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Fatehgarh Sahib Bus Accident
Bus driver did not take adequate rest
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Cong MPs meet PM, seek help for Gujarat’s Sikh farmers
They won’t be displaced, claims Deputy CM
Gujarat Cong chief accuses Badal of siding with Modi
Under pressure, cops book 'innocent' man for murder
Not invited to Sangat Darshan, Cong MLA takes on CM
Sukhbir: Issue white paper on UPA Govt’s fiscal mess
More Cong MLAs want to join SAD: Sukhbir
Shant may be given LS ticket
Road firm unlikely to pay compensation
Govt-aided schools want new policy for merger scheme
SHO shifted for dereliction
of duty
Pathankot panches were sworn-in at Kangra dera
Students protest against Punjabi varsity authorities
BJP Kisan Morcha steps in, forms panel
Patiala man moves HC against minister’s kin
ASI on night patrol crushed to death
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Fatehgarh Sahib Bus Accident
Amritsar, August 6 Against the prescribed Rs 8,404 per month for drivers and Rs 7,372 for conductors, the outsorced staff is paid between Rs 3,000 and Rs 3,200 per month. (Rs 1.21 per to a driver and Rs 1.06 per km to a conductor). Inderjit Soni, Additional Director, Finance and Accounts, State Transport Authority, admitted that the revised salary structure for drivers and conductors notified with effect from March 1, 2013, was yet to be implemented. "We are almost done with the revised salary structure as per the labour law.The drivers and conductors will be paid the revised wages soon.” Harpreet Singh, co-ordinator, The Providers, said: “We will pay according to what we get from the department. There is no intimation about revised pay scales yet.” He said the drivers were being paid Rs 5,473 and conductors Rs 4,776 per month. They were also paid overtime and night shift allowance. "We deduct EPF at 13.61 per cent and ESI charges at 1.75 per cent. After deductions, it comes to around Rs 3,000,” he said. Describing it as sheer violation of the labour laws, Vipin Parmar, Assistant Labour Commissioner, Amritsar, said: “If affected persons approach us with proof, we will question the firm as well as the Roadways management.” MS Sidhu, president, Punjab Roadways/PUNBUS Contract Workers Union, said the firm seldom intimated them about Provident Fund or ESI benefits. “We are made to work under terrible conditions that often lead to accidents and loss of lives. We want that FIRs should also be registered against the Roadways management,” Sidhu said. PUNBUS, run by the State transport authorities since 2006, has hired Chandigarh-based The Providers to run its fleet of 1,200 buses on a per kilometre basis. Against the prescribed eight-hour shift, drivers/conductors are made to work for over 10 hours, covering 700 km daily, with negligible rest between long journeys. The staff is tempted to opt for overtime to earn more. All these factors often lead to accidents. DS Gill, General Manager, Punjab Roadways, Amritsar Depot-1, said he had instructed the officials concerned to ensure adequate resting time for the drivers/conductors covering long routes. Sometime back, then Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal had written to the department on "gross exploitation" of Roadways drivers by private contractors. He had said that the process to hire the lowest bidding firm needed a re-look. PUNBUS had signed an agreement with the Punjab Roadways/PUNBUS Contract Workers Union in January 2012 assuring minimum prescribed wages for the staff under the Labour Act. Crux of the problem
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Bus driver did not take adequate rest
Chandigarh, August 6 The bus reached the ISBT, New Delhi, at around 4.30 pm and began the return journey at 8.30 pm. The department, that has set up a three-member probe committee, is looking into the role of the bus stand in charge as every bus driver is expected to take minimum rest before leaving for the next destination. A senior officer said the in charge could not have allowed the bus to be parked inside the ISBT before the scheduled time. Department sources pointed out that some drivers preferred night shift because of less traffic volume. The findings indicate that the bus was in a good condition. The driver had an impeccable record.
