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Tarn Taran Boat Tragedy
Not the first mishap: Sarpanch
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YAD leader arrested for sheltering gangsters
Vidhan Sabha session to commence from October 28
Panel seeks Rs 3,277 cr for waterlogged dists
CPI activists protest rising inflation
Tarn Taran Boat Tragedy
Extended monsoon spells doom
Three of family
die in accident
Azad to announce cancer institute for Hoshiarpur
Thapar University sets tough rules for research scholars
Regularisation drive fails to take off in Patiala
Private bus owners not paid Rs 1 crore bills
57 Sangrur villages pass resolutions against liquor vends
Won’t allow mining without clearance, state tells HC
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Tarn Taran Boat Tragedy
Kabirpur
(Sultanpur Lodhi), October 3 The tragedy dealt a severe blow to Mangal Singh, who lost his third son Kanwaljit Singh. An emotionally Mangal Singh has now been left to relive the horror of losing his other two sons earlier. Another villager, Ranjit Singh, who had his two nephews in the ill-fated boat, says, “Daljit Singh managed to swim to safety, but Harpreet Singh perhaps was not that lucky. The boys had plans to stay back tonight, take a holy dip at the shrine of Bhai Lalo Ji in Dalla village (Sultanpur Lodhi) tomorrow and return by the evening. But, destiny had something else in store.” Jasbir Singh and Harpreet Singh, the youngest among the victims, were both Class VII students. The poor family members, all of whom are into cultivation, said they had been hoping for better prospects with their sons taking to higher studies. A disillusioned Gurdayal Singh, father of Jagroop Singh who had just completed his B.Tech, says it’s just not possible for him to face the reality. Rescue op begins late Quick response teams (with boats and other paraphernalia) from Tarn Taran and Kapurthala districts (the site is located on the border) were nowhere to be seen till the afternoon even though the mishap occurred around 9 am. Feared drowned
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Not the first mishap: Sarpanch
Kabirpur (Sultanpur Lodhi), October 3 Munda village sarpanch Paramjit Singh said, “An elderly from Sultanpur Lodhi drowned during floods in August. A man from our village had died on Baisakhi last year. Still, the administration continues to turn a deaf ear to our demand for a concrete bridge over the
Beas.” He said officials rush to the spot only when any mishap occurs. “The authorities merely announce some compensation. But, can that make up for the loss of human lives,” asked an agitated
Paramjit. Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Gurjit Singh too seemed upset, “The Chief Minister has laid the foundation stone for a bridge across the river near Harike twice, but the work is yet to begin. The administration should at least bother to arrange boats, especially during fairs, as was today. The villagers have to commute 50 km by road if they have to reach the other bank of the river, which is not just cumbersome but even expensive.”
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YAD leader arrested for sheltering gangsters
Bathinda, October 3 The police claimed that the four were forced to surrender and not a single shot was fired. Bittu, husband of Akali sarpanch Kirpal Kaur, was often seen on stage at SAD functions. His pictures with Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal appeared in the papers only a few days ago. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravcharan Singh Brar said Bittu had been arrested for harbouring gangster Jagseer Singh Seera, an Akali worker of Sidhana village, Gurpreet Singh Sekhon of Mudki in Ferozepur and Ranjodh Singh of Kotha Guru Ka in Bathinda. Seera is believed to be close to an Akali Minister. The police released a list of FIRS against the trio for robbery, murder and snatching. The three were named in the FIR registered after the murderous attack on Lakha Sidhana of the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) in Adampur village near Bhagta Bhai Ke in Bathinda on May 16. While Sidhana survived the attack, his associate Jasbir Singh Jassi was killed.Two others were wounded. The three, along with more than 10 accomplices, had opened fire at the end of a Congress-PPP rally in favour of a zila parishad candidate. The SSP said Bittu, who had a criminal background and was on bail, provided shelter to the gangsters. “The fact that we have nabbed the gangsters proves that there was no pressure on the police. None is above the law," the SSP said. Ruling out a political conspiracy behind the attack on Sidhana, he said the latter had enmity with nambardar Gurtej Singh of Kangar village who given a ‘supari’ of Rs 10 lakh to Seera to eliminate Sidhana. “The Seera gang is a breakaway faction of another gang led by Shera. The latter was killed in a police encounter last year. We have information that Seera was working at the behest of criminals behind bars. We are going to take action against such criminals,” the SSP said. He said that two pistols, 25 live cartridges, a revolver with five live cartridges and two rifles were recovered from the gangsters. An Innova car with fake documents (PB-029J-0085) had been impounded.
