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Rain pours misery in Muktsar
Water touches key bridge, link to 12 Fazilka villages
Floods take toll on veggies, maize
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Day after Navjot Kaur’s outburst, govt bends
State has failed to check illegal mining: Panel
Land okayed for 300-bed PGI centre in Sangrur
Bibi’s son-in-law chosen ZP chief
BJP chief Rajnath vows alternative growth model
Convicted SAD leader heads dist planning board
Kin block road as inmates ‘ill-treated’ at rehab centre
Farmers having land across
border fence demand relief
Punjab Govt to table prevention of damage to property
Bill in assembly
4,300 teachers without
Two killed as train
hits tractor-trailer
Rs 2.21 cr loans given to dairy farmers
Minorities in Gujarat victimised, Sikh farmers tell SC
Three of dreaded gang held
after encounter near Banur
Woman held with 20 kg poppy husk
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Rain pours misery in Muktsar
Though efforts have been made by the district administration to drain out the rainwater, the situation has not changed much. A majority of the village link roads are completely flooded and drains are overflowing. Amidst the water-everywhere scenes, the Drainage Department is at the receiving end. Apart from the district administration, the two IAS officers who had yesterday come to Muktsar to review the situation “blamed” the Drainage Department for the havoc, thus raising a finger over its functioning. A senior officer said Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister KJS Cheema and Principal Secretary (Irrigation) Sarvesh Kaushal asked the Drainage Department Chief Engineer, Vinod Chaudhary, to reply on how the rainwater accumulated when the drains had been cleaned (as was claimed by the department) recently. “He (Chief Engineer, Drainage) could not give any satisfactory reply,” the officer said. The worst sufferers amidst the crisis are the villagers, who have been fighting with their neighbours over the drainage of rainwater from their fields. So much that the brawls have the policemen on their toes. At one place, the police had to use mild force to disperse two warring parties. The Agriculture Department officials said the inundated rainwater had mixed with the sub-soil water. “The rodents in the soil have died and vegetation destroyed. If the fields remain flooded for another few days, foul smell will start emanating,” said Beant Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar. Deputy Commissioner Parmjit Singh has ordered his subordinates to leave other works and take to drainage of rainwater on a priority. He himself too is touring villages and holding flood-control meetings daily. The shortage of fodder is another major problem. Sources said the Chief Minister was also likely to come to Muktsar to review the situation, though the date was yet to be finalised. Dr Ashok Nayyar, Director, Health Department, also visited some worst-affected villages.
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Water touches key bridge, link to 12 Fazilka villages
Fazilka, August 20 The affected villages are Dona Nanka, Bhaini Ram Singh, Mahatam Nagar, Teja Rohela, Retewali Bhaini, Jhangar Bhaini, Walleshah Uttar, Ghurka, Sadda Singh, Chack Rohela and Gulaba Bhaini. "It is total failure of the administration as it has not been able to release the excess water in a planned manner," said Harbans Singh, a former sarpanch of Mahatam Nagar village. Executive Engineer (Drainage) Gulshan Nagpal, who is camping near the bridge to warn the commuters, said while the link road (connecting the bridge) was under two to three feet water, the bridge had just submerged. Not only the bridge, the flash-floods have caused havoc in other parts of the district as well. About 1.30 lakh cusecs of water has been released from Hussainiwala and other sources. Crops on about 42,000 acres in 86 villages had been affected, said Additional Deputy Commissioner Charandev Singh Maan. Sources said the sensitive Kanwalawi 'bundh' had also started giving up.
