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Polluting Phagwara units
under Green Tribunal lens
Reforms, not Lokpal, will end corruption: Sukhbir
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State offers to waive sales tax to Bathinda refinery
CM to lay stone of war memorial today
Preparations underway for foundation stone laying ceremony of a war memorial in Amritsar on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Vishal kumar
Rs 65 cr heroin seized from Pak goods train
Custom officials with the seized contraband in Amritsar on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph
khanna shootout
Badal Govt wasting funds on false propaganda, says PPCC chief
Ahead of General Election, Batala BJYM dissolved
112 tubewells for kandi areas, says minister
Four of wedding party
killed in accident
Bone, kidney cancer on the rise among the young
New surgical technique saves life
Patiala’s Rajindra Hospital turns 60
Major fire breaks out at guar unit
Centre amends rules to sanction schemes for 25 towns
1,100 state farmers visit Nagpur festival
SGPC for high VAT on cigarettes
Tension in Phagwara
town over posters
SAD (A) leader Rajinder Singh Fauji being taken away by the police in Phagwara on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph
LS poll: Govt seeks 200 companies of paramilitary forces
Re-employed PCS officers shifted
Sikh charity leads flood
rescue efforts
Make care homes for mentally ill functional in a month: High Court
HC backs state govt’s claim on Ashutosh’s death
Five booked for grabbing NRI’s house
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Polluting Phagwara units
under Green Tribunal lens
Jalandhar, February 11 The PPCB authorities swung into action after the NGT had, on January 22, issued directions to the board for conducting a comprehensive survey of Phagwara and identifying industrial units causing pollution. The tribunal has also asked the PPCB to hold a survey of polluting industries located within the 3-km radius of Upkaar International, a diesel engine manufacturing unit, and submit a report in this regard on March 6. Sources in the board said Vijay Kumar of Phagwara had filed a complaint before the Punjab and Haryana High Court against a few industrial units, alleging that the industries were defiling groundwater by discharging hazardous effluents in deep wells sunk on their premises. As the case was not related to the judiciary, the court then referred the case to the NGT for suitable action. “A team of officials led by Environmental Engineer Manohar Lal has been deployed to identify the polluting units,” Senior Environmental Engineer SP Garg told The Tribune. During a survey of polluting industries located within the 3-km radius of Upkaar International, two diesel engine manufacturing units were found violating norms, he said. “The industries — Reehal Enterprises and SK Enterprises — have been ordered to shut down after they were found operating without any effluent treatment plant and discharging the hazardous waste and effluents in the open,” Garg said. “The survey is almost complete and the team is busy in compiling the report that will be ready in a day or two,” Lal said. On January 29, while coming down heavily on the polluting industries in Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts, the PPCB had ordered eight industrial units to close down for violating the norms. The PPCB had asked the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials to disconnect power supply to the erring industries. This included two leather manufacturing units in the Leather Complex, Jalandhar, two electroplating units in Jalandhar and Phagwara each and two diesel engine manufacturing plants in Phagwara under the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Two leather manufacturing units in Jalandhar face closure for not installing effluent pre-treatment plant. Karunesh Garg, Chief Environmental Engineer, Jalandhar, claimed to have raided the premises of JD Leathers and Sneh Leathers at the Leather Complex on January 28 and found them violating the rotational schedule set by the PPCB and discharging untreated effluents without setting up effluent pre-treatment plants. Senior Environmental Engineer Garg claimed that electroplating units — Cargo Aqua Faucets, Gaddaipur, Jalandhar; SK Electroplating, Jalandhar; Jai Luxmi Steel, Phagwara; and Cristal Industries, Pahgwara — were found discharging effluents in the open. In spite of repeated notices, the units had not dumping the waste in the Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP), he added.
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Reforms, not Lokpal, will end corruption: Sukhbir
(Galwatti) Nabha, February 11 Sukhbir, who today visited Nabha to inaugurate a renovated distributary at Galwatti village, said: “Kejriwal has been threatening to quit over one issue or the other. He should resign immediately”. He said instead of merely passing the Lokpal Bill, stringent governance reforms should be initiated to check corruption. On such initiatives in Punjab, he said to provide clean and transparent governance, services in all the government departments would be made online within six months. On the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Sukhbir said: “The fight for justice would continue till exemplary punishment is given to the perpetrators of this heinous crime.” He said with the inauguration of the newly renovated Mohalgwara distributory, as many as 70 villages of Patiala and Sangrur would get assured irrigation facilities. Others present included Member of Parliament Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and legislator Iqbal Singh
Jhunda.
