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Police to track drug supply chain in MP, Rajasthan
Delhi supplier held in drug haul case
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Procurement Pangs at several mandis
Farmers waiting for their paddy to be bought at the grain market in Mukerian, Hoshiarpur, on Thursday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
Akalis to be blamed for distress sale of paddy by farmers: Bajwa
Partap Singh Bajwa, PPCC chief, and Congress MLA Rajinder Kaur Bhattal at Valmiki Jayanti Shobha Yatra in Jalandhar on Thursday. Tribune photo: Sarabjit Singh
Water Pollution-V
The Ghaggar that has turned black at several points in Patiala. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar
Govt rejects RTI plea on shamlat land, says re-apply in Punjabi
Modi may skip Moga rally, says Sharma
Land deals: Khaira deposits stamp duty with interest
Sikh student wearing kirpan not allowed on bus in US
Need to preserve age-old traditions: Badal
A Kashmiri participant offers 'kahwa' to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at SARAS Mela in Sangrur on Thursday. A Tribune photo
Fault in power line hits rail traffic
Amritsar Town Planner suspended on graft charge
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Police to track drug supply chain in MP, Rajasthan
Phul (Bathinda), October 17 Two days ago, the police had seized 100 quintals of poppy husk in Mansa, which was smuggled into Punjab from Madhya Pradesh. The Punjab Government has, in various national fora, raised the issue of cultivation and licensed sale of drugs in states like Rajasthan from where these are smuggled to Punjab. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had recently lamented that while drugs brought revenue for other states, it was a source of deaths and crime in Punjab. Director General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini today said, “We have been successful in our earlier operations. Now our aim is to target the large-scale suppliers to peddlers.” Saini along with Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka was in the town for the opening of a new police station building. Referring to the Bathinda zone that was notorious for drug use and smuggling, the state police chief said there was some improvement but better results would be visible in next three months. He, however, refused to comment on the rising incidents of drug smuggling from Pakistan and whether it was the BSF’s “failure” or “connivance”. “We have made recoveries of drugs weighing over a quintal several times this year. The seizure to date this year is three times as compared to 2011. As a result, snatching incidents (mainly blamed on drug addicts) have also come down,” he said.
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Delhi supplier held in drug haul case
Chandigarh, October 17 Bhupinder Singh Khattra, Superintendent of Police Rajpura, said: “More arrests are likely to follow as all those found on the list of suppliers will be traced.” He said: “We are looking for big names associated with the supply chain of the banned drugs.”
Bikramjit Brar, head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), said: “The Delhi
drug supplier has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody. Preliminary investigations in the case have yielded potential
links which are being followed up. Also under scanner are three leading Mumbai pharmaceutical
companies.”
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Procurement Pangs at several mandis
Chandigarh, October 17 “As the entire stock of paddy is procured for the central pool, we have approached the central agency (FCI) to inspect the quality of paddy in the grain markets yet to be procurd ,” said a senior official. He said the state government was seized of the matter but had not yet approached the Central Government for relaxing procurement specifications. Sources said a team of senior FCI officials today visited Khanna
mandi. They found most heaps of paddy with a high percentage of damaged grain, a problem confined to areas such as Morinda, Khanna and
Samrala. The government has formed an eight-member committee to monitor procurement: Roshan Sankaria will monitor procurement at the Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Ludhiana mandis; DK Tiwari Muktsar and Faridkot mandis; AS Pannu Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala and Fatehgarh Sahib mandis; Vikas Pratap Ropar and SAS Nagar mandis; VK Sharma Ferozepur, Fazilka and Moga mandis; Kahan Singh Pannu Mansa and Bathinda mandis; R Venkat Ratnam Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot mandis; and SS Bains Hoshiarpur and SBS Nagar
mandis.
CM blames Centre Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the Centre was to be blamed for the problems being faced by farmers in selling their paddy. He said the procurement agencies were bound to procure paddy as per the specifications fixed by the Centre. "These specifications are creating a hindrance in the smooth procurement of paddy," he said.
