Thursday, August 6, 1998
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Thursday, August 6, 1998 |
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 Backfinco Executive
Director transferred |
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Flouting SC
ruling on mining with impunity |
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Army 'neutralises' river war RANIAN (INDO-PAK BORDER), AMRITSAR, Aug 5 — The Army has strengthened the ditch-cum-bundh (DBC) which had eroded with the change of the course of the Ravi, by Pakistan on August 8. More than a kilometre-long fencing across the border was also damaged. The Ravi zig-zags along the Indo-Pak border at many places. More than 8900 jawans of the Army strengthened the km-long bundh at Kakkar and Ranian villages. Thereby saving the life and property of the villagers. It was not for the first time that the Ravi was diverted by the Pakistan. However, the recent threat was due to the strengthening of the DBC by the hostile country after the Ravi devasted a large portion of Pakistan up to Lahore in the 1995. The Pakistan government had constructed an aquaduct on the Ichhogil Canal (about 1.5 km long) which now flows under the Ravi. The siphon has helped in saving the life and property of Pakistanis while it has posed a great threat on the Indian side. Colonel D.K. Bhardwaj of the Panther Division told TNS that the Army had got a budget of Rs 30 lakh for the strengthening of the bundh when it was eroded on August 8. It may be mentioned here that due to the strengthening of the DBC by Pakistan the Ravi changed its course about 100 metres towards India. It washed away a large portion of the man-made bundh . The villagers apprehend that in case of heavy rain a large area along the border would be inundated. They say the respective administration should closely monitor the flow of water and its release from the headworks. Meanwhile the Panther Division of the Army organised "operation sahyog" to help the residents of border villages. A medical-cum-veterinary camp was also organised by one of the infantry battalions. It was inaugurated by Brig
Sunil Arora, on behalf of Major-Gen Avtar Singh, GOC
Panther Division. |
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Design of 'Nishan-e-Khalsa'
questioned CHANDIGARH, Aug 5 — Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, President of the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation and a member of the Anandpur Sahib Foundation, has questioned the design of the "Nishan-e-Khalsa" memorial proposed to be erected at Anandpur Sahib to commemorate tricentenary of the birth of 'Khalsa'. He said that the central piece of the design, purporting to symbolise the sacramental "Khanda-Bata" motif, is a high rising "Khanda" vertically standing on its handle dipping into the bowl shaped pool of water. The turning of the upside down of "Khanda" in the design, according to Dr Ahluwalia, was against the Sikh tradition, Sikh motif and Sikh symbolism.. He said that the approved design was a pale copy of a three dimensional 66-foot high 'Khanda' erected by the Namdharis at Malerkotla. He said that the general body of the foundation had not approved the design. He said that he would not attend the meeting of the core group of the celebration committee scheduled to be held tomorrow. Dr Saroj Gosh, an eminent planner would present his blueprint of museum at the meeting. Dr Ahluwalia has also questioned the floating of global tenders worth Rs 85 crore for constructing the 'Nishan-e-Khalsa' and the museum without the approval of the general body of the foundation. An official spokesman when
asked to comment about the observations made by Dr
Ahluwalia said that the executive committee of the
foundation had approved the design of the
'Nishan-e-Khalsa'. He said that no rules and regulations
had been flouted and all things were being done with the
approval of the executive committee of the foundation and
its Chairman, Mr Parkash Singh Badal. |
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Backfinco Executive Director