Kabaddi stadiums on anvil Sangrur: To promote kabaddi, stadiums with a seating capacity for 10,000 spectators will be constructed in every assembly constituency of the state in two years. Infrastructure for other major sports will be made available in these stadiums. This was announced by Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal at Dirba village on Tuesday. — TNS
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State offers to waive sales tax to Bathinda refinery
Chandigarh, February 11 Sources in the state government told The Tribune that the management of the HMEL had demanded that the state government should grant them all concessions announced for new investors in the state’s industrial policy. A delegation of top officials of the company led by Sudhir Maheshwari, CEO, ArcelorMittal, India and China, had met the Deputy Chief Minister last month and sought these concessions. However, the government has now said that it was not possible to allow all the concessions to the refinery in terms of concessions in value added tax, electricity duty and stamp duty, besides the central sales tax, as refineries are in the negative list for grant of these concessions. Moreover, the refinery does not fulfil the criteria of expanding its business by at least 25 per cent in value terms, in order to avail concessions. The HMEL has already invested Rs 21,000 crore and now proposes to invest Rs 2,300 crore for expanding the refining of petroleum products at the Bathinda refinery. The proposed expansion in production is 25 per cent, though the expansion in value terms is just 11 per cent. The company proposes to increase its capacity from the present 12 MMTP to 14.3 MMTP. If the state government were to make a special case for the refinery and grant them all concessions meant for new investors (value added tax, central sales tax, electricity duty and stamp duty), the state government would suffer huge losses, especially by granting concessions on VAT as most of the petroleum products would be consumed within the state. Thus, the state government has now offered that the HMEL will be offered a waiver in the central sales tax. Though this is a central government tax, it is collected by the states and the states retain its own share from the CST. The state’s share in CST is two per cent, which if granted in toto to the HMEL, will amount to Rs 230 crore per annum. In case, Punjab decides to give a concession of 1.5 per cent on CST, the state will only have to forego Rs 170 crore. The exact waiver on the CST is to be decided after consultation with the HMEL management, before the issue is brought up to the Punjab Cabinet for its approval, said a senior government official.
Not entitled for concessions This move comes despite the fact that the refining of petroleum products is not entitled for any fiscal concessions as this industry is in the “negative list of industries that can be allowed concessions” under Punjab’s New Industrial
Policy.
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CM to lay stone of war memorial today
Amritsar, February 11 The function will be attended by Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh, three former Army Chiefs, two former Navy Chiefs anf thousands of ex-servicemen and their kin from across the state. A befitting tribute to the services rendered by Army personnel post-Independence, the memorial will be raised at a cost of Rs 106 crore in 18 months. It willcome up on seven acres of land. The blueprint of the memorial is ready and tenders for construction work have already been floated. The memorial will showcase the history of wars fought during the times of Guru Hargobind Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh and Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, the 1971 war and the Kargil war through a laser show. Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the event which will be attended by former Army Chiefs, General Shankar Rai Chaudhary, General Deepak Kapur and General JJ Singh, and former Navy Chiefs, Admiral Madhvender Singh and Admiral VS Sekhawat. Students from Sainik School,
Kapurthala, PPS Nabha, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Institute, Mohali, and NCC cadets will also participate in the function. Former defence personnel, including Parmvir
Chakra, Mahavir Chakra awardees will be honoured by the Chief Minister on the occasion.
A tribute to heroes *
The memorial will be raised at a cost of ~106 crore in Amritsar * It is expected to be ready in 18 months *
It will be raised on seven acres of land * The blueprint is ready; tenders for construction work have been floated *
The memorial will showcase the history of wars fought during the times of Guru Hargobind Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh and Baba Banda Singh
Bahadur, the 1971 war and the Kargil war
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Rs 65 cr heroin seized from Pak goods train
Amritsar, February 11 The officials seized 12.810 kg of heroin valued at around Rs 65 crore in the international market, 34 live cartridges and 150 gm of opium. The contraband was concealed in the hosepipe of a wagon. Sources said the train arrived from Pakistan on February 7. It was loaded with export material the next day. The train had reached the Attari station yesterday from where it was to leave for Pakistan at 8 am today. But the train could not leave on its scheduled time as two more wagons were to be attached to it. The train was sent back to Amritsar this morning. It was then some officials detected a wire hanging from the hosepipe. On pulling it, another pipe was noticed which contained the contraband, said VK Khosla, Deputy Commissioner, Customs. "The credit goes to the vigilant anti-smuggling cargo staff of the Customs and the Railway Protection Force. The train is under strict surveillance," he said.