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Floods take toll on veggies, maize
Amritsar, August 20 Major Manmohan Singh Verka, a progressive farmer, said he had sown bottle gourd on three acres and tamarind on five acres at Pherwariyan village but incessant rainfall in the region had completely destroyed the crop. "There is hardly any hope left for the survival of the crop." He said his kinnow crop had also been affected as the fields were submerged. He said the effect of vegetable crop loss could be seen in the domestic market where the prices had shot up sharply. Horticulture Deputy Director Baaj Singh also admitted the rainfall had had an adverse impact on brinjal, ladyfinger and bottle gourd crops, particularly in the areas where the fields were inundated. He said a section of farmers had also sown spinach and other winter veggies in advance and they too had suffered losses. Regarding fruits, he said though pear and guava had been largely harvested, kinnow crop will take a hit in low-lying areas as it would start shedding before ripening. Baljeet Singh, an arhtiya (commission agent) from Khalra area in Tarn Taran, said red chilli crop had also taken a hit due to the rain. "Though the harvesting of red chill is done in early-July, the crop keeps arriving in the market for the next couple of months. After harvesting, the farmers dry it up before bringing the produce to the market. However, the current spell of rain has badly affected the crop," he said. Apart from vegetables, maize crop too had suffered damage. Chief Agriculture Officer Dilbagh Singh Dhanju said as per rough estimates, maize crop on around 250 acres of land in Amritsar district had been adversely hit due to either river water or rainwater. "Maize is a delicate crop and it can't withstand water for long. Therefore, wherever water has accumulated on the fields, it has damaged the crop," he said.
Farmers plan action The Jamhuri Kisan Sabha, meanwhile, held a meeting here on Tuesday and demanded a compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre for paddy and Rs 25,000 per acre for maize from the state government. The farmer leaders announced that they would hold a state-level convention at Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall in Jalandhar on August 29 to take up the issue. They said a resolution will be passed in the meeting, seeking a compensation for the farm labourers as well. Farmer leader Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala said had the government put up 'bundhs' and restored the irrigation network, the farmers would have suffered lesser losses.
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Day after Navjot Kaur’s outburst, govt bends
Amritsar, August 20 The funds were reportedly being diverted for the Rs 102-crore flyover on the Tarn Taran-Sarhali road, which is under construction. Bhushan said, “Diverting funds was a stop-gap arrangement, which has been shelved now. We held a meeting with her (Navjot Kaur) and apprised her that within a week, tendering procedure for various pending works in her constituency, including safe drinking water and road carpeting, will be taken up.” Contended by the move, Dr Sidhu said she fought for the rights of the residents of her constituency. “I was promised Rs 100 crore by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal prior to the assembly elections for various works. Being a representative of the residents, I am duty-bound to bring that money. To get the funds, I will not refrain from gheraoing the Amritsar Improvement Trust or even a hunger strike,” she said. On the issue, the Punjab Congress said Sukhbir had “no moral right to continue in office in the wake of his indictment by one of his own colleagues”. “Dr Sidhu has exposed his tall claims about development and his unaccountability to his own announcements,” a joint statement issued by Congress leaders Tarlochan Singh Soond, Charanjit Singh Channi, Guriqbal Kaur, Karan Kaur Brar, Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, Harchand Kaur, Aruna Chaudhary and Rajanbir Singh said.
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State has failed to check illegal mining: Panel
Chandigarh, August 20 The team comprising Surinder Kumar, Regional Director, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Sonu Singh, Deputy Director, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Delhi, and GC Meena, Deputy director, Indian Bureau of Mines, Dehradun, had yesterday visited several mining sites and quarries in Mohali, Ropar and Nawanshahr districts. The team was to visit Pathankot today to assess the situation there but could not do so because of inclement weather. The team left for Delhi today. Sources in the Ministry of Environment and Forests said the team had found huge pits being dug in the middle of the Sutlej river-bed and JCBs and tippers deployed along the river-bed. This gave credence to allegations of illegal mining. The team reportedly assessed the mining of minor minerals (sand and aggregate) being carried out in Punjab and whether the quarries had obtained the environmental clearance from the authorities concerned. It also checked if any mining activity was being carried on in the reserve forest area. The team made inquiries regarding the prices at which the mining sites were auctioned and the prices at which sand and aggregate was wing sold in retail. Meanwhile, stone crushers in Pathankot remained closed for the second day in a row today in anticipation of the central team's visit there. Officially, the stone crushers maintained that they had closed operations as they were unable to get raw material from the neighbouring state of Jammu and Kashmir.