transferred CHANDIGARH, Aug 5 — In a bitter politico-administrative war between the Chairman and the Executive Director of Punjab Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation (Backfinco), the first round has been won by the Chairman, Mahant Gurdial Singh. The Executive Director, Mr Khushbash Singh Sandhu, has been transferred and Mr S.S. Dhillon comes at his place. The situation had come to such a point that the Executive Director, Mr Sandhu, passed an order on July 27 saying that the Chairman may not be permitted to use the official car till the "accounts" outstanding against him were settled as the Chairman was not authorised to use official car for "unofficial" purpose. The order said that the Chairman, Mahant Gurdial Singh, had been "misusing" the official car by taking it on "unauthorised journey" to his home district, Gurdaspur. Therefore, all expenses regarding petrol, oil, lubricants, including repair and maintenance of cars during such journeys is to be charged to the chairman, it said. The amount accruing as a result of misuse and unauthorised trips be deducted from the allowances due to the Chairman. It was further ordered that until these dues were settled "no allowance, including advance for petrol be released to the Chairman." There would be no relaxation in the above orders under any circumstances, except with the orders of the Department of Finance permitting the regularisation of the unauthorised expenditure, it said. The Chief Accounts Officer, who was asked to implement the order of the Executive Director and later by the Chairman to pay him his allowances, finding himself in a bind has reportedly proceeded on leave for a fortnight. So much so that the Executive Director, who went to Padhri Kalan village in Amritsar for an official meeting with the Chief Minister recently hired a taxi for the visit since the Chairman, had withdrawn the official car of the Executive Director. Thus it was under political pressure that the transfer of the Executive Director was ordered today sending him to the Irrigation Department as Additional Secretary. As a consequence of these developments, working of the Backfinco has come to a halt since employees have been caught in a cross-fire between the Chairman and the Executive Director, who it is said, had recently recommended special, increments to some women employees bypassing the Chairman. The New Executive
Director, Mr Dhillon, has much to do and a lot to undo in
the given circumstances. In fact there are as many as 125
FIRs registered in various districts on account of
embezzlement of Backfinco finances. Procedural wrangles
between the police and Backfinco have held up action on
the FIRs. |
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Flouting SC ruling on mining with
impunity NADA VILLAGE (Ropar): Ignoring the directives of the Supreme Court regarding mining on river and choe beds falling in reserved forest areas, such activity continues unabated on a choe adjoining Nada village. The village, located 5 km on the road leading to Perch village (Punjab) from the Sector 12 Engineering College, has been declared a reserved area by the state's forest department and the villagers have to take the permission of the department to mine or to remove any wild vegetation or trees. The villagers have also to inform the department if they have to level their land or lift sand from the river bed for even routine construction activity. In the past, many villagers were fined for not complying with the provisions of the Forest Act, 1927. But things are different nowadays. The connivance of officials of the forest and police departments besides certain influential villagers have ensured that while they make a fast buck, villagers continue to be penalised for even quarrying small quantities of sand. The "group" running the show is so well entrenched and politically connected that a complaint to the Chief Minister, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in the past few months have failed to evoke a favourable response. Mr Jeet Bhumble and Mr Mohinder Lal, both village residents told TNS that on an average over 200 trucks ferry sand to various parts of Chandigarh and Punjab and the going rate at present was Rs 100 a truck. The state was losing more than Rs 20,000 daily, not considering the damage done to the environment. They said the mining had resulted in the choe changing its course at many places with the fallout that cultivable land of many villagers was in danger of being swept away when the choe is in full flow. A couple of spurs, constructed by the forest department to prevent such a happening, had been swept away by the swirling waters of the choe last year. Mr Prem Singh, another villager, said a committee formed by the villagers to overlook their affairs had also joined hands with the "sand mafia". The 12-member committee had one member from each 'patti' of the village and also undertakes the sale of the 'babbar' grass harvested from the jungle every year. He disclosed a few persons who had been raising their voice against the practice had also been given a share of the earnings in the past few days. Most villagers are either too afraid to speak up or have been warned of dire consequences by