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khanna shootout
Ludhiana, February 11
Kulwinder was shot dead outside a restaurant in Khanna on February 2 allegedly on directions of Yadwinder Singh Yadu, president, Youth Akali Dal, Khanna (rural). On the failure of the police to nab Yadu, the SSP said the accused would be interrogated to find out Yadu's involvement in the case.
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Badal Govt wasting funds on false propaganda, says PPCC chief
Chandigarh, February 11 Bajwa said that information obtained under the RTI Act by Dr Jasdeepak Singh, convener of the Congress’ RTI cell, showed the SAD-BJP Government was spending a whopping Rs 1.25 crore per month on advertisements in the print media. The Department of Information and Public Relations had withheld information on advertisements on the electronic media. Bajwa said from April 1, 2013 to February 3, 2014, the Punjab Government had issued advertisements worth Rs12.99 crore to various newspapers. Most of these were “false propaganda” on development projects. He said it was shameful that the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister were indulging in self-promotion at the expense of the people who were already burdened under heavy taxes. Bajwa said teachers were not getting salaries and retiring employees not being paid their dues. Hundreds of beneficiaries of the Shagun Scheme were waiting for their cheques. The NSSO survey showed that peasants in Punjab were reeling under debt. Rural debt in Punjab was estimated at Rs 35,000 crore. “Yet the Badal Government has been spending crores on false propaganda,” he added.
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Ahead of General Election, Batala BJYM dissolved
Batala, February 11 Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur parliamentary seats have been allocated to the BJP under the seat-sharing agreement with the SAD. The mainline BJP candidates eyeing the Gurdaspur seat are keenly viewing this latest development as Batala forms a key part of the constituency. Being an industrial hub, Batala has a powerful vote bank of traders, which during election time, translates into BJP votes. Political observers claim that out of the total votes polled by the party during the 2009 Lok Sabha and 2012 Assembly polls, 30-35 per cent of the votes came from the youth vote bank. “This is one reason why dissolving of the BJYM is being viewed keenly by the candidates who are in the fray for the party ticket from the Gurdaspur Parliamentary seat,” said a senior leader. The Batala BJP was already a divided house ever since city unit president Krishan Baldev Suri was removed from his post nearly five months ago, following his differences with the BJP district president, Suresh Bhatia. The post has been lying vacant ever since. With this issue yet to be resolved, BJYM president Vinay Mahajan yesterday removed some of its office-bearers who were reportedly close to Bhatia. This infuriated Bhatia, who immediately showed the exit door to Mahajan. Senior leaders claim that the district president has no powers to remove Yuva Morcha office-bearers, but Bhatia claims that whatever he did “had the consent of state party president Kamal Sharma”. After Suri’s exit, this development has come as the proverbial last nail in the coffin for the district unit. Bhatia claimed, “The Yuva Morcha had become dormant, which was not a good thing for the party ahead of the forthcoming general elections.”
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112 tubewells for kandi areas, says minister
Hoshiarpur, February 11 He said 687 tubewells were already functioning to irrigate 87,500 acres of land benefiting 10,300 farmers of the area. Talking about the canal development, he said, “The phase -II of the Kandi Canal is also about to start with an expenditure of Rs 476 crore.” He said, “During the congress' regime from 2002 to 2007, only Rs 72 crore were allocated for this project. But, the SAD-BJP Government has spent Rs 217 crore on it since 2007. This project will cover an area of 29,527 hectares and the second phase of the Kandi Canal will be made operational till Garhshankar-Jaijon by the end of March.” He said, “In the kandi area, we have eight dams being used for irrigation. We have planned to channelise irrigation supply from five dams through an underground pipeline.”
