which have been registered in this connection till now.

“The polls have generated immense acrimony among the warring groups within the villages,” said a former Sarpanch belonging to SAD, adding that it will take lot of time for the scars to heal.

Police sources said that every day, numerous complaints were being received at various police stations regarding the ugly scuffles due to post poll vendetta.

Yesterday, five persons were booked in village Ramewala. Besides eight others were booked in Kamagar on the charge of attacking those who did not vote for a particular candidate during the polls.

On Saturday, 19 persons were booked on similar charges in Fatehgarg Gehri, Chak Nidhana, Joyiawala and Lahera Bet in the district. Another 14 persons were booked in village Mohrewala on the charge of firing at the house of the rival candidate.

Even the DC office has been flooded with representations and complaints related to booth capturing, rigging, corrupt practices and polling of bogus votes in the aftermath of the elections.

Ironically, many of those aggrieved belong to ruling SAD. “My family has been serving the Akali Dal for generations,” said Nachattar Singh of village Mohkam Bhatti, whose wife Parminder Kaur unsuccessfully contested the elections for the post of sarpanch.

Nachattar alleged that the polls were rigged by Sukhdev Singh whose men resorted to all kinds of unethical practices to win the contest. “I was slapped and humiliated at this age and even the women accompanying us were not spared by the hooligans belonging to the rival camp,” he added.

Official sources said Nachattar’s was not an isolated case as several representations have been received in the DC office related to such malpractices during the polls.

Criminals making use of godown sheds to escape from police

Abohar, July 8
An alert family in Model Town foiled an attempt to burgle their house during the wee hours forcing the miscreant to jump from the rooftop. The family then inquired from the staff on emergency duty at the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital as to whether someone with injuries had been admitted. Receiving a confirmation, the family informed the police and the miscreant, Raju of village Kalian in neighbouring Sriganganagar, was nabbed.

In another incident, a minor boy, identified later as Krishan of village Jatkheri in Rajasthan, made an unsuccessful attempt to snatch the bag carrying cash from a local businessman as the latter stepped out of the PNB. In both the incidents, the suspects reportedly revealed that their families had taken shelter at the railway godown sheds here. — OC

1 killed as car turns turtle

Abohar, July 8
A day before she was to take maiden flight abroad Sukhdev Kaur (65) of village Goluwala was killed and her daughter along with a servant were injured seriously as a tyre of the car by which they were traveling busted on Sadulshehar-Abohar road.

As per information, Sukhdev Kaur was coming to meet another daughter in village Kala Tibba before leaving for New Delhi to board a flight. Her daughter Kirandeep Kaur (30) who was on the driver seat reportedly lost control over the car as a tyre busted and the vehicle over turned thrice in the road side field near Heena Resorts. Dr Mahesh Gupta who attended to the three said Sukhdev Kaur had died, Kirandeep Kaur and servant Mangi Lal (40) have been referred to Sriganganagar as their condition was not stable. — OC