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Advance tax okayed despite BJP objections
Chandigarh, October 3 This advance tax will help the state earn an additional Rs 800 crore per annum. At a time when Punjab is going through a phase of low revenue growth and is finding it difficult to meet its committed liabilities, the government is looking at all avenues to increase its income. Advance tax will not only help the state earn Rs 2,500 per annum (as against Rs 1,700 per annum earned as entry tax), but will also help the tax collection authorities to check tax evasion by bogus companies that avoid paying tax on the pretext that the material brought in the state has been processed into another material (which, in turn, is exempt from entry tax). Well-placed sources, who were privy to the discussions at the state Cabinet meeting held here today, told The Tribune that when the agenda for replacing entry tax with advance tax came up for discussion, Industries Minister Madan Mohan Mittal raised objections. He said this would be detrimental to trade and industry. He reportedly said that the agenda should be deferred till all stake-holders were consulted. But Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa stood his ground. He said this would be beneficial to industry which would be saved a lot of harassment. The minister reportedly said that advance tax would be adjusted against VAT. This would appease traders. Following Dhindsa's assurances, the Cabinet approved the imposition of advance tax. Sources in the Excise and Taxation Department said: "Unlike other states, which charged entry tax (at 1 or 2 per cent over and above VAT ), we were using entry tax as advance tax, which was adjustable under VAT. “However, following a court stay on the collection of entry tax in a case involving a steel plant, traders had stopped paying entry tax. Our collection fell from Rs 2,500 crore in 2010-11 to just Rs 1,700 crore in 2012-13. We now hope to collect at least Rs 2,500 crore per annum as advance tax,” said a senior official. Dhindsa has his way
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Vidhan Sabha session to commence from October 28
Chandigarh, October 3 The Cabinet today approved arrangements for paddy procurement. It also gave the go-ahead to a committee under Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for implementing the Food Security Act. The committee will comprise Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Industries Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa. Cabinet approves...
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Panel seeks Rs 3,277 cr for waterlogged dists
Muktsar, October 3 Panel chief Lt Gen BS Dhaliwal (retd), in his voluminous report, has stressed on the need to widen existing drains. A senior official said the CM would present the report to the Planning Commission in Delhi tomorrow and seek funds. "Work will be done in three phases, keeping in mind the availability of funds," said an official.He said the report had suggested village-specific solution to the problem. " "The report has suggested the construction of new causeways and bridges. At a number of places, pipes connecting to village ponds need to be installed," the official said. Besides proposing a more drains in the Muktsar block, the report has suggested further deepening of irrigation channels. Sources said a sum of Rs 2,000 crore was required for the drainage department alone. The immediate relining of the Rajasthan Feeder and Sirhind canals has also been suggested. Places have been marked for undertaking fish farming. Suggestions made
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CPI activists protest rising inflation
Sangrur, October 3 Their demanded monthly pension of Rs 3,000 for every man and woman above the age of 58; 35 kg of grain for every family at Rs 2 per kg; fixation of minimum wages at Rs 10,000 per month; 200 days of work in a year for NREGA workers at Rs 350 per day; and check over rising prices.
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Tarn Taran Boat Tragedy
Fazilka, October 3 These villages are Mohar Jamsher, Walleshah Hithar and Teja Rohela in Fazilka subdivision and Dhandi Qadim in Jalalabad subdivision. “Though the boats are interim measures, these are safe,” said Charandev Singh Maan, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Fazilka. He said the ferrying of the boats was monitored by the village panchayats, which engaged professional rovers. The flood-prone Mohar Jamsher village is likely to be connected with a bridge which is under construction. “The bridge will be completed within three months,” said Jatinder Singh, Executive Engineer, Punjab Mandi Board. A pontoon bridge is also being laid by the BSF to connect Mohar Jamshwer village with Fazilka. The pontoon bridge is laid every year. It is removed before the rainy season during which the village remains isolated from the mainland as it is situated across the barbed wire fencing. It is surrounded by Pakistani territory on three sides. There is the Sutlej on the Indian side.
