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Displaced during Op Bluestar, traders yet to be
rehabilitated
Gurjit Singh Bhola, an affected trader, now runs a small shop in Amritsar. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Diversification: Armyman-turned-farmer shows the way
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Teachers threaten to go on hunger strike from Aug 5
CJ to judicial officers: Prioritise cases of aged, differently abled
Anti-incumbency has lost relevance: Sukhbir
Akali leaders felicitate Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal in Ludhiana on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan
Protesting state’s ‘anti-people’ policies
Akali Dal announces organisational poll
Power purchase
Jaundice fear grips Phillaur village
Old buildings threat to lives of Bassi Pathana residents
Some of the old and dilapidated buildings that date back to the Mughal era in
Bassi Pathana. Tribune photos
Ropar spent maximum under MGNREGA
SGPC nod to preservation of historic 'birs'
Now, Akalis out to monopolise
entertainment industry: Cong
Govt staff may get 2-yr service extension
Actor Jimmy Shergill gets relief in defamation case
HC: Retain only officers of integrity post-retirement
Court: Only state can decide on facilities for
Sidhu
HC seeks report on Moga acid attack
Notorious smuggler held with opium
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Displaced during Op Bluestar, traders yet to be
rehabilitated
Amritsar, July 17 These traders have been fighting a legal battle for their rights for the last three decades during which around 40 of the total 133 traders died. Some of them died after contracting diseases during adverse circumstances prevailing after the tragedy while some committed suicide in view of their deteriorating financial condition. For instance, Rajinder Singh, who owned two shops of artificial jewellery in Shaheed Market, allegedly ended his life by jumping into the sarovar at the Golden Temple in 1993. His wife Manjeet Kaur then took to stitching work to bring up her two sons and a daughter. His sons — Surinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh — frame photographs to earn their living. A section of these traders are leading the life of penury and barely manage to earn two square meals a day. For instance, physically challenged septuagenarian Daljeet Singh moves on a tricycle in the narrow lanes of the city, selling undergarments to eke out a living. Daljeet Singh ran a wholesale shop of "kara" and "kangha" before the Army operation in 1984. Akin to the shopkeepers near Jallianwala Bagh, these traders too ran their businesses from rented shops in three markets — Shaheed Market, Thara Sahib Market and Bazaar Muniara — prior to the Operation Bluestar. After toiling hard for almost 28 years their effort finally bore fruit last year when the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the allotment of an alternative place for their rehabilitation. The HC had issued directions for the allotment of land near Jain Temple on the GT Road. The government will also extend them aid for constructing shops each measuring 27 sq yards. Gurjit Singh Bhola, an affected trader, said though they were ready to move to the new location, they should be allotted land as per the Galliara Scheme under which they should be extended concession. "We have seen our near and dear ones dying while struggling for justice. Our young generation too was deprived of proper education. The allotment of land may heal our wounds to some extent, but cannot make us forget the pain and suffering we underwent in the last three decades," he added.
In dire straits
Some relief
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Diversification: Armyman-turned-farmer shows the way
Amritsar, July 17 Awarded the Prof NG Ranga Award for Diversification in Agriculture by President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday, Major Manmohan Singh Verka owns farms and orchards at Phirwarya, Talabpura, Kassowal and Saharan villages in the district. “Among orchards, I have kinnow on 17 acres, litchi on 9 acres, pears on 24 acres, besides peaches and plum as fillers on 8 acres. Besides, I have poplar trees spread over 67 acres in which I do inter-cropping with sugarcane, maize and turmeric in initial years,” he said. He makes judicious use of water by resorting to drip irrigation on 25 acres of his farm and underground pipes on 100 acres. He became the first farmer to take water pipes for his farm across the Ravi. He also ensures that pesticides are used in his farms as per the recommendations of the Punjab Agricultural University and the Horticulture Department. Major Verka says he has been a keen agriculturist since his teenage when he used to help his grandfather in the fields. He didn’t lose touch with farming even during his 21-year service in the Army. He took premature retirement in 1990, but started full-time farming only in 1998. Right from the beginning, he was inclined towards horticulture. He began farming with a 25-acre orchard and since then, there has been no looking back for this Armyman-turned-farmer. Today, Major Verka owns 125 acres of land, out of which, he has sown fruit on 50 acres and poplar tree on 65 acres and wheat and paddy on the remaining area. He is all set to produce turmeric on a commercial scale next year. He is also engaged in seed production of wheat, which he supplies to the Punjab Seed Corporation. He supplies vegetable seed to the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi. Major Verka says, “At present, Punjab has horticulture farms on 50,000 acres of land, a figure which the government intends to increase to 2 lakh hectares. It is possible only when the horticulturists are provided with export avenues and processing facilities. When it comes to sugarcane, the farmers will cultivate it only when they know they will get timely payments for their produce. As far as maize is concerned, the government first needs to have dryers at all the tehsils in the state." His venture has also acted as a model farm for fellow farmers, as he organises various group meetings and discussions by arranging resource persons from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The state departments of horticulture and agriculture have also organised farmer training camps at his farms in the past.