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Land okayed for 300-bed PGI centre in Sangrur
Chandigarh, August 20 Confirming the development, official spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar said the centre would cater to a majority of patients of Punjab, bringing down the load of patients at the institute here. Sources said a team of engineers had been sent to review the site and to plan construction. The super-specialty satellite centre, with an expandable capacity to 500 beds, would also house a unit of Tata Memorial Centre, a premier cancer research institute. "A hospital offering quality medical care is a must for this region. The proposed institute will provide subsidised treatment to poor patients," said Congress MP from Sangrur Vijay Inder Singla. The site that has been allocated for setting up the centre houses a tuberculosis hospital that has been lying defunct for the past two decades. The land was earlier transferred to the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) for setting up a hospital based on the public-partnership model. In view of the growing number of cancer patients in the Malwa region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had also written to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad last year, seeking setting up of a super-specialty hospital in the region. Since the layout map for the construction of the Rs 1000 crore project is yet to be finalised, it cannot be ascertained as to how much time the centre would take for completion.
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Bibi’s son-in-law chosen ZP chief
Kapurthala, August 20 Irked at Bhupinder Singh’s elevation, Bibi's archrival and PPCC spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had made Bibi Jagir Kaur minister but had to drop her from the Cabinet after her conviction by the Special CBI Court, Patiala. Now Bibi’s son-in-law was being promoted who, Khaira alleged, was a loan defaulter. “The Chief Minister has left no stone unturned to promote and shield Bibi Jagir Kaur. He allotted her the party ticket from Bholath for three assembly elections in 2002, 2007 and 2012. She continues to be a member of the SGPC despite her conviction,” Khaira alleged. He claimed Bhupinder Singh had defrauded the Begowal branch of the Punjab and Sind Bank of Rs 2.05 crore. “A loan of Rs 3.50 crore was sanctioned of which Rs 2.05 crore was taken as advance to raise a school- building, which was never constructed and the advance amount not deposited. Two bank managers have been chargesheeted for advancing the loan on fake land documents,” he said. He said real estate firm Omaxe had filed a case against Bhupinder Singh with a Delhi court alleging embezzlement. “The fraud was done by Ozone Estates Pvt Ltd of which Bhupinder Singh is a director”. Bibi Jagir Kaur denied the allegations.
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BJP chief Rajnath vows alternative growth model
Longowal (Sangrur), August 20 The BJP chief said the revival of economy, eradication of corruption and poverty and generation of new jobs would top the NDA agenda. Rajnath Singh was here today to attend a state-level function organised on the 28th death anniversary of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Shanta Kumar, former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain, Rajya Sabha MPs Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Punjab Cabinet ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Surjit Singh Rakhra and president of Punjab BJP Kamal Sharma were among those who attended the function. These leaders paid floral tributes to Sant Longowal. Rajnath Singh lashed out at the UPA Government for its "failure" on the economic front. He said the rupee had slipped an all-time low against the US dollar. Intrusion by China and repeated attacks on Indian soldiers by Pakistan showed that the Centre had failed on the external security front as well. Regarding Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi's candidature for the post of Prime Minister, he said it would be decided by the BJP's Parliamentary Board after the NDA held talks with its alliance partners. Rajnath Singh said it was sad that Sant Longowal, who had signed a pact with the Centre for peace and communal harmony in the state, was assassinated. He asked the people of Punjab to help form an NDA government at the Centre. The Chief Minister claimed that Sant Longowal was assassinated as he was betrayed by the Centre that did not implement the accord. He asked the people to vote for the NDA in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
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Convicted SAD leader heads dist planning board
Bathinda, August 20 Bansal, currently on bail, continued to hold the post while in prison in Patiala after his conviction in April this year. No meeting of the Planning Board has taken place since then. Though Bansal has not assumed office, his name plate remains outside the office of the District Planning Board at the Mansa civil secretariat. Asked why he had not resigned from his post, Bansal said he was awaiting directions from the party high command. Mansa administrative officials confirmed that no meeting of the Planning Board has taken place since April. "But development in the district is not suffering. We have grants and we are carrying out the works," said an official.
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Kin block road as inmates ‘ill-treated’ at rehab centre
Hoshiarpur, August 20 Deputy Superintendent of Police Harvinder Singh Dalli said the centre had been sealed and investigations were on. The functioning of the centre, operating since 2009, came under the scanner after 18 inmates escaped from its premises on Saturday and narrated their “plight” to their family members. The family members of certain inmates today assembled outside the centre and apprised the local police of the matter. The centre was searched by the police and several sharp-edged weapons and prohibited drugs were found. The centre heads, Mahesh Sharma of Piplanwala village and Jagjit Singh of Chalora village near Chabbewal, have been taken into custody. Ram Gopal, a resident of Lakhanpal village in Jalandhar and a relative of an inmate, alleged that the centre was not providing the promised facilities even after charging Rs 12,000 as monthly fee. “All the inmates were kept in a dingy hall lacking ventilation and were made to sleep on carpets on the floor. They were not even fed properly,” he said.