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Four of wedding party
killed in accident
Mansa, February 11 The victims, all residents of Reond Kalan village of Mansa, were returning from a wedding party in Malkon village in Haryana. Jaswinder Singh, a fellow villager, said the driver of the Toyota Qualis vehicle in which the victims were travelling failed to spot the truck as another approaching vehicle’s high beam lights blinded him. The deceased have been identified as Kehar Singh (65), a SAD worker, Jarnail Singh (50), his wife Surjeet Kaur (46) and Baldev Singh (27). The injured are driver Balkar Singh (35), Har Kaur (66) mother of deceased Baldev. Muktsar: Three persons lost their lives in separate incidents in Malout. A woman, reportedly suffering from some mental illness, was killed after she was hit by a vehicle on the Killianwali-Sitto road. In another mishap, 60-year-old Ajit Singh Bir Talab, Bathinda, was killed after he fell from his motorcycle near Midda village. Gagandeep Singh (19), of Malout was electrocuted while putting up a tent for a wedding ceremony.
12 students hurt Abohar: At least 12 students, most of them girls, were injured as a private bus overturned on the Gidderanwali-Panjawa link road today. Five girl students of a private nursing training institute have been admitted to the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital here. Senior Medical officer LC Thakral said the condition of all the injured was stable. — TNS
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Bone, kidney cancer on the rise among the young
Jalandhar, February 9 “More than 14,000 cases of cancer have been registered in the past three years at Patiala alone,” said Dr Manjit Singh Bal, Head, Department of Pathology, Medical College, Patiala. “Besides genetics, high-fat diet, red meat, high alcohol intake and smoking is responsible for the rise of cancer deaths in the region,” Dr Bal said. Jalandhar-based Dr Rupinder Bhargava said the over-use of oral contraceptives, pollution, smoking, alcohol and obesity were the major reasons. “Poor hygiene is generally responsible for cervix cancer in women and oral cancers in both men and women. Five to seven per cent cancer cases are because of genetics,” Dr Bhargava said. He said the fat-rich Punjabi diet also caused cancer. “People should exercise regularly and also ensure they are vaccinated against hepatitis-B,” he said. What was alarming was the rising incidence of cancer among those aged between 15-25 years. “Cancers of the bone and kidney are rampant among the young. People should shun a high-fat diet after 35. Diet plays a huge role in the growth of cancer,” Dr Bal emphasised. “People should take a lot of green vegetables and fish and avoid red meat,” he advised. The excessive use of pesticides in Punjab is believed to be one of the main reasons for the rise in the number of cancer patients in the state.
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New surgical technique saves life
Patiala, February 11 Intervention radiologist Dr Gobind Singh Mandher said after holding consultations with hospitals in Punjab, he came to Columbia Asia where the procedure was carried out at the cathlab. He said the artery supplying blood to the tumour was selectively catheterised (with a micro catheter) and the chemotherapy drug administered. “The artery was then blocked and a small puncture made in the patient's groin. The procedure did not require sutures and the patient was able to walk and eat the same evening. The entire procedure lasted about an hour. The patient was kept under observation for two days and then discharged," Dr Mendhar explained. — TNS
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Patiala’s Rajindra Hospital turns 60
Patiala, February 11 Iugurated by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on February 12, 1954, the college was to celebrate its diamond jubilee today. The celebrations were abruptly cancelled with the sudden arrival of Medical Council of India (MCI) teams. The teams inspected the facilities to decide whether or not the college should be allowed more postgraduate seats. The college started with four specialties- medicine, surgery, gynaecology and eye-ENT. It now has 22 departments. Government Medical College, Patiala, was started on September 29, 1953. It was the first medical college in the erstwhile Pepsu State. The Rajindra Hospital was under construction when the college started functioning, admitting 50 students. The foundation stone of the college building was laid by then President Dr Rajendra Prasad, on December 21, 1953.
The college was inaugurated by Nehru, on February 12, 1954. The Rajindra Hospital started with 500 beds. It now has more than 1,000 beds. Besides. the TB Hospital has 121 beds. The latter has been designated as Zonal Task Force Centre of North India.