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Teachers threaten to go on hunger strike from Aug 5
Aided schools face an acute shortage of teachers and almost 50 schools are on the verge of closure. Anil Bharti, member of the state-level action committee, said if the government does not issue the notification, 21 teachers would sit on a hunger strike in front of all district headquarters from August 5 till August 9. Throwing light on the advantages of the merger, science Master Tarsem Singh from Hoshiarpur said the provident fund of employees at aided schools, which was close to Rs 200 crore, could be utilised by the government. “The government is bound to implement the decision of the Supreme Court to fill all vacant posts in both government and aided schools. If it goes through with the merger, it would be able to fill the 1,000 vacant posts in aided and government schools in one go,” he said. Jagmohan Lal Bansal, district president of the union, said at present only 4,300 posts of the sanctioned 9,450 posts were filled in 484 schools across the state. At several schools, even the post of principal is lying vacant. There are around 15 schools in the state where not even a single teacher is serving. Over 24 schools have closed in the past few years. “Moreover, the system of grant-in-aid is time consuming and employees don’t get their salaries for months together. As of today, teachers have not received their salaries since March 2013,” said Bansal.
— Tarsem Singh, Science Master
Punjab Education Minister Sikander Maluka and Anjali Bhawra, Principal Secretary, Education Department, could not be contacted. However, one of the senior functionaries of the department, on condition of anonymity, said the government had not yet taken a decision on the merger. Aided schools were set up in 1967, when 508 private schools of Punjab were brought under the Delhi grant-in scheme pattern by Sardar Lachhman Singh Gill, the then Chief Minister of Punjab. Under this scheme, the government sanctioned 9,468 posts of teachers (9,215 permanent and 253 part time) and began paying 95 per cent of their salary. The remaining 5 per cent was to be contributed by the managements concerned. However in 2003, the then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh banned new recruitments.
In dire straits
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CJ to judicial officers: Prioritise cases of aged, differently abled
Chandigarh, July 17 Chief Justice Kaul asked the judicial officers to be proactive in their approach for a speedy and time-bound clearance of pending cases. He asked the legal luminaries to sensitise the public for availing the services of Lok Adalats for getting quick and timely justice. Chief Justice Kaul also called upon the judges to clear all the cases based on domestic violence and atrocities on women on a priority basis. He also asked them to put on the priority list cases relating to children, senior citizens and differently abled persons. The Chief Justice was of the opinion that most of the cases could be disposed of by mutual consent of the parties, thus relieving the courts from the burden of pending cases. During the course of interaction, the judges referred to shortage of public prosecutors, and described it as major hurdle in faster disposal of cases. The interaction is significant as 11.51 lakh cases are pending in the district courts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The High Court’s annual report for 2012 indicated that 913 judicial officers were working in the district courts of Punjab and Haryana as on December 31, 2012, compared to 735 on January 1, 2012.
IAS officer’s arbitration order set aside
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today set aside an order issued by IAS officer SR Ladhar. He had suspended his own arbitration awards due to non-payment of arbitration fee by National Highway Authority of India. The Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih also rejected the affidavit filed by the Union of India on norms for computing arbitration fee payable to Ladhar for arbitration work. The Bench imposed Rs 10,000 costs for “wasting the time of the Court” by filing an affidavit, which did not answer the questions posed by the High Court in May 8 orders. The Bench also asked the Secretary, Union Transport Ministry, to file a personal affidavit. The Bench, during the proceedings, came down heavily on the Union Ministry of Transport for filing an affidavit under the signatures of Regional Officer, Chandigarh. The Bench, in orders dictated in open court, observed the affidavit should have been filed under signatures of the Secretary. The Bench observed: “Just two letters have been attached with the affidavit, instead of answering the questions posed by the Court…. This is wastage of the time of this Court”. The amount is to be recovered from the officer concerned.