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Farmers having land across
border fence demand relief
Chandigarh, August 20 “We are not against fencing. But it has affected our means of livelihood in a big way. We should be compensated accordingly,” said Uttam Singh, general secretary, Border Area Kisan Welfare Society. “We were given a compensation of Rs 2,500 per acre for three years starting 2001. No compensation was announced after that,’ he said, adding: “This year, the state government has promised to give Rs 3,000 per acre. But this amount is inadequate as compared to losses suffered by us due to restrictions on farming across the fence.” “We want at least Rs 10,000 per acre as compensation since we cannot grow cash crops,” he added. The farmers rue that they have become a victim of politics. “When we approach the Centre, it says the state should resolve our problems. And when we approach the latter, we are told the Centre should handle the matter,” said another member of the society. Uttam Singh said the land where fencing was erected was still in the name of farmers. It was never officially acquired by the Centre or the state government. The authorities just negotiated with the farmers and gave them far less compensation than promised, he alleged.
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Punjab Govt to table prevention of damage to property
Bill in assembly
Chandigarh, August 20 The development is significant as the Bill making peaceful protests a non-bailable offence was earlier withdrawn by the Parkash Singh Badal government within a year of its passing in the assembly. The SAD-BJP Government had on October 12, 2010, passed the Bill, along with the Punjab Special Security Group Bill, 2010. Both the Bills had come under fire from the Congress and the public. At the time of withdrawing the Bill in October 2011, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had made it clear that the Bill would re-introduce after removing objectionable clauses. The information on bringing the Bill before the assembly by the winter session was provided to the Punjab and Haryana High Court by the state counsel during the hearing of a petition filed in public interest by Phagwara-based General Samaj Manch. The petition was filed nearly three years after fatal shooting of a visiting guru at a Sikh temple in Vienna resulted in rioting across northern India. As the case came up for hearing, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih was told that that the Bill was framed and sent to the Central Government. It has made certain suggestions to protect Central Government and Railways properties. The state counsel added the matter was "receiving the attention of the government". It proposed to bring the Bill in the assembly after looking into the suggestions latest by the winter session. The assembly had initially passed the Bill to control agitations and demonstrations and punish people with imprisonment for damaging public and private property. At that time, the Bill had provided for imprisonment up to three years and Rs 20,000 fine against damagers of public and private property. The use of explosives to damage property recommended imprisonment of a minimum one and the maximum five years with Rs 50,000 fine. The Bill made it clear that protestors and demonstrators hold processions, marches or demonstration without permission would be punished with imprisonment extendable up to two years. The Bill had recommended the payment of an amount equal to the loss caused to public or private property by the guilty person. The loss was to be assessed by the competent authority. The offenses under this Act were non-bailable, and even a Head Constable was competent to arrest the organiser or the participant involved in the offence under the Act.
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4,300 teachers without
salary for five months
Ludhiana, August 20 The government has failed to release its 95 per cent share to the aided schools. Devinder Rehan, press secretary of the association, said there were about 484 aided schools in Punjab having more than 4,300 teachers and other staff. "The government, which gives about Rs 180 crore grant to these schools, has not been releasing the amount for the last couple of months. We have thus not received any salary for the past five months. We have urged the government to takeover the aided schools, but to no avail".
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Two killed as train
hits tractor-trailer
Sangrur, August 20 Gurcharan Singh, Station House Officer, Government Railway Police, Sangrur, said the deceased had been identified as Joginder Singh and Harnek Singh, both residents of Ladda village, near Sangrur. They were on their way to Kaheru village near Dhuri. The SHO said the tractor-trailer was hit by the train when it was crossing an unmanned level crossing at Rajo Majra village. Both the persons died on the spot.
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Rs 2.21 cr loans given to dairy farmers
Bassi Pathana, August 20 He said 49 farmers and entrepreneurs in the district were given Rs.22.17 crore financial assistance under self-employment scheme. He said 25 to 50 per cent subsidy for dairy development was being provided.