Preliminary probe findings
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Cong MPs meet PM, seek help for Gujarat’s Sikh farmers
New Delhi, August 6 The Punjab Congress claimed that the PM assured the MPs’ delegation that the Law Ministry would lend legal support to these farmers and the best lawyers would contest their case in the Supreme Court on August 27. The farmers, who had moved to Gujarat from Punjab and Haryana in the sixties, are facing the spectre of losing their land on the pretext that ‘outsiders’ are not allowed to purchase land in the state. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Partap Singh Bajwa accused the Narendra Modi Government of being “anti-minorities” and said ousting Sikh farmers from Gujarat would set a dangerous trend in the country. He questioned the veracity of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s statement that Modi had promised all help to these farmers. “If Badal and Modi want to help the farmers, Modi should stop his officers from pursuing the special leave petition filed by his government in the Supreme Court.” Addressing the media after meeting the PM, Bajwa claimed that Badal was afflicted by the “Congress phobia.” Badal had yesterday blamed the Congress for the predicament of the farmers. “Even if it rains heavily or there is a drought, he blames the Congress,” Bajwa remarked. He said after 40 years, Modi had decided to use the 1973 circular to evict the Sikh farmers who had paid for the land and also the stamp duty. Asked why the Modi Government was doing so, Bajwa replied: “He is anti-minorities. This is a clear signal to all minorities in the country”. Accusing the BJP of double standards, he said while the party wanted Article 370 (allowing only Kashmiris to buy land in the state) abrogated, it was pursuing a similar policy in Gujarat. “Everything is in favour of the farmers. The Gujarat Government had used a clause in the Bombay Tenancy Act to oust the farmers which has been struck down by the Gujarat High Court,” he said. Deepender Hooda, Preneet Kaur, Santosh Chaudhary Vijay Inder Singla, Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Ravneet Bittu and Sukhdev Libra were part of the delegation that met the PM. Lakshman Singh Brar, one of the Kutch farmers, countered the statement of Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma that only 32 of the 1,000-odd affected farmers were Sikhs. He showed the media a long list of the affected farmers.
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They won’t be displaced, claims Deputy CM
“We have spoken to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who has assured us that these farmers will not be displaced. The case is sub-judice and it will be inappropriate to comment on it. But we are sure that the matter will be resolved soon,” he told the media at an impromptu press conference here. He denied the state was facing a financial crisis. “This is just a lean financial period for the state. We are confident that VAT and excise collections will improve matters and the state will have no problem in meeting its liabilities. “Punjab is on the right growth trajectory and its only because our government is spending huge sums on development that there is some shortfall in revenue,” the Deputy Chief Minister claimed. Nagpal welcome to return: Sukhbir Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal said that Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal was welcome to join back in Punjab. Originally with the Punjab cadre, the officer, who took on the sand mafia in UP and was suspended, got her cadre changed to Uttar Pradesh. “Punjab has always appreciated upright officers. She is welcome to return to Punjab," the Deputy CM said. —
TNS
Gujarat Cong chief accuses Badal of siding with Modi
Ahmedabad, August 6 In a letter to Badal, Modhvadia wondered why the Punjab CM, during his talk with Modi yesterday, not insist on the Gujarat Government withdrawing its petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the verdict of the Gujarat High Court that had held the land-holdings by Punjab and Haryana farmers in Kutch as legal and valid. Modhvadia said the Modi Government was “misusing and deliberately misinterpreting” the then Congress Government's resolution of 1973 to issue eviction notices to these farmers to grab their land and give it to his “favourite industrialists” at throwaway prices.
