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12 panchayats set to get municipal council status
Majithia most frequent user of govt helicopter
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Congress think tank plans counter-rally
Indo-Canadian lawmaker cleared of charges of favouring own firm
Britain decorates 4 Sikh Regiment WW-II veterans
Lift old stock first, arhtiyas to agencies
British teenager pleads guilty to assaulting elderly Sikh in UK
Canadian court holds Sikh priest guilty of sexual assault
Yet to receive chargesheet: IAS officer
IIT Ropar collaborates with PGI for research
Fatehgarh Sahib sees 72 dengue cases in three days
Jagraon deaths
Malerkotla boy’s murder: 18 days on, police groping in dark
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12 panchayats set to get municipal council status
Chandigarh, October 18 Punjab already has 140 municipal councils as well as 10 corporations, including in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Mohali, Moga, Phagwara, Pathankot and Hoshiarpur. The 12 panchayats are Kotshamir, Lehra Mohabbat, Baalainwali, Bhaipura, Rampura, Mandikala, Nathana and Chauke villages, all in Bathinda district, Boha in Mansa, Doda in Muktsar, Kokri Kalan in Ferozepur and Nadala in Kapurthala. An official said the panchayat names had been cleared after verifying whether these met the criteria as mentioned in the Punjab Municipal Act. However, there have been allegations that some of the panchayats did not meet the required norms. On allegations that panchayats with lesser-than-required population were being made councils, Director-cum-Secretary, Local Bodies Department, Priyank Bharti, said, “The Act for municipal corporations or councils did not specify the criteria of minimum population, as was being argued by a section of people.” Bharti said besides high density, a majority of the population of the area under consideration had to be dependant on non-agricultural income. The main benefit for shifting from a village to an urban body status was the financial gains that a habitation gets. Also, such areas get better grants for developmental works. Official documents revealed that till October 11, local bodies in the state received a share of approximately Rs 699 crore out of total VAT collections alone. The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (due to its large jurisdiction) got the maximum share of Rs 170 crore whereas the least of Rs 18 lakh went to Cheema municipal council.
Fresh inclusions
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Majithia most frequent user of govt helicopter
The collective usage of the two choppers (one state owned and second a private one) by the Punjab Governor, Shivraj V. Patil, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia in September alone came to a total of about 60 hours. Of this, Majithia has a number of hours to his “credit”. This includes a number of visits to various parts of the state: Majithia has continued to log flying hours even this month. For example, on October 4, he travelled by air from Chandigarh to the nearby district
Nawanshahr. Clearly, Majithia prefers air travel to road travel in his official car (Camry). It is also apparent that instead of staying on in the districts for the night, he prefers to return to Chandigarh and fly again the next day. It could not be ascertained if the functions for which he used the chopper were official or political or if these were a combination of the two. The Secretary, Civil Aviation, A Venu Prasad, said that as per rules the chopper was entitled to be used by the Governor, CM and the Deputy CM but in case of emergency, the CM could allow any person to use the government helicopter. Prasad did not want to go into details of the circumstances in which Majithia was allowed the use of the choppers. Going by the rentals, the privately hired chopper costs the government about Rs 1.75 lakh per hour while the state chopper costs Rs 80,000 per hour. It may be recalled that the SAD-BJP government had bought its own helicopter for Rs 38 crore on the premise that it will stop the use of private choppers to save taxpayers’ money. But, the practice of hiring private helicopters continues unabated. Records show that the chopper used by the government during January 12 to May 13, 2013, drained the exchequer by about Rs 4.5 lakh per day, costing a total of about Rs 17 crore for the said period of time. When contacted, Majithia said he had used the chopper on his own only once or twice. “Other than this, the usage was at the behest of the CM or the Deputy CM for official work,” he said.