Upcoming projects
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Major fire breaks out at guar unit
Abohar, February 11 Sriganganagar chief fire brigade officer Gopal Saini said fire tenders were called from Hanumangarh and Lalgarh Military Station. He said about 150 personnel of Civil Defence, fire brigades and the Army had struggled to bring the fire under control after receiving information at 10 pm yesterday. The staff had returned to their residential quarters inside the export-oriented unit complex by 8 pm. The godown, sized 160x75x20 ft, had no firefighting equipment. Water sources in the complex were used to dowse flames after removing the tin roof and three sidewalls at midnight. Preliminary inquiry has indicated that over 400 tonne of guar gum powder (allied product) had been stacked in the godown, besides 12,000 bags of packing material and costly spare parts. Two excavators have been arranged to remove the damaged material.
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Centre amends rules to sanction schemes for 25 towns
Abohar, February 11 Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath today informed CLP leader Sunil Jakhar that the JNRUM’s validity had been extended by a year to give relief to different states as they were unable to submit the projects in the prescribed period. Jakhar said the Union Government had amended the norms so that millions of people in small and medium towns could be benefited. He expressed hoped that the projects would get a final nod well before the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha elections comes into force. As per the set norms funds can be released to the elected civic bodies only. Since the local bodies had been brought under the control of administrators, the proposals received from Punjab were returned on But, the same have been now forwarded to the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation and National Building Construction Corporation
Ltd, both of the Urban Development Ministry, to screen the detailed project reports and told
to submit report immediately.
JNRUM’s validity extended Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath today informed CLP leader Sunil Jakhar that the JNRUM’s validity had been extended by a year to give relief to different states as they were unable to submit the projects in the prescribed period
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1,100 state farmers visit Nagpur festival
Bathinda, February 11 Speaking to The Tribune over phone from Nagpur, farmer Darshan Singh said he got the opportunity to showcase his environment-friendly self-designed chopper-cum-harvester at the fair. The harvester helps in amalgamation of wheat stubble with soil to avoid paddy stubble burning. “A target of 1,300 farmers was set for the visit and so far, more than 1,100 have visited. The focus is to make the farmers aware about innovation, new techniques and to generate ideas to replicate the same in their farms in Punjab,” said Rajesh Kumar Raheja, who is coordinating with farmers on behalf of the Punjab Government in Nagpur. He said as the first stall was that of Punjab, visitors were paying special attention to it. “People are also making queries about the Cancer Express of Punjab and asking if excessive use of pesticides is the main cause behind the spread of disease here,” said Darshan Singh of Rampura Phul. Darshan and another progressive farmer Gurdial Singh from Punjab have been selected to represent their state at the fair. Gurdial is a progressive farmer who is marketing turmeric and other milk byproducts successfully near Jalandhar. Raheja said Punjab farmers learnt about techniques by which Maharashtra farmers grow grapes, pomegranate, guava, raisin, corn, orange and cotton despite hard soil and unsuitable climatic conditions. “We are also showcasing the event to farmers in various districts of Punjab using video conferencing and holding live interaction with them,” Raheja said.
At the fair
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SGPC for high VAT on cigarettes
Amritsar, February 11 He rejected media reports about the negative role of former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra during Operation Bluestar. He said Tohra headed the premiere Sikh body for 27 years and
his role at that time was satisfactory. On the alleged remarks against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal by an organisation of Dharmi Faujis, he said they should remember that it was his suggestion to grant aid worth crores to Dharmi Faujis, adding that they should not forget his works for the community. Earlier, Makkar took stock of the ongoing restoration work at Gurdwara Baba Atal Rai Sahib. The wooden doors of the shrine are ready and at present, artwork is being done on them. He said to curb seepage on walls an awning had been put on a steel frame around the shrine. Makkar said the stone work in the 'parikarma' has been completed, adding that the restoration work will be carried out up to the ninth floor of the building.
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Tension in Phagwara
town over posters
Phagwara, February 11 Traffic on national highway remained disrupted for more than an hour. Phagwara Superintendent of Police Gursewak Singh Brar reached the spot with heavy police force and removed the banners. But SAD (A) workers again put up the posters and raised slogans in support of Khalistan. Shiv Sena activists led by state vice-president Inderjit Karwal objected to this and raised anti-Khalistan slogans. Later, the Khalsa march, led by Dhyan Singh Mand, a former MP, passed through the town peacefully.