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Extended monsoon spells doom
Gurdaspur, October 3 Under normal circumstances, keeping in view the flood fury, the pontoon bridges (set up by the PWD authorities) are dismantled before June 15 and after the threat of the floods subsides, these are again assembled and made operational before September 15. This process has been going on for the last several decades but this year, the PWD authorities have yet to re-construct these bridges because “the rainy season is not yet over.” A senior official remarked, “The bridges have to be set up before September 15. However, due to the monsoon, which is having an extended run this year, the bridges could not be set up before September 15.” This means the boats meant to ferry passengers till September 15 are still in use a good 20 days later. Like other rivers of Punjab, the discharge of the Beas and the Ravi fluctuates from season to season and year to year. The winters have only a trickle of water in these rivers. As summer approaches, the melting of snow in the hills releases more water. Both these rivers are swollen into floods during the rainy season. The fluctuating discharge of the rivers does not permit their navigational use. This means the administration officials have to be on their toes during the rainy season to ensure that life and property of people is protected. The PWD has pressed boats into service at vantage points like Makkoran Pattan, the point of confluence of the Ravi and Beas, Dharamkot Randhawa in Dera Baba Nanak sector, Mithal, near Pathankot and Talwara Jattan, near Gharota, from where boats ferry passengers across the Beas river to Simbly village. Officials claim that spot inspection teams regularly identify vulnerable points. “We are constantly starved of funds following which we have to draw up a priority list of vulnerable points,” claimed an administration official.
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Nanded Express flagged off
Anandpur Sahib, October 3 The weekly train will depart from the Nangal dam at 4.20 pm every Thursday, halt at Chandigarh at 7:08 pm and reach Nanded at 11:45 pm the following day. The train will return on Saturday. It will start from Nanded at 11 am and reach the Nagal dam at 8:25 pm the next day.The train will halt at Anandpur Sahib, Ropar, Morinda, Mohali, Chandigarh, Ambala Cant, Panipat, New Delhi, Mathura, Gwalior and Basmat. It will traverse a distance of 1,870 km. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Rana KP Singh and Ambala Divisional Regional Manager (DRM) AK Kathpal were among those present on the occasion. Bittu said the train connecting two Takhts would facilitate Sikh pilgrims. He said it was on public demand that the Railways had agreed to provide a two-minute halt at the Morinda station. He would now work for town's rail link with Amritsar, the MP added.
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Three of family
die in accident
Chaunkiman (Jagraon),
October 3 The deceased have been identified as Gurmail Singh (35), his wife Rajwinder Kaur (30), their son Jobenpreet (9) and the family’s friend Jaspal Singh (40). All the victims belonged to Moga. The accident occurred at a link road connecting Chaunkiman with Kular village, where the victims had gone to attend a birthday party. Sources said the incident came to light in the morning when some villagers noticed the car in the drain. The police got the vehicle pulled from the water and found the quartet dead inside.
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Azad to announce cancer institute for Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur, October 3 Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is to inaugurate a two-day health mela, Arogya, in Gardhiwala on October 5. He will make an announcement in this regard then, says Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Santosh Chaudhary. Talking to the Tribune, Chaudhary said Punjab was 11th on the list of states worst-affected by the killer disease. “I will leave no stone unturned to bring the cancer institute to Hoshiarpur district," she said. With the coming up of this institute, not only patients from Punjab but also those from neighbouring states like Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir would benefit. Also, the move would help reduce rush at the PGIMS, Chandigarh, and provide job avenues to locals. Asked if the announcement of the cancer institute and providing Hoshiarpur a direct rail link with New Delhi were attempts by the Congress to woo voters prior to the parliamentary elections, Chaudhary said more projects were in the offing. Attacking the SAD-BJP Government, Chaudhary alleged that by conducting "unnecessary tests" on young girls during the first phase of its cancer detection drive, the government had exposed them to various diseases. “I have sought an explanation from the Punjab Government in this regard ,” she said.