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CM lays stone for Valmiki Temple at Amritsar
Amritsar, October 18 The area is believed to be the hermitage of Maharishi Valmiki where he composed the epic Ramayana and gave shelter to Sita after she was banished from Ayodhya. The Chief Minister announced to provide wheat at Re 1 per kg, instead of Rs 4 per kg, to nearly 30 lakh beneficiaries, doubling their number under the SAD-BJP Government's flagship Atta-Dal Scheme. He said work on the upcoming temple would begin within two months and completed in about two years. A team of architects of Sri Guru Ram Das Department of Planning and Architecture, Guru Nanak Dev University, has prepared the layout for the temple which had been approved by the authorities. Even as various factions of mahants are slugging it out in court to obtain control over Dhuna Sahib, believed to be the actual hermitage site of Maharishi Valmiki in Ram Tirath, the state government has gone ahead to raise a temple amid the holy sarovar. The temple will have a museum and convention hall. Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said neither he nor his government wished to take credit for the project of immense religious importance. "It is Bhagwan Valmiki's divine power that has guided me to raise the temple," he claimed. The Chief Minister called Maharishi Valmiki the world's first great poet for penning an epic in the form of poetry in Sanskrit, the world's most ancient language. He said after “Ram Rajya”, it was Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh to have established a regime of "peace, justice and equality." Badal impressed upon the Valmiki community to sink differences for the common welfare of the community. Concluding his speech on a lighter tone, he remarked: "There will be no dearth of funds for development once we reach Delhi (hinting at the coming Lok Sabha elections)" To preserve the state's rich culture, the government plans to raise war memorials at Kartarpur and Amritsar and a monument at Khuralgarh village in Hoshiarpur to propagate the philosophy of Guru Ravidass besides building a state-of-the-art monument in memory of Baba Jiwan Singh, fondly remembered as Bhai Jaita, at Anandpur Sahib. Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal said the SAD-BJP Government was upholding the country’s secular tradition with followers of all faiths living in peace and harmony in the state. State BJP president Kamal Sharma said the construction of temple was aimed at according due respect to the
Valmikis.
Elaborate arrangements
About the temple
Temple politics: Stone laid 4 times
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Verka praises CM, speaks up for safai karamcharis Ram Tirath: Raj Kumar Verka, Chairman of the National Commission for Schedule Castes (NCSC), showered praise on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at the function. Striking an emotional chord, Verka said being the head of the NCSC, he was indebted to the Chief Minister for undertaking the historic task which would instill a feeling of belonging in the Valmiki community. He said contractual employment of safai karamcharis must end in the state. He pointed out that the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation had recruited the karamcharis on a measly Rs 2,500 per month. This was a cruel joke on them. He asked Badal to implement minimum wages in the state. — TNS
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Religious leaders felicitated
Ram Tirath, October 18 Three stages were erected for Cabinet Ministers and political leaders, religious heads and the Sant Samaj and the Kirtan Durbar. Badal offered siropas to each of the religious leaders. Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma, Damdami Taksal head, welcomed the religious heads. Founder of the Art of Living Sri Sri Ravi Shankar exhorted the members of the Valmiki community not to be satisfied with government jobs and become entrepreneurs, scientists and artists. Besides, SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee President Manjit Singh GK also addressed the gathering. Meanwhile, an Akali worker, Dyal Singh, 65, died of heart arrest as he disembarked a bus at a temporary parking lot outside the proposed Valmiki Temple site. He was a native of Abdal village. His body was taken to his village for cremation. He is survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter.
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Congress think tank plans counter-rally
Chandigarh, October 18 The proposal was put forth at a meeting of the Congress coordination committee by former minister Lal Singh. The committee told Ahmed that the Centre should announce some major institutions for the Dalits in Punjab and annnouncement in this regard be made at the proposed Jalandhar rally. The coordination committee was of the view that holding the rally without announcing any attractive project for the Dalits would be an exercise in futility. President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), Partap Singh Bajwa said: “Most likely, the rally would be held on the outskirts of Jalandhar in December-end or in early January”. Lal Singh said poor sections of society had been supporting the Congress for the past several decades. “We are duty-bound to address their concerns.” The Congress is worried as the Badal Government has been making sustained efforts to win over the support of the Dalit Samaj that has a stronghold in the Doaba region. By laying the foundation the stone of Valmiki Temple in Amritsar today, the Chief minister has tried to further consolidate the SAD position among members of the Dalit community. also, the Congress think tank is working on other proposals. One of these is to set up teams under senior leaders and to allocate three Lok Sabha constituencies to each team. The team heads would be asked to campaign extensively in the constituencies allocated to them. At the end of the campaign, a big rally would be held either in Ludhiana or at another central place. “There is a need to effectively utilise the services of senior leaders to mobilise the party rank and file in the
countryside,” said a senior party leader.