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Anti-incumbency has lost relevance: Sukhbir
Ludhiana, July 17 Speaking on the occasion, Badal reiterated the benefits of the development projects initiated by the SAD for Punjab in general and Ludhiana in particular. Emphasising that anti-incumbency factor was
no longer relevant to Indian politics, he said the electorate was keen to see progress and development. Development (of the state) is high on the agenda of the Akali Dal, he claimed. The Deputy Chief Minister flayed the United Progressive Alliance Government for its "poor economic policies" and accused it of playing the communal card. On the occasion, four Municipal Corporation councillors, Ludhiana Dyeing Industries' Association president Ashok Makkar, who owed his allegiance to the Congress, along with some other people who claimed to be the office-bearers of the local unit of the Congress and the PPP, switched over to the Shiromani Akali Dal. Sukhbir said he visualised Ludhiana as the future business hub of the country. He said he had
segregated development works, totalling Rs 2,499 crore, for Ludhiana into two phases. In the first phase to be completed in next one year, the Akali Dal planned to provide 100 per cent water supply and sewerage network connectivity, besides concrete roads in all the localities.
Chinks to fore in SAD The Deputy CM's felicitation programme was the District Akali Jatha Ludhiana (Urban) chief and former minister Hira Singh Gabria's show. Gabria's bête noire MLA Simarjit Singh Bains and his brother Balwinder Bains were conspicuous by their absence. Simarjit, when contacted, said, "I do not attend any programme organised by Gabria. Neither does he attend any programme that I organise." Harsimrat takes on Cong Bathinda: Expressing concern over the deteriorating financial status of the country and the falling rupee, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur on Wednesday said the nation was heading towards an economic crisis.
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Protesting state’s ‘anti-people’ policies Poonam Kangra, general secretary, Punjab Youth Congress, on Wednesday protested against the “anti-people” policies of the SAD-BJP government by pulling a cycle rickshaw in Sangrur.
She alleged unemployed youths were committing suicide due to faulty policies of the government. She said power scenario was getting worse with people facing unscheduled cuts
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Power purchase
Amritsar, July 17 The delegation comprised Ali Ahmed, power adviser to Pakistani Punjab Chief Minister, engineer BK Syal and Naved Mehmood. The delegation held a meeting with the officials of the Power Grid Corporation of India who had arrived from Jammu.
Though the officials are tightlipped about the meeting, sources said the delegation was here to find out whether power could be transmitted to Pakistan from Bala Chak power grid, which comes within the jurisdiction of the Union Government. At present, this 400 KV power grid at Bala Chak is supplying power to Khasa and Varpal villages, both of which are located on the Amritsar-Attari road. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited officials were also present at the power grid, though they were not part of the deliberations between the two sides. Sources said if power has to be supplied from this grid to Pakistan, it will have to be overhauled and new power stations will have to be set up. Power Grid Corporation of India official Sunil Aggarwal said he could not share the details about the meeting. In cities like Karachi, Lahore, Mardan, Multan and Swat in Pakistan, people have hit the streets in protest against the long cuts ranging from 12 to 16 hours. The phenomenon has also affected its economy. The power shortage in the neighbouring country has surpassed 3,200 MW mark.
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Jaundice fear grips Phillaur village
Phagwara, July 17 Phillaur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Jasbir Singh along with a team of officials today visited the village. Hundreds of villagers gathered to air their grievance. They maintained that mixing of drinking water with sewer led to the problem. The SDM said the panchayat had provided about 400 water connections by installing two submersible pumps in the village eight years ago. The work was not done in a proper manner which caused the mixing of drinking water with drain water. The SDM instructed the officials of the Water Supply Department to increase the level of submersible pipes. He also told them to send water tanks twice a day to provide clean drinking water to the residents. Water samples were also taken to check contamination. The villagers told the SDM that three residents recently died due to cancer while three others were undergoing cancer treatment. Though the SDM ruled out any link between cancer and jaundice, the matter is being studied. Jasbir Singh also initiated a medical check-up camp under the supervision of Dr Satish Sood to examine all the residents of the village. Meanwhile, Health and Family Welfare Minister Madan Mohan Mittal announced free medical treatment of jaundice patients in government hospitals. He said he had cautioned the Local Bodies and the Water Supply and Sanitation Departments to initiate preventive measures to check water borne diseases.