— TNS
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Akalis to be blamed for distress sale of paddy by farmers: Bajwa
Jalandhar, October 17 “People from all sections are being harassed in the state. The SAD-BJP alliance is particularly targeting urban residents, forcing them to cough up hefty taxes. Since the government does not want to slash the Rs 6,000 crore farm subsidy, it is desperately trying to raise money from those in urban areas,” he alleged. “Some top ruling leaders are hand in glove with commission agents. Together they are fleecing the farmers, who are being forced to sell their crop at Rs 800 to Rs 1,100 per quintal against the MSP of Rs 1,345 per quintal,” said Bajwa, who was in the city to participate in a function on the eve of the Valmiki
Jayanti. Bajwa also held a meeting with Congress leaders and workers here. He interacted with a group of industrialists. The latter said they planned to organise a state-level protest on October 23 against the imposition of taxes on industrialists and those living in cities and towns. The industrialists alleged they were being forced to cough up regularisation charges despite having their building plans cleared by the authorities. Besides, the government had imposed property tax on industry. “We have no alternative but to shift our units to other states which offer incentives to set up industry,” they said.
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Water Pollution-V
Patiala, October 17 Pollution source
Lacking treatment plants, several civic bodies in areas situated upstream the Ghaggar release waste into the river before it enters Patiala district. Emerging from Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh, the river carries pollutants from the hill state as well as from Haryana before it enters Punjab. The rising pollution has been a bone of contention between the three states, with Punjab blaming its neighbours for the menace. But ironically, Punjab’s own industry too has been discharging effluents into the river. Health hazard
Diseases like cancer and hepatitis have become common among the residents here. Almost every third house in Samana, Ghanaur and Patran has lost a member, or has a patient, to some type of cancer, say villagers. Though the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) claims to have initiated several projects to clean the river, the villagers say “the result is yet to be seen”. While the PPCB says there is almost negligible untreated industrial waste flowing into the river currently, it has no reply when asked why the discharge of sewage continues. Board Member Secretary Babu Ram says plans to check sewage discharge have been submitted to the government. Jaskaran Sandhu, former Irrigation Department Chief Engineer who was part of an Indian delegation that visited Pakistan a few years ago to discuss ways to check river pollution, says, “It is high time that the PPCB takes some concrete steps.” Sources say recently, both Punjab and Haryana tried to conduct random sampling from several points along the river but the initiative was stopped without achieving the desired results. Several reminders from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to the two states too have failed to serve the purpose. What PPCB says
With no power to check pollution emanating from Himachal and Haryana, the PPCB brought the matter to the notice of the Punjab Government earlier this year. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had even written to his counterparts in the two states but no major headway seems to have been achieved. Says PPCB Chairman Ravinder Singh, “We brought the matter to the notice of the Central Pollution Control Board and will again approach the central body to ensure no pollutants are discharged into the Ghaggar.” CPCB senior scientist BM Bhardwaj says as water is a state subject, the central body has limited say. “The governments in Punjab, Himachal and Haryana need to understand it better and check the release of industrial waste,” he says. “We can issue directions, hold coordination meetings and issue reprimands. But finally, the state governments have to draw plans and implement these.” (Concluded)
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Govt rejects RTI plea on shamlat land, says re-apply in Punjabi
Chandigarh, October 17 The department’s stand contradicts Act 6(1) A of the Right to Information Act, 2005, which provides for supplying information to the applicant “in writing or through electronic
means in English or Hindi or in the official language of the state”. A Public Information Commissioner said: “An applicant cannot be denied information even if he gives his application in English. The department can get it translated”. Dr Jasdeepak Singh, a Chandigarh resident, has sought information regarding shamlat land under illegal possession or given on lease or donated to any trust, society or NGO by
panchayats. The APIO in a communication dated October 1 told Dr Jasdeepak Singh that “while seeking information under the RTI you have sent us your communication in English. As per directions of the Language Department, you are required to translate your questions in Punjabi before getting a reply”. Dr Jasdeepak Singh said: “It is a matter of concern that shamlat land is being encroached upon. Even panchayats are giving it on long lease/pattas at throwaway prices. The practice is being carried out in collusion with the land mafia”. The applicant had asked the department to provide panchayat wise details of the total shamlat land as per the revenue records, the chunks under illegal possession and officials involved.