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Under pressure, cops book 'innocent' man for murder
(Samana) Patiala, August 6 Later, Gurmukh's family and other supporters blocked traffic and refused to cremate his body. The police, instead of taking action against them, booked Surinder on the complaint of the deceased's mother under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC pertaining to murder. The constituency is represented by cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra. Sources in the police department confirmed that Surinder had a dispute pertaining to the house at Guru Nanak Nagar in Samana with Raj Rani and Gurmukh Singh. “On July 27, Surinder reached the house along with the court orders that asked Raj Rani and her family to vacate the house. By afternoon, the family started taking out their belongings in order to shift. However, later in the afternoon, some local residents instigated the matter, following which Gurmukh poured kerosene oil on himself and immolated himself,” said a police source. He said Gurmukh died in the hospital after a few days and was booked by the police under Section 309 of the IPC for suicide. Meanwhile, backed by local politicians, Gurmukh's family brought his body to Samana and laid it on the main road, refusing to cremate him till the police registered a murder case against Surinder and his wife. Patiala SP (D) Pritpal Singh Thind rushed to Samana on Monday evening to pacify the agitating family members. Later, in the fresh FIR registered on the complaint of Gurmukh's mother Raj Rani last evening, she alleged that Surinder and his associates had poured kerosene oil on his son and set him afire. However, she fumbled when asked why she had not reported the matter on the day of the incident. A senior police officer said the murder case was registered to get the dharna lifted and would soon be sent for cancellation. Till the filing of the report, Surinder and his wife were both missing and had not been arrested. “With the dharna not lifted and the traffic severely disrupted, senior Patiala police officers rushed to the scene and promised to act on their complaint,” said Samana SHO Achru Ram. “When the agitators refused to budge, we had no option but to book Surinder and his wife for murder despite knowing that they were innocent and were being framed by some local politicians.” he said, adding that a probe would be conducted. However, the SHO could not give a satisfactory reply to how an innocent person could be booked for serious charges of murder and that too, when he was backed by court orders to get his house vacated.
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Not invited to Sangat Darshan, Cong MLA takes on CM
Gidderbaha, August 6 As Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal began the Sangat Darshan at a panchayat building in Khidkianwala village around 8 am, Warring accompanied by Congress workers stormed into the venue. He accused the Chief Minister of not fulfilling the promises made by the SAD in its election manifesto. “I had gone there to raise the demands of the residents but Badal was not willing to disburse grants for the welfare of Congress workers. This is not a Sangat Darshan, but an ‘Akali Darshan’,” said Warring. He said the Chief Minister had announced in the assembly hall that he would give him a blank cheque, but till date he had not been given a single penny for the development of the area. In other villages, when Congress workers were not allowed to enter the Sangat Darshan venues, they raised anti-government slogans. Minor clashes between Congress and Akali workers were also reported from certain places. Badal said, “When Warring complained about not receiving an invitation, I told him that no one was sent any invitation. He only tried to disrupt the programme to gain publicity. If he really wanted funds for the development of the area, he should have sat down and given his suggestions.” Akalis too disrupt Badal’s programme An Akali supporter sustained head injuries after two SAD factions clashed at Smagh village during the CM’s Sangat Darshan. Akali workers hurled stones and bricks at each other. Sources said supporters of Harjinder Singh and Shivraj Singh clashed while seeking development funds from the CM. Badal left the venue as soon as the two factions clashed. Studies hit as Sangat Darshan held at schools At a few villages, including Assa Buttar and Surewala, the Chief Minister held the Sangat Darshan at government schools, which affected studies. The students of Government Senior Secondary School, Assa Buttar, missed their classes as teachers had gone to attend the event that was being organised on the premises of the school. However, school Principal Yashwant Kumar said, “The village panchayat, not the CM, had decided to hold the Sangat Darshan in the school.” CM targets estranged nephew Manpreet The Chief Minister targeted his estranged nephew Manpreet Singh Badal, who had earlier served as an MLA in Gidderbaha. He said, “Manpreet has ruined his political career by betraying the SAD. He is now striving hard to take refuge in the Congress. Though the SAD had offered him key positions in the party, he was criticising the SAD to gain Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s sympathy.”