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Old buildings threat to lives of Bassi Pathana residents
Bassi Pathana, July 17 Recently, students had a narrow escape when the balcony railing of one of these buildings at
Motewala Chowk suddenly collapsed. The buildings date back to the British or Mughal era and have not been repaired by their owners. A random survey in the town showed that despite the dangers of living in these buildings, several people were staying there.
Jaspal Singh and Ashok Tulani, local residents, said they had taken up the issue with the MC authorities several times, but to no avail. They said the buildings were located in the main markets of the town and posed a danger to people in the vicinity. They said most people who owned the buildings had migrated to other cities and did not care to repair these. MC president Raman Gupta said after the recent incident, the council had convened a meeting of the MC engineers. He said the engineers had been directed to hold a survey and notices were issued to the owners to either repair or demolish the buildings that were in a dilapidated condition. Gupta said strict action would be taken against those owners who do not comply.
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Ropar spent maximum under MGNREGA
Muktsar, July 17 Some districts, however, have spent more than 50 per cent of the available funds with Ropar spending 76.03 per cent, Bathinda 64.91 per cent, Muktsar 61.69 per cent and Mansa 55.52 per cent. Other districts have also performed better. These include Faridkot that utilised 48.51 per cent of the funds, Fatehgarh Sahib 40.86 per cent, Fazilka 39.19 per cent, Mohali 35.73 per cent, Gurdaspur 31.87 per cent, Nawanshahr 24.51 per cent, Moga 21.14 per cent, Kapurthala 17 per cent and Tarn Taran 15.2 per cent. The official records further revealed that against the total funds of Rs 8,661.51 lakh, only Rs 2,172.57 lakh had been spent in the current financial year. The MGNREGA aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Use of money
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SGPC nod to preservation of historic 'birs'
Amritsar, July 17 He said they would discuss the issue with conservation expert SP Singh from New Delhi and if needed, these ‘birs’ would be preserved in a digitised format. He said the SGPC panel had completed its probe into the thrashing of bureaucrat KS Pannu in Uttarakhand and the report had been submitted to the Akal Takht for further action. He said the SGPC would extend all possible aid to the Uttarakhand flash flood victims, for which they had allocated Rs 1 crore. The SGPC has also written a letter to PM Manmohan Singh and Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal to curb the instances in which either the photographs of Sikh gurus were being tampered with or derogatory language was being used against them on social networking websites.
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Now, Akalis out to monopolise
entertainment industry: Cong
Stating the incident was another example of the ruling regime’s “goondaraj”, Congress spokesman Sukhpal Khaira alleged that the SAD-BJP government had already captured the entire cable business in the state and now had started to monopolise the entertainment industry. “After launching a film production house, which has come out with its first Punjabi film, the senior Akali leader is pressurising the owners of cinemas and multiplexes to run maximum shows of that particular movie,” said Khaira. Earlier, the Congress had been accusing the Akali Dal of monopolising the sand, liquor and cable businesses, a charge denied by the latter.
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Govt staff may get 2-yr service extension
Chandigarh, July 17 By coming up with a one-year service extension in November last year, the state government had put off its liability worth Rs 400 crore regarding payment of provident fund, gratuity and other dues to the employees concerned for the remaining period of the previous fiscal year. The number of government employees, including those of boards and corporations, is around 4.50 lakh. About 4,000 employees retire every year. At the time of retirement, the government has to pay them provident fund and gratuity dues besides monthly pension. There will be certain riders attached to the extension. Employees will have to give an undertaking that they would not withdraw their provident fund and gratuity till they are on the pay rolls. They will not get any increment during the extension period, but will be entitled promotion. By giving the extension, the government will put off its fiscal liability of around Rs 1,600 crore or so regarding provident fund by two years.
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Actor Jimmy Shergill gets relief in defamation case
Chandigarh, July 17 Arpinder Singh Sidhu, a young advocate practising at Moonak Civil Court, had filed a complaint against Shergill and others accusing them of defaming the lawyers’ profession in Punjabi flick “Taur Mittran Di”. Acting on his complaint, Moonak Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate had issued summons on October 27, 2012, for defamation and other offences. Challenging the order, counsel Kanwalvir Singh Kang contended that baseless allegations had been levelled to harass and malign the petitioners’ impeccable image. He said the complainant had referred to an isolated scene to make out a case. The entire scene was a comic sequence hovering around talks over matrimonial alliance between a girl and a boy, where reference was made to the lawyers. Kang asserted the conversation in the scene was blown out of proportion due to the complainant’s subjective interpretation. Otherwise, the movie was a family entertainer certified for theatrical release by the Central Board of Film Certification. He added a film comes into being after a complex collaboration of artistes of various skills, including scriptwriters, actors, and musicians; dancers, costume designers, make-up artistes; cameraman, choreographers and directors.