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Modi may skip Moga rally, says Sharma
Jalandhar, October 17 State BJP president Kamal Sharma said Modi may be asked to stay put at the party headquarters on December 8. “We have sent him a formal invite, but there has been no confirmation as yet,” Sharma said. On the reported heartburning among party leaders following the recent Cabinet reshuffle, Sharma said: “Since some departments require greater public dealing, we have allotted these to younger persons like Anil Joshi and Surjit Kumar Jiyani. We have done this for public good. We undertook a similar exercise ahead of the assembly poll.”
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Land deals: Khaira deposits stamp duty with interest
Chandigarh, October 17 “For transparency and accountability in public life, I have deposited Rs 1,07,442, including the interest,” he said. Khaira had purchased 13 kanals of land on May 26, 2010, in
Kharar, Mohali. He dared Chief Parliamentary Secretary NK Sharma to keep his word and resign in view of his indictment by the revenue authorities that had said he had evaded stamp duty worth Rs 1.30 crore. The Congress spokesman accused the revenue authorities of having deliberately “miscalculated” the duty evasion by Sharma. Sharma, when contacted, said he would wait for the government to send the inquiry report to him. “I will not do anything on the basis of newspaper reports,” he said.
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Sikh student wearing kirpan not allowed on bus in US
New York, October 17 Harsimran said he had travelled for the last two years with the kirpan and had not faced any issues till the incident last Saturday, CBS News reported yesterday. "They always wish me safe travel and they continue with their business... they didn't see me as a potential threat," he said. Bus driver Al Smithee was quoted as saying: " I'm doing 70 miles an hour down the freeway, and he slits my throat, and I crash and wreck, and kill five other people or oncoming traffic." Smithee called the police. Harsimran was then told that he could board the bus if he stowed the kirpan. But Harsimran refused to do so and decided against the trip he had planned to visit his family. — IANS
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Need to preserve age-old traditions: Badal
Sangrur, October 17 Mumtaz Maqbool from Baramula district in Kashmir offered Kashmiri ‘kesar kahwa’ to the Chief Minister at her stall. She claimed to have sold ‘kahwa’ worth Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per day at the fair last year. Over 2,500 persons visited the mela where handiwork, woodwork, clothes, etc, were displayed on 175 stalls. Rajya Sabha Member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said such fairs gave people an opportunity to discover handicrafts of other states. Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra said the state government had decided to open showrooms for artisans of the state to sell their articles.
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Fault in power line hits rail traffic
Phagwara, October 17 Thousands of passengers of seven trains, including New Delhi-bound Shatabdi Express, were inconvenienced. The sources said the Amritsar-Chandigarh Express remained stranded at Goraya station, Sachkhand Express at Phagwara, Amritsar-Delhi Superfast Express at Jalandhar Cantt, Jansewa Express at Jalandhar, Amarpali Express at Suranasi, Deluxe Express at Beas and the Amritsar-Dadar Express at the Zandiala railway station.
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Amritsar Town Planner suspended on graft charge
Chandigarh, October 17 Joshi said Des Raj had allegedly demanded bribe for providing a no-objection certificate for the registration of a house in Amritsar. He said Chief Vigilance Officer AK Kansal had been deputed to investigate the matter. He said Kansal would also probe into the complaints received against another official, Devinder Singh Toor, and submit a report within 15 days. Joshi also said Chief Engineers VK Bhatt and Amardeep Singh Dhaliwal had been deputed to look into complaints received against sub-standard construction of the sewerage treatment plant at Mansa. — TNS
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Facing procurement hurdles owing to discolouration of paddy at several places, the Punjab Government today approached the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to deal with the issue.
The FCI authorities have been asked to inspect the rejected heaps of paddy owing to discoloured grains and ascertain whether or not these could be procured.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa has alleged that farmers were being harassed and fleeced in mandis as their paddy was being procured at least Rs 300 per quintal less than the minimum support price
(MSP). Bajwa urged the Punjab Government to at least ensure that support price was paid to the farmers if it was unable to give them bonus.
Patiala, October 17
Chandigarh, October 17
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today stressed upon the need for preserving age-old traditions and handicrafts. Inaugurating the 12-day regional SARAS (Sale of Articles of Rural Artisans’ Society) fair at Government Ranbir College here, Badal appreciated the role played by such events in keeping age-old traditions alive. Badal also interacted with the 600 artisans and 100 artistes who had arrived at the fair from 24 states.