musclemen of the group. Mr Singh alleged that the Forest Range Officer, Siswan range, had to keep the records straight written to the SHO of S.A.S. Nagar police station, asking for his intervention in the matter and action against the guilty village. The last time the choe bed was auctioned for mining was in 1996 when the bid was Rs 5.45 lakh. The contractor, owing to interference by forest and police department officials, had to abandon the job. Since then, the "coterie" running the show is minting money. The matter was again taken up with the the Principal Secretary, Punjab, today who assured them that the needful would be done, the villager added. The village sarpanch, Mr Rattan Chand, denied that any mining activity was going on and said the entire matter was the handiwork of certain "mischievous" people. He, however, admitted that quarrying had always been a sensitive issue with the villagers who had always opposed it. When brought to his notice that certain trucks were being filled with sand from the choe, he refused to comment. There were efforts by
certain persons at the mining site to "resolve the
issue" and thereafter the initial attempts to
browbeat TNS members failed. |
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Punjab order on gram panchayats
quashed CHANDIGARH, Aug 5 — A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Mr Justice H.S. Brar and Mr Justice K.S. Kumaran struck down the Punjab Government notification dated October, 24, 1997, constituting two gram panchayats of Khanpur and Vazirpur by declaring the villages or contiguous villages to constitute a gram Sabha area in Ghali Khurd block in Ferozepore district. In a writ petition Mr Tehal Singh and others had alleged that none of the prescribed procedures as laid down under Sections 3, 4 and 10 of the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act had been followed by which Vazirpur gram panchayat was bifurcated and a new gram panchayat of Khanpur created. It was alleged that the impugned notification had been issued under the influence of Mr Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Punjab's Minister of State for Co-operation. The Bench observed that it is admitted fact that the Harijan Colony was approximately 5 km away from Khanpur panchayat whereas from Vazirpur village it was at a distance of even less than 1 km. Thus the Act of taking away the Harijan Colony from Vazirpur gram panchayat and joining it with Khanpur panchayat did not fulfil requirement of geographical contiguity, as mentioned under Section 3 of the Act. The Bench held that the impugned notification was in conflict with Section 10 of the Act and was arbitrary and illegal. The court allowed the writ
petition with costs put at Rs 5000. |
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Punjab postings and transfers CHANDIGARH, Aug 5 — The Punjab Government today ordered yet another reshuffle of IAS and PCS officers. Mr Mukul Joshi is now Secretary, Printing and Stationery, in place of Mrs Asha Attri, who has proceeded on leave. Mr N.S. Kang, available for posting, is the new Managing Director, Punjab Financial Corporation, against a vacant post. Mr Jagpal Singh is now Managing Director, Punjab Alkalies and Chemicals, in place of Mr D.S. Bains. Mr C. Roul becomes Special Secretary, Finance, in place of Mr Ashok Goyal, who is on leave. Mr Amarjit Singh has been posted Special Secretary, Higher Education relieving Mr S.S. Gill of additional charge. Mr Vijay Kumar Janjua is Director, Rural Development and Panchayats. Mr S. S. Dhillon, on return from leave, is Executive Director, Backfinco, while Mr B.R. Banga is Additional Secretary, Department of Power, against a vacant post. Mr Ranjit Singh is now Joint Development Commissioner, IRD. Among the PCS officers, the following is the new line of order: Mr Khushbash Singh Sandhu is Additional Secretary, Irrigation. Dr M.G. Acharya is Joint Secretary, Excise and Taxation. Mr Surjit Singh is Controller of Printing and Stationery and also Additional Managing Director, Spinfed. Mr H.S. Pabla is Additional Director-cum-Joint Secretary, Food and Supplies. Mr Jaswant Singh is Joint Secretary, Revenue. Mr R.K. Kaushik becomes Secretary, Punjab State Scheduled Caste and Development and Finance Corporation. Mr M.S. Banwant is Joint Secretary, Education, and Mr S.S. Bajwa, Additional Director-cum-Joint Secretary, Local Government. Mr Amarjit Singh Dhindsa is Under Secretary, Local Government, in place of Mrs Indu Misra, who is now Administrative Officer, Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board. Mrs Ritu Aggarwal is Administrative Officer, Health and Family Welfare. Orders of