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HC: Retain only officers of integrity post-retirement
Chandigarh, July 17 A Division Bench of the High Court, in fact, minced no words to say: "The retention in service beyond 58 years is only for an officer, who is an asset to the institution". The assertion, by the Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Fateh Deep Singh, came on a petition filed by former judicial officer Chaman Lal
Mohal. In his petition against the High Court of Punjab and Haryana and another respondent, Mohal had challenged the order dated February 19, whereby he was prematurely retired from the Haryana Superior Judicial Service on attaining the age of "more than 58". Promoted as Additional District and Sessions Judge in February 2008, the petitioner had contended that he was retired prematurely, although most of his annual confidential reports gave him "B-plus" or "good" grade. He added during his stint at Yamunanagar in 2011, his disposal was the maximum. But "B (Integrity doubtful)" was recorded in his ACR. Subsequently, the Full Court downgraded the ACR with "C (Integrity Doubtful)". Taking up the matter, the Bench referred to a Supreme Court judgment. The Bench said: "Judicial service is not a service in the sense of an employment as is commonly understood. Judges are discharging their functions while exercising the sovereign judicial power of the state. "Their honesty and integrity is expected to be beyond doubt. It should be reflected in their overall reputation. There is no manner of doubt that the nature of judicial service is such that it cannot afford to suffer continuance in service of persons of doubtful integrity or who have lost their utility." Dismissing the petition, the Bench asserted: "There is no allegation of lack of bona-fides by the administrative judge. The adverse report recorded by an administrative judge is firstly considered by a committee of 11 Judges and then placed before the Full Court. No case is made out for interference in the collective wisdom of all the judges".
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Court: Only state can decide on facilities for
Sidhu
Ropar, July 17 Now to get B category facilities, Sidhu has to send his application to the state government through the jail authorities. When contacted, Jail Deputy Superintendent Rajiv Arora said they had not received any
such request from Ravi Sidhu yet. Sidhu had requested for B category facilities, stating that he was a graduate and had held the reputed post of PPSC chairman. He had asked the court to issue directions to the jail authorities to provide him the same.
Sidhu was jailed Monday for six years after being convicted for accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from Bhupjit Singh, an
Assistant Excise Inspector, in lieu of selecting him as a PCS officer in
March 2002.
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Notorious smuggler held with opium
Bathinda, July 17 Deepak's father Jagdish Rai recently died in Ferozepur jail. He was undergoing sentience in a narcotic smuggling case. Police records suggest that Jagdish had involved the family into drug trade several decades ago. His wife Jugal Devi, son Mukar Kumar and son-in-law Raj Kumar had been booked in several cases of drug smuggling in Rajasthan and Punjab. Jatinder Jain, Inspector General of Police, Counter Intelligence, said the accused seemed to have no time for moaning the death of his father as he left for Bheelwara to bring the contraband just two weeks after his father's demise. Deepak had jumped parole in a drug smuggling case. He was living with a fake identity in Daad village of Ludhiana. His brother too has jumped parole and is yet to be arrested. Both have been convicted under the NDPS Act. Jain said many families in this trade continued the illegal activity despite being caught several times as they made a lot of money, Sulakhan Singh of Fattuwala village in Fazilka and his three brothers had been arrested many times for drug smuggling, he said. Similarly, the family of Mohinder Singh of Khanauri too was caught a few months ago. Another family of Fatuuwala village was caught with 8 kg of heroin in March this year, the IG added.
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Even as shopkeepers near Jallianwala Bagh, displaced due to a road widening project, are skeptical about their rehabilitation, their apprehensions don't seem misplaced if one looks at the condition of traders displaced from around the Golden Temple complex following Operation Bluestar in 1984.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today played the development card to the hilt during his visit to the city to oversee the progress of various works initiated in the last six years.
In the first half of the day, Badal attended a programme organised by the District Akali Jatha Ludhiana (Urban) that felicitated him by honouring him with the epithet
"Jetu Jarnail" (the victorious general).
Bassi Pathana, July 17
Chandigarh, July 17
Patiala, July 17
She along with party activists raised slogans against the government. They protested against the deletion of names of several elderly persons from the lists of beneficiaries of old-age pension
Jalandhar, July 17