PPCC recast likely
The PPCC is likely to be reconstituted by the end of next week. Source said a list of office-bearers had been approved by Ahmed and had been sent to AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi for approval after which the list would be made public. a effort had been made to give due representation to all sections, women, youth, business community and poor sections, it is
learnt. — TNS
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Indo-Canadian lawmaker cleared of charges of favouring own firm
Toronto, October 18 Ethics Commissioner of the Alberta province Neil Wilkinson, in a written judgment, absolved Edmonton MLA Peter Sandhu of all charges revealed in a CBC investigation involving unreported liabilities and improper lobbying, CBC News reported Thursday. The written statement of the commissioner also said it was not a conflict of interest because other home-building companies would benefit as well from the change in the legislation. The report came a day after a CBC News investigation said that associates of Sandhu had allegedly orchestrated a smear campaign against a local Punjabi journalist who had reported on Sandhu’s debt problems. After CBC reported his house building-company had been sued several times for unpaid debts, which he had failed to disclose to the Ethics Commissioner as required by law, Sandhu withdrew from Progressive Conservative Party caucus in May and now he is an independent MLA. The investigative report also stated that Sandhu had sworn a false affidavit in a civil court case. Again, another CBC report stated that Sandhu had persistently lobbied senior executives within Service Alberta, which oversees Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act, to change Albertas Builders’ Lien Act to benefit his home-building company. The Ethics Commissioner found that Sandhu had failed to disclose his unpaid debt but she noted all the cases were settled shortly after Sandhu filed his annual member disclosure report. Wilkinson accepted Sandhu’s explanation that he had not disclosed the actions because he didn’t consider it necessary since the cases were so close to being settled. She further said that Sandhu acted on poor advice from his lawyer. I find there was no malfeasance on the part of Sandhu in any of these instances; there was no deliberate attempt to conceal actions for some underlying reason, she stated in her report. Sandhu’s lawyer James Heelan had characterised Sandhu’s behaviour as ‘an oversight’, but she found it was a mistake, she said. Wilkinson said Sandhu had done the right and honourable thing by bringing the matter to the Ethics Commissioner and ruled no sanction was warranted.
— IANS
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Britain decorates 4 Sikh Regiment WW-II veterans
London, October 18 Britain’s Secretary of State for Community Welfare Eric Pickles presented the coveted awards to 100-year-old Samitter Singh, 93-year-old Gulzara Singh, 92-year-old Rajinder Singh Dutt and 89-year-old Mukhtiar Singh Rai last night for their patriotism and dedicated service during the World War II. A Charitable Services award was presented to APS Chawla, founder chairman of Roko Cancer, for raising awareness on breast cancer. His award was collected by his brother. Also a cheque for 2,000 pounds was presented to Gurpal S Oppal, who ran the London Marathon to raise funds for Bowel Cancer Charity. Those present at the award ceremony included Lord Andrew Feldman, chairman, Conservative Party, Lord Navnit Dholakia, deputy leader of Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, Minister Shailesh Vara, Judge Mota Singh, Lord Diljit Rana, Lord Raj Loomba and Lord Indarjit Singh. Speaking on the occasion, WPO President (European Division) RS Baxi referred to his visit to the Imperial War Museum to attend a reception where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Princess Kate were present. He said he was proud to see the Lord Ashcroft Gallery housing the Extraordinary Heroes exhibition, with the largest collection of Victoria Crosses. “A lot more needs to be done to restore the legacy of our fallen heroes as we prepare to commemorate in 2014, 100 years since the outbreak of the first World War... The visit certainly brought heroic memories of sacrifices, patriotism and dedication of the Sikh warriors and the British soldiers who fought together for a better and safer today,” he said. On behalf of the Punjabi community, Baxi extended an invitation to Eric Pickles to visit Punjab and especially “our holiest shrine, Amritsar” on his next visit to India. “We still remember with pride, the recent visit of Prime Minister David Cameron to Amritsar, and we would love to see you visit there also,” he said. “In working with Lord Feldman, in my capacity as co-chairman of Conservative Friends of India, I wish to share with you that he is a committed promoter of greater diversity and he enjoys meeting members of all ethnic groups,” said Dr MS Lamba, General Secretary, WPO, (European division), adding the British Punjabi community had successfully integrated with the British population. Lord Dholakia lauded the efforts of Baxi in keeping the Punjab community together and highlighting their achievements.
— PTI
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Khushwant Singh Literary Festival
Indeed, he too senses a link between literature and cinema as “both are a reflection of time and society and are part of the big ocean called life”. Only when we ask questions, we go searching for answers. But each time a query haunts Mehra, he goes ahead and makes a film. So if his stupendously successful ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ was born out of his anxiety over the childhoods lost during Partition, his next ‘Mirza’ will answer the niggling doubt in his mind as to why did ‘Sahiba’ betray him. Of course, others may not always agree with his cinematic answers. Even ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ was penned by a certain tribe of critics. He quips, “They have every right to say what they want to.” In fact, he feels that any work or art that doesn’t evoke a debate, doesn’t pulverise audience in two extremes is of little consequence. His next film ‘Mirza’ based on the folk legend of Mirza Sahiba is going to be a musical. That doesn’t mean actors will break into a song every minute but more importantly that its narrative will be that of a musical. Set to discover or reinvent the Indian grammar of a musical, the film will echo the love legend in today’s times. Lending it a contemporary hue, he agrees, isn’t easy. To make his task less onerous, he has roped in the best lyricist-writer Gulzaar to write the film as well as songs. By calling it ‘Mirza’, is he presenting a male point of view of the love legend? He shoots back, “I am only telling a story.” One day he hopes to tell Indian stories to a world audience. After having hit the bull’s eye with both ‘Rang De Basanti’ and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, he isn’t afraid of failure. Rather, he quips, “I have told my entire cast and crew that “give yourself the permission to fail with ‘Mirza’. “For only when you don’t fear failure, you can create something new.” Now, it’s this indefatigable spirit that answers our query as to what makes him what he is. Unusually amazing!
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Lift old stock first, arhtiyas to agencies
Chandigarh, October 18 Chairman of the Arhtiya Association of Khanna Harbans Singh Rosha said arhtiyas from Samrala, Machhiwara, Payal and neighbouring mandis held a meeting at Khanna to strongly take up the issue with the authorities concerned. Senior district officials also visited the mandis today. Harbans Singh said about 2,10,000 quintals of paddy was lying unsold in the Khanna mandi. Government agencies were not procuring the paddy because of discolouration and other factors. As old stock was still lying in the Khanna mandi, there was no scope for fresh stock, he maintained. A government official said about 20,000 quintals of paddy was procured today in Khanna. However, sources said that if procurement did not pick up by tomorrow, arhtiyas and farmers may come on the to road to lodge their protest. “If the government fails to do anything concrete, we may block traffic on various roads,” warned Balbir Singh Rajewal, BKU leader.
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British teenager pleads guilty to assaulting elderly Sikh in UK
London, October 18 The incident captured on a mobile phone showed the pony-tailed girl, accompanied by three young males, kicking and knocking down the 80-year-old Sikh on Trinity Street at the Coventry City Centre on August 10. The incident was also captured on a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. The victim, who suffered a cut nose and swelling, hails from the city's Canley neighbourhood. Millerchip also spat on the victim and abused him. The shocking clip sparked outrage on social networking sites. Millerchip's lawyer David Murray told the court: "This is a matter which was partially captured on a mobile phone and which was downloaded onto YouTube and received publicity nationally." Murray said he had an issue with the prosecution's plea in relation to a part of the incident which had not been recorded, observing that the accounts of three witnesses differed. Millerchip also pleaded guilty to receiving a shoulder bag, purse and laptop computer taken in a burglary on July 9 in Coventry. Murray said he would not ask for a pre-sentence report to be prepared on Millerchip on the assault. The girl has not applied for bail.
— IANS
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Canadian court holds Sikh priest guilty of sexual assault Chandigarh, October 18 Ajai Singh will serve 90 days in jail and 18 months in probation. He was on a visit to Canada earlier this year when the incident was reported to the police on February 9. An Abbotsford judge sentenced him to jail yesterday. After serving his sentence in Canada, he will be deported. The victim’s family told vancouverdesi.com they were satisfied with the verdict although they wished for a longer sentence. “Ninety days is not enough. I wanted to see at least one year,” said a male family member of the victim. However, the man did say his family was relieved to hear the bittersweet news. “We are dealing with it. It’s been very hard,” he said. “Finally, the judge has made a good decision.” — TNS
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Yet to receive chargesheet: IAS officer
Chandigarh, October 18 "I have not even been given the opportunity to explain my position on the matter on which I am being supposedly charge-sheeted," said the officer who is out of stationand is expected back by Tuesday. A former Managing Director of Punjab Agro Industries, Himmat Singh, has been charge-sheeted for misusing his post for personal benefits, including financial. He is now member-secretary of the Punjab State Women's Commission. Secretary (Personnel) Anirudh Tewari confirmed that a charge sheet had been prepared against Himmat Singh. Interestingly, it comes at a time when the officer has less than a year to retire. The department got approval for serving him the charge sheet from the office of the Chief Minister in September, it is learnt.
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IIT Ropar collaborates with PGI for research
Ropar, October 18 It has also collaborated with Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, to undertake research in fields such as cancer, cardiology, paediatrics, drug delivery, endocrinology, otolaryngology, and dermatology. The premier institute is planning to develop bio devices for use in cardiology and control system for drug delivery that will help operations in anaesthesia and intensive care units. Similarly, it will also develop indigenous and low cost otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing for early detection of deafness. Research on orthopaedic implants and device design is also progressing smoothly and experiments in this regard are to begin at PGI soon. IIT Ropar will also synthesise new organic receptors that PGI will evaluate for anti-cancer activity. Earlier, IIT Ropar, in association with Aston University, Birmingham, UK, had unveiled technology to produce biofuel and biochar using agricultural residue, especially paddy straw. It will help protect the environment and increase monetary benefits for farmers.
Invites NRIs to sponsor projects
Now, the institute has invited NRIs to fund research projects, scholarships and its expansion plans. NRIs and others interested in contributing to building the institute might endow faculty chairs and scholarships for students, said Dr Rajyashree Khushu-Lahiri Head, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Convener, Corpus Fund Raising Committee. They can contribute by sponsoring some research activity, or a new centre-of-excellence entirely based upon their expertise or needs of the people of the state, or sponsor some infrastructure for the permanent campus of the institute, said Dr Rajyashree.
Projects on anvil
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Fatehgarh Sahib sees 72 dengue cases in three days
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 18 The steps taken by the health authorities to prevent the spread of the disease seem to be inadequate as the total number of dengue patients reported in the district has touched 180. With 149 cases, Mandi Gobindgarh continues to be the worst-affected. Eleven cases have been reported from Sirhind and two from Bassi Pathana. Eighteen cases have been reported from rural parts of the district. Eight persons have reportedly died of dengue, though the Health Department refused to confirm the development. District Health Officer Dr Kulwinder Singh said 15 teams had been constituted for surveying the affected areas. He said the department was distributing pamphlets containing precautionary measures among the residents. Five cases in Ropar Ropar: Five fresh cases have been reported from various parts of the district. Among the patients is a doctor and a staff nurse. The condition of all of them was stated to be stable, said Civil Surgeon Rajnish Sood. Anti-mosquito drive Chandigarh: Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani has said a memorandum of understanding had been signed with the Department of Fisheries for the development of hatcheries for larvivorous fish (gambusia), a breed that prevents breeding of dengue or malaria-causing mosquitoes. The Health Department said blood component separators were available at each district hospital for facilitating dengue treatment.
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Jagraon deaths
The police registered a case against Parminder's father-in-law Pritpal Singh, mother-in-law Dilbag Kaur, sisters-in-law Preeti and Jyoti and her husband's maternal uncle Jatinderjit Singh Chadha on the basis of a suicide note. However, none of them have been arrested so far. "Parminder wrote in the note that her husband had illicit ties with women and would often beat her up and his parents too harassed her," claimed sources. Parminder allegedly poisoned her husband Gurpreet Singh alias Choji (42), their daughter Ishpreet Kaur (13) and son Jashanveer Singh (9) to death and then ended her life by hanging herself from a ceiling fan.
Gurpreet Singh was a known financier. The police said it had noticed marks on Gurpreet's neck and Parminder may have strangulated him with a rope after giving him poison. However, Station House officer (SHO) Mohammad Jamil said the cause of the deaths would be established only after the viscera reports were received. Parminder's parents claimed that their daughter was a qualified ayurveda doctor. Her in-laws denied the same.
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Malerkotla boy’s murder: 18 days on, police groping in dark
Sangrur, October 18 Senior Superintendent of Police
(SSP), Barnala, and Director Inspector General of Police (DIG), Patiala Range, are heading each of the teams. The police has reportedly included more than 50 persons in its investigations but no one has been detained so far. The police has so far studied CCTV camera footage and spoken to
eyewitnesses. Sangrur SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu said no person had been arrested in the case as they did not have any concrete evidence.
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Chandigarh, October 18
On the opening day of Khushwant Singh Literary Festival in Kasauli, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra might seem like an odd man out. Perhaps his presence is partly explained by the fact that he based his film ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ on Flying Sikh Milkha Singh’s biography ‘The Race of My Life’.
Jagraon, October 18