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Minorities in Gujarat victimised, Sikh farmers tell SC
Chandigarh, August 20 In a statement filed before the Supreme Court, they have claimed that the Agricultural Land (Vidharba Region and Kutch Area) Act, 1958, “nowhere says that agriculturists from other states cannot buy land in Gujarat”. The 22-page statement also refers to an editorial carried in The Tribune on August 5 titled “Uprooted in Gujarat, Modi fixes farmers from Punjab” in an attempt to substantiate their contention. The statement by Preethi Singh, Mukand Singh and other farmers was filed on Monday afternoon through barrister-at-law Himmat Singh Shergill in response to an appeal before the Supreme Court by the District Collector, Kutch, and others. This is, perhaps, the first time that the farmers have made clear their stand before the Supreme Court by referring to the legal issues. Already, the decision to evict farmers of others states, including Sikh farmers cultivating land in Kutch for decades, has stirred up politics. In Punjab, the Congress is using the issue as a plank to embarrass the ruling SAD-BJP alliance. The party has dubbed Modi as “anti-minority” leader. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, on the other hand, has been insisting that the Congress government preceding the Modi regime was responsible for the eviction of Punjabi families. Referring to the provisions of the Act, Shergill has asserted that any Indian agriculturist can buy land and carry out farming in Gujarat. The law on the issue was crystal clear and there was no specific exclusion of farmers from Punjab or other parts of India from buying land in Gujarat. “Section 89 of the Act has only barred non-agriculturists from buying land…. The precondition for buying land is that the person has to be an agriculturist. If the intention of the legislature was that agriculturists from other states cannot buy land in Gujarat, this should have specifically been a part of the Act”. He has claimed that the very subsistence of the Sikh farmers is at stake as they have been refused farm loans by financial institutions in the wake of the controversy. "The farmers are being forced to live a life of uncertainty, poverty and stress. Several deaths have taken place ever since their accounts were illegally frozen in 2010 by the Gujarat Government,” Shergill contended. Going into the background of the issue, he said that farmers from Punjab started buying land in Kutch after the 1965 Indo-Pak war on the invitation of then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri as he wanted the area to be “well-inhabited”. Seeking the dismissal of the appeal with costs, Shergill said "gross injustice has been done to the respondents as they are, prima facie, not hit by Section 89 Act, which specifically barred only non-agriculturists from buying Land in Gujarat”.
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Three of dreaded gang held
after encounter near Banur
Patiala, August 20 Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hardyal Singh Mann said a Verna car was signalled to stop at a naka at Khera Gajju village. "But instead of stopping, the car driver rammed the vehicle into the barricade and opened fire at the police party. Head Constable Kirpal Singh was injured. Harpreet and his aides Lovleen Singh alias Ghuggi and Kulwinder Singh were arrested following an encounter," he said. The police has seized a .32 bore revolver, six cartridges and six empty shells from Harpreet. He had stolen the arms from Ludhiana. Besides, the police also seized a pistol and seven cartridges from Lovleen. Brar said a gang member, Raman Singh of Sangrur, had fled. "The gang had earlier fired at a police party at Sector 17, Chandigarh, and once at police post Mann Singh in Ludhiana. There are 18 cases registered against the gang at various police stations". Sources said a top politician from Ludhiana had shielded the accused after he escaped from police custody in February 2012. "We are verifying the reports that the accused was provided shelter by a Ludhiana politician," the SSP added.
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Woman held with 20 kg poppy husk
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 20 In another incident, the local police arrested Gursimrat Singh of Amloh for allegedly possessing 600 sedative capsules. —
TNS
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At least 236 villages and 1.74 acres of agricultural land have been inundated due to rainwater in the district, detailed procured from the district administration showed.
Paying tributes to Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, national BJP president Rajnath Singh today promised that if the NDA was voted to power, it would provide an alternative economic model for the country. He said the economic model of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government had failed to deliver.
Muktsar, August 20
The Trust had denied her Rs 10 crore, which had been already sanctioned by the Punjab Ministry of Local Bodies for her constituency. It had given a “justification that these funds had to be absorbed for some other project”. Trust’s Superintending Engineer Bharat Bhushan assured her that the funds were reserved for her constituency only. 