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Thapar University sets tough rules for research scholars
Patiala, October 3 The Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) / Science Citation Index (SCI) and Arts and Humanities Citation Index are the top journals that hardly carry research papers of beginners. No other university in the country has set up such tough guidelines for research scholars. As per UGC guidelines, a PhD candidate shall publish at least one research paper in an ISSN/reputed journal before the submission of his or her thesis. The guidelines set during enrolment will be followed throughout the course and cannot be changed mid-way but Thapar authorities paid scant regard to this and changed the rules. The university in the name of improving research standards has changed the rules for all PhD students irrespective of when they got enrolled. Moreover, the university has not even mentioned the change in rules on the prospectus of the university, keeping prospective students in the dark. Around 580 research scholars are enrolled with the university till date. Perturbed with the fresh guidelines, Prof Manoj Kumar Sharma of University Business School, Panjab University, Chandigarh, said, “It takes a lot of effort to get a paper published in any reputed journal. There are students who have worked for almost two years to get a paper published in an international journal. But then the university arbitrarily changes the list of journals for publication of research papers and waste students’ efforts. How they can even justify such a move?” Prof Sharma had recently shot a mail to the Director of Thapar University in this regard. Meanwhile, research scholars are in a fix, as talks with Dean Research PK Bajpai and Director Dr KK Raina on the issue have failed. They said, “The authorities concerned assured us to reconsider cases of students who enrolled before June 2010 but no action has been taken so far. The university can implement the fresh guidelines on a fresh batch. Had they incorporated these guidelines earlier, we would not have sought admission in Thapar University in the first place. Even some of our faculty members have been unable to get their papers published in the journals listed.” Arbitrary change
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Regularisation drive fails to take off in Patiala
Patiala, October 3 Patiala Mayor Amrinder Bazaz said he would seek strict action against colonisers who do not avail the benefits of the scheme. Sources said the scheme was unlikely to yield any results as boundaries of 85 illegal colonies in Patiala had not been demarcated. Municipal Corporation (MC) officials, who have been working hard to promote the scheme, said, “We have received applications from only two colonisers and 185 plot owners.” MC Joint Commissioner Najar Singh was hopeful of getting more applications in the next few days. Already the Patiala MC has drawn flak for not being able to provide basic civic amenities to several lakh people residing in illegal colonies. It promises to provide these facilities to colonies that pay the regularisation fee. “We need more time to get the colonisers into confidence,” said an official. Meanwhile, the Patiala Development Authority (PDA) claimed that 1,625 plot holders and owners of 21 colonies had submitted their applications.
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Private bus owners not paid Rs 1 crore bills
Ludhiana, October 3 From 2009, the state has been roping in private players to ply “Integrated” buses to bring in more investment in the sector. The private companies working in coordination with Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways Jalandhar I said the business had become unviable in the present scenario. There were a total of about 20 such buses plying on roads on several routes, including Ludhiana-Delhi, Delhi-Katra, Ludhiana-Amritsar, Delhi-Amritsar, Kapurthala-Delhi etc. Payments to the tune of about Rs 50 lakh had not been made to around eight Integrated buses with Punjab Roadways Jalandhar I since March 16. Another payment of 50 lakh rupees had also not been paid for 11 such buses (with PRTC) since June 1. Suresh Sood, Vice President of INTUC (PRTC), said even though the companies had sent the bills to the department in time, they were not paid. “While other influential private players are minting money by getting regular permits, the government has deliberately withheld the bills of a few selected companies,” he said. A senior PRTC official admitted that bills worth several lakh rupees had been pending for the past 4-5 months. DP Rai, PRTC Managing Director, however claimed that bills had not been paid for only 2-3 months. “They have not been paid as grants were released late this time. We expect to make the payments soon,” he added.
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57 Sangrur villages pass resolutions against liquor vends
Sangrur, October 3 The recent rejection of similar resolutions by the Excise Department failed to deter the villagers from passing these again. In 2010-11, of the 72 resolutions passed by village panchayats against the opening of liquor vends in the state, 44 were passed in Sangrur district alone.As per the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act, any panchayat that does not want a liquor vend to be opened in its area has to pass a resolution in this regard by September 30 every year.
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Won’t allow mining without clearance, state tells HC
Chandigarh, October 3 The state government notifications had also empowered a district-level committee to issue clearance for such mining. As the issue came up for resumed hearing, the High Court asked Advocate-General Ashok Aggarwal to record his statement. In response, the Advocate-General sought time from the court to file a formal reply. The case will now come up on October 10 for further hearing. Digging deep into the issue of environment protection, the High Court had last year imposed a complete and immediate ban on mining without environmental clearance in operational quarries of up to five hectares in Punjab. The Bench had issued the directions after the Union Government counsel informed the High Court that the orders passed by the Supreme Court made clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests mandatory. The state, as such, was required to obtain clearance from the SEIAA to continue with the mining operations. For expediting the grant of permissions, the Bench had also directed the authority to decide within 10 days a representation for granting clearance. But the state government failed to get clearance from the SEIAA for mining even after one year of the High Court orders.
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The boat tragedy in which nine persons from Munda village near here are feared drowned in the Beas has left the residents devastated.
Harjinder Singh alias Bittu, senior vice-president of the District Youth Akali Dal (YAD), and three members of an alleged gang of ‘supari’ killers were arrested.
An embarrassed District YAD chief, Balkar Singh Sidhu, hastened to announce Bittu's expulsion from the party. 
Ahead the Lok Sabha elections, the Congres-led UPA Government is to announce a cancer institute in Gardhiwala village, near here.