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Sukhbir: Issue white paper on UPA Govt’s fiscal mess
Hoshiarpur/Nawanshahr, August 6 “But, the SAD will think of inducting them only after the Lok Sabha elections as the party did not want by-elections at this juncture,” said Sukhbir. He, however, refused to reveal the names of these MLAs. Hitting out at the Congress over the statements being made by its leadership on the Punjab’s fiscal health, Sukhbir said the party leading the government at the Centre should, in fact, issue a “white paper” on the country’s financial status. "It is a false propaganda by the Congress that the Punjab Government’s coffers are empty. We have sufficient funds to run the state,” he said. Sukhbir also dared Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Singh Bajwa to explain the “fiscal mess” created by the Congress-led UPA Government. In Nawanshahr, the Deputy Chief Minister alleged the Congress, which claimed itself to be the votary of the common man, had in reality broken the backbone of the "Aam Aadmi" by extending largesse to big oil companies through numerous hikes in the prices of petroleum products. He said it was “unfortunate” that the cost of petrol and diesel had been hiked six times in the last half year, which had put additional burden on the common man. On sand mining, Sukhbir said, "The Union Government is delaying environmental clearance to mining projects, which is leading to scarcity of mining products.”
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More Cong MLAs want to join SAD: Sukhbir
Hoshiarpur/Nawanshahr, August 6 “But, the SAD will think of inducting them only after the Lok Sabha elections as the party did not want by-elections at this juncture,” said Sukhbir. He, however, refused to disclose of these MLAs. Hitting out at the Congress over the statements being made by its leadership on the Punjab’s fiscal health, Sukhbir said the party leading the government at the Centre should, in fact, issue a “white paper” on the country’s financial status. "It is a false propaganda by the Congress that the Punjab Government’s coffers are empty. We have sufficient funds to run the state,” he said. Sukhbir also dared Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Singh Bajwa to explain the “fiscal mess” created by the Congress-led UPA Government. In Nawanshahr, the Deputy Chief Minister alleged the Congress, which claimed itself to be the votary of the common man, had in reality broken the backbone of the "Aam Aadmi" by extending largesse to big oil companies through constant hike in the prices of petroleum products. He said it was “unfortunate” that the cost of petrol and diesel had been hiked six times in the last half year, which had put additional burden on the common man. On sand mining, Sukhbir said, "The Union Government is delaying environmental clearance to mining projects, which is leading to scarcity of mining products.”
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Shant may be given LS ticket
Moga, August 6 The ruling SAD may have been claiming that the inclusion of Congress leader and former Nihalsinghwala Independent MLA Ajit Singh Shant would boost its prospects for the next Lok Sabha elections, but poll pundits think otherwise. They say as Nihalsinghwala traditionally was never a Congress bastion --- it never won the seat in the last three decades --- the party hardly had anything to lose with Shant switching over loyalty. The development, though, came as a double blow to the Congress in Moga in recent months. Having a Communist background, Shant had yesterday quit the Congress to join the Akali Dal. Earlier, Moga MLA Joginder Pal Jain had left the Congress and joined the SAD. After winning the 2007 assembly poll as an Independent, Shant had joined hands with the Congress. The then Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh had pinned hopes on him, but Shant could not secure the seat for the party in the 2012 assembly elections. If the seat’s history is taken into account, Nihalsinghwala has either remained with the Akali Dal or the CPI: Gurdev Singh (SAD) in 1977, Saghar Singh (CPI) 1980, Zora Singh (SAD) 1985 and 2002, Ajaib Singh Raonta (CPI) 1992 and 1997 and Shant 2007. Congress leader Col Babu Singh, former Moga unit president who unsuccessfully contested the 2007 assembly polls on the party ticket, said: “Shant’s exit will not matter as he could not prove his worth for the party in the last assembly elections.” However, political observers do not agree with Tota Singh’s contention. They claimed as Tota Singh (Dharamkot MLA) and Rajwinder Kaur (Nihalsinghwala MLA) continued to be at loggerheads, their dispute could dent the SAD’s poll prospects. Sources said eying the Faridkot Lok Sabha seat, Deputy Chief Minister and SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and his brother-in-law Bikramjit Majithia reportedly prevailed upon Shant to join the ruling party.