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LS poll: Govt seeks 200 companies of paramilitary forces Chandigarh: Punjab has sought at least 200 companies of paramilitary forces for smooth Lok Sabha elections in the state. A senior officer, requesting anonymity, said elections in Punjab would be conducted in the same phase as Haryana and Delhi. An announcement in this regard was expected within 10 days. The entire election process would be completed in seven phases, he said. “Everyday newspaper carry reports alleging the police are openly supporting SAD activists. For fair play, we have sought heavy deployment of forces,” the sources said. — TNS
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Re-employed PCS officers shifted
Chandigarh, February 11 In the first phase of the transfers, which are to be completed by February 13, the government has transferred two IAS officers, 13 PCS officers and a re-employed PCS officer. Re-employed PCS officer Ajmer Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Moga, has been appointed ADC (Development), Moga. Two more re-employed officers, Mukund Singh Sandhu, SDM, Zira, and Mohan Lal, SDM, Jaito, have been shifted. They are yet to get their posting orders. Isha, Additional Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, has been given the additional charge of Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Ludhiana. Deep Singh Sangha, who was recently inducted in the IAS, has been posted MD, Cooperative Bank.
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Satguru’s attacker claims he was sexually abused
London, February 11 Harjit Singh Toor (27), a non-Namdhari Sikh, appeared before the Birmingham Crown Court this week as jurors were shown video footage of the moment he pulled out a 3-foot axe from his shawl during morning prayers at a gurdwara in Leicester last August. The Namdhari leader suffered a broken arm and a cut nose when he tried to shield himself from the blows in front of horrified worshippers. Opening the case, prosecutor Gordon Aspden said Toor was motivated by religious hatred for his victim and rejected his claims that he was sexually abused by the leader in India. “The prosecution does not accept that the defendant’s recent sexual abuse allegation is true. You may conclude that this attack was a result of religious hatred. Whatever this attack was borne out of, whether it was religious hatred or revenge, the defendant had an absolutely crystal clear motive to want to kill the guru,” Aspden said. According to court reports in the local media, the guru’s mother, who was accompanying him on his first visit to the UK, was sitting next to him and witnessed the attack. Other worshippers inside the temple jumped on the attacker and began punching and kicking him before police arrived. “Although the defendant is an orthodox Sikh he was dressed like a Namdhari, wearing a white turban. That manner of dress meant he was able to walk into the gurdwara without being challenged,” Aspden told the court. “He walked down the central aisle and when he reached the platform, the defendant pulled back his shawl and produced an axe that he had concealed underneath it. He then attacked the guru with the axe,” he added. Shortly after the attack, Toor was heard saying that “his guru” was the Sikh holy book and he did not believe in a living guru. The prosecution described Uday Singh’s position as “similar to that which the Pope occupies within Roman Catholicism”. Toor from Leicester admitted during police interviews to attacking Uday Singh and the charge of grievous bodily harm with intent but denied attempted murder. His trial is expected to last a week. Uday Singh took over as Namdhari sect leader in December 2012 after the death of Satguru Jagjit Singh. His selection was opposed by some within the sect, including his elder brother Dalip Singh. It was speculated that the attacker may have a link with the controversy surrounding the choice of sect leader. Uday Singh had travelled to the UK from India to convene a Namdhari Darbar. PTI
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Sikh charity leads flood
rescue efforts
London, February 11 Khalsa Aid rushed a team to flood-affected regions of Somerset and Burrowbridge to help distribute sand bags, warm clothing, antiseptic fluid, bottled water, food and other essentials. “I think people are a bit amazed to see us with turbans and flowing beards, but at the end of the day what they see is a human being and we see our fellow countrymen suffering,” said Khalsa Aid director Ravinder Singh. The charity, launched in southeast England in 1999, has coordinated relief efforts during disasters and emergencies in several parts of the world, including the Philippines, Haiti, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Syria and the Indian states of Gujarat, Odisha and Punjab. Referring to calls for the British Government to re-direct foreign aid to countries such as India to tackle the ongoing floods, Singh said the issue makes one “wonder on moral grounds why don’t they give half of that 250 million pounds to these people who need it”. He added: “The people in the country who make that foreign aid possible are suffering.” More wet weather is affecting flood-stricken parts of the UK, with flood warnings in place along the Thames river. — PTI
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Make care homes for mentally ill functional in a month: High Court
Chandigarh, February 11 These directions by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli came in a suo motu case. As the "court on its own motion" case came up for hearing, an affidavit dated February 3 was placed before the Bench stating that the Department of Social Security had constructed 50-bed care homes at Rajpura, Ludhiana and Amritsar. But these were not functional for want of staff. The Bench was informed that the Secretary, Finance, had assured expeditious sanction of staff and budget for the homes. Amicus Curiae (friend of the court) Jaishree Thakur said enough personnel to man the homes were, indeed, not available. She said a list of hospitals should be prepared for referral purposes. Taking on record the assertions in the affidavit, the Bench directed the State of Punjab to take "necessary action within a month." The Bench directed that a status report be filed at least three days prior to the next date of hearing. The High Court had earlier directed the state to give details of how the government proposed to tackle the issue of mental healthcare and how the "mentally ill roaming on the streets" could be provided with healthcare services.