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Road firm unlikely to pay compensation
Ludhiana, August 6 In May this year, a 13-year-old boy walking on the Sutlej bridge stepped into a hole on the footpath and drowned in the river. The President's office directed the local authorities to conduct a probe into the incident after NGO Nigraan Sewa Sanstha demanded action against the construction company for the negligence that led to the boy's death. Sources said the probe team would inspect the condition of the bridge. The company general manager Parmod Kumar had blamed the poor upkeep of the bridge for the mishap. He had stated in a letter that the bridge, constructed in 1969-70, was worn out. President of the Nigraan Sewa Sanstha Jaswant Singh said they would write to the President and seek a probe into the recent Sirhind bus mishap. "The police has washed its hands of the matter by booking the bus driver (who is among the dead) for negligence while no action has been taken against the road construction company that has collected toll tax worth over Rs 1,100 crore in the past four years, but failed to ensure commuter safety," he said. Meanwhile, families of the bus passengers feared drowned in the bus accident are unlikely to get any compensation from the construction company, Soma- Isolux. Sources said the company had not signed any agreement which made it liable to pay relief to road accident victims. The company's general manager said it would be premature to comment on the matter at this juncture. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has announced an ex-gratia grant of Rs 1 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.
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Govt-aided schools want new policy for merger scheme
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 6 "The government should come forward with a new pattern. After passing it in the cabinet and Assembly, it should be published in newspapers to seek the views of teachers. Only then a merger is possible," said Upjit Brar, president, Government Aided Schools' Progressive Front, Punjab. He said in Rajasthan, due to the merger, teachers were not getting pensions and other benefits and in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the scheme could not be implemented. He said the managing committees of the aided schools had already passed resolutions in favour of teachers who are working as acting principals and headmasters and so, the government should take them as per their present postings, otherwise a lot of legal litigation would start. Brar said out of 476 government-aided schools in the state, 12 had already been closed. He said the government should make a concrete policy about these schools and sanction posts and if it did not want to continue these schools, it should take over the schools along with buildings, staff and students. He said their organisation was in favour of the merger but not at the cost of education. He alleged that certain organisations were collecting funds in the name of the merger and were bent upon destroying the atmosphere in these schools. Over 10 lakh students are studying in 476 aided schools in the state. The functioning of government-aided schools has been adversely affected as the teaching staff has virtually split on the merger issue.
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SHO shifted for dereliction
of duty
Sangrur, August 6 The SSP said in place of Tejinder Singh, Inspector Parminder Singh had been transferred to Lehragaga from Police Lines, Sangrur, and had been given the charge of SHO. The transfer order of Tejinder Singh would be implemented with immediate effect, he said. —
TNS
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Pathankot panches were sworn-in at Kangra dera
Pathankot, August 6 In violation of norms, the ceremony was held at a dera, a religious place. "Bigger functions than the one held yesterday have been held at SAI Educational Institutes on the Badhani road. Recently, the BJP had held a function for Gujarat CM Narendra Modi at Utsav Palace. The SAI institutes are owned by a senior BJP functionary and the function could have been held there,” claimed a senior Congress man. Senior Superintendent of Police SK Kalia washed his hands of the matter, claiming his job was to provide security which he did. Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Trikha said they had approached two churches to lend them their premises for the event. “However, after consultations with the police and religious leaders, the administration decided not to hold a political function at a religious place and the event was shifted to the Kahnuwan grain market.” The Gurdaspur function was held in the evening soon after the one near Pathankot in the afternoon. Pathankot district BJP president Narinder Parmar could not be contacted for comment. Local BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma maintaned that neither the BJP nor the district administration had done any wrong by holding the function in a neighbouring state.
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Students protest against Punjabi varsity authorities
Patiala, August 6 Punjab Students Union president Beant Singh said the students studying in affiliated colleges had got permission to get their bus passes issued but the university had not sent the permission to the PRTC authorities despite the fact that the new session had begun almost a month ago. "The Punjab Government is trying to stop the scheme of bus pass for students in order to save money but we will not let this happen as it will weigh heavily on the pockets of needy students," said Satpal Singh of the Democratic Students Organisation. Dean Student Welfare Dr Kulbir Singh Dhillon assured them that the problem would be solved at the earliest.
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BJP Kisan Morcha steps in, forms panel
Chandigarh, August 6 “The committee will visit Gujarat at the earliest and try to find a solution to the problems of Sikh farmers there,” Kisan Morcha national president OP Dhankar told mediapersons here. On the Food Security Ordinance, Dhankar said that without giving the producer due benefit, the food security chain in the country was being jeopardised.
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Patiala man moves HC against minister’s kin
Chandigarh, August 6 Taking up the matter, Justice Ritu Bahri has asked both Punjab and Haryana to come up with reports on fresh status of the investigation. In the petition seeking directions to the States of Punjab and Haryana and other respondents against implicating him in false cases, Phool has claimed that his relative Brig Kushal Pal Singh died issueless in 1991, leaving behind 99 acres in Bazidpur village in Kurukshetra district. Brig Kushal Pal Singh’s wife Lal Amol Kaur, owner in possession, executed a will for 25 acres in favour of Beant Kaur; and the land was transferred to her. But the petitioner’s name was entered in the column of possession as he was the lessee of about 18 acres. He said Bikram’s father Satyajit Singh Majithia and others, related to Brig Kushal Pal Singh’s sister, sold their share of land. In order to grab the remaining land in Beant Kaur’s name, a civil suit was filed with the petitioner as a party. He said the dispute was civil in nature and civil litigation was pending. He said: “Satyajit Singh is the father of Vikramjit Singh Majithia (Bikram Singh Majithia), who is a cabinet minister under the Punjab Government. Vikramjit Singh Majithia is also the president of Youth Akali Dal and the brother-in-law of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal”.
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ASI on night patrol crushed to death
Rajpura, August 6 A case of negligent driving has been registered against the driver, who has been arrested. A team headed by ASI Sunil Datt put up a naka near Basantpura late Monday night. At about 1.45 am, a speeding truck was signalled to stop. The driver lost control and the vehicle ran over the ASI, killing him on the spot, said the police. The truck cleaner was at the wheels while the driver was taking a nap, the police claimed. Punjab Home Guard Purushottam Dass and Head Constable Mahinder Singh were injured in the incident. Dass was admitted to the PGI, Chandigarh. His condition is critical. The deceased ASI is survived by his wife, two daughters and two sons.The family has demanded an inquiry into the incident. Policemen who visited the deceased ASI's family said the Night Patrol Scheme (NPS) needed to be strengthened. Those on duty needed adequate backup and safety equipment. “With no lights at the most of the under-construction highways, we have to make do with torches and searchlights while on night patrol,” they claimed. Under the NPS, that was started in July this year, about 4,000 policemen in an independent cadre are on the road every night keeping a vigil. These policemen are equipped with LED torches, fluorescent vests and reflective batons.
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Violating the Contract Labour Act, drivers and conductors outsourced by the Punjab State Bus Stand Management (PUNBUS) on a contract basis are not even paid minimum wages.
These drivers and conductors are not being paid wages as prescribed under the
labour laws even though a notification in this regard was issued about five
months ago.
Preliminary investigations into the bus accident near Sirhind has revealed that the bus left the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), New Delhi, at 8.30 pm on July 30 instead of the scheduled 4.30 am the following day.
A delegation of Punjab and Haryana MPs today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to seek justice for farmers facing eviction from their land in the Kutch region of Gujarat.
Angered at not having been invited to the Chief Minister’s Sangat Darshan in Gidderbaha assembly segment, local Congress MLA Amrinder Singh ‘Raja’ Warring today protested outside all the Sangat Darshan venues. Warring said the fact that he was not invited to the Sangat Darshan showed the state government’s “biased” approach towards legislators of other parties.
Pathankot, August 6
Chandigarh, August 6