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HC backs state govt’s claim on Ashutosh’s death
Chandigarh, February 11 With this, the High Court has validated Punjab Government’s assertion that the Nurmahal dera chief is indeed “clinically dead”. The State of Punjab questioned the credentials and the motive of Ashutosh Maharaj’s former driver Puran Singh in filing the plea. Punjab’s Additional Advocate-General Rita Kohli even hinted at Puran Singh’s interest in the spiritual guru’s properties. As the case came up for resumed hearing late this afternoon, Kohli indicated that the desire for publicity and an interest in properties had, perhaps, propelled the petitioner to file the plea. She pointed out that Puran Singh had told the media that he would be filing a petition for Maharaj’s medical examination. This was proof of his interest in publicity. Insisting that the Maharaj was not in illegal custody, Kohli contended the petitioner was furnishing false information. Justice Bedi then asked Puran Singh about his interest in the matter. His counsel was questioned on the maintainability of the habeas corpus petition as it could be filed only for the release of a living person from illegal detention. Justice Bedi even asked Puran Singh to define 'samadhi'. Puran Singh had earlier asked for the Maharaj’s medical examination by a team of doctors from the PGI or any other reputed government institution. He had insisted the earlier examination, on the basis of which the Maharaj was declared “clinically dead”, was carried out by private doctors, including an eye surgeon. The plea came less than a fortnight after the Punjab Government told the High Court that Ashutosh Maharaj was “clinically dead”, even as his organisation claimed that the spiritual head was in samadhi or deep meditation. Puran Singh has claimed all along that the spiritual leader is being "detained illegally" as five of his followers have “turned greedy”. The "detainee", he claims has property worth Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 100 crore in cash.
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Five booked for grabbing NRI’s house
Phagwara, February 11 In a complaint to the police, Singh said he was living in Canada for the past 38 years and his grandmother Jaswant Kaur was residing in his house in the village. Ram Saroop, along with his family, was living in the house as a caretaker. The NRI alleged that after his grandmother’s death, he repeatedly asked Saroop to vacate his house, but could not succeed. The police have booked Ram Saroop, his wife Kanta Rani, son Davinder and two daughters Aruna and Rajni under various sections of the IPC.
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The Punjab Government has offered to waive the central sales tax for the refined petroleum products produced at the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, being operated by the HMEL (HPCL- Mittal Energy Limited). This is being done despite the fact that the refining of petroleum products is not entitled for any fiscal concessions as this industry is in the “negative list of industries that can be allowed concessions” under Punjab’s New Industrial Policy.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will lay the foundation stone of the Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum here tomorrow.
The function will be attended by Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh, three former Army Chiefs, two former Navy Chiefs anf thousands of ex-servicemen and their kin from across the state.
In a joint operation by Custom officials and the Railway Protection Force, an attempt to smuggle narcotics and live cartridges through Pakistan goods train was foiled at the Amritsar railway station today.
The officials seized 12.810 kg of heroin valued at around Rs 65 crore in the international market, 34 live cartridges and 150 gm of opium.
About 1,100 farmers from across the state visited Krishi Vasant in Nagpur
(Maharashtra) to learn new farming techniques.
Special arrangements were made by the Government of India and the Maharashtra Government to facilitate the farmers’ visit at the five-day event, which was inaugurated by the President of India.
Tension prevailed in the town after Shiv Sena activists objected to
pro-Khalistan posters put up by SAD (A) workers to welcome the Khalsa march. Traffic on national highway remained disrupted for more than an hour.
Phagwara Superintendent of Police Gursewak Singh Brar reached the spot with heavy police force and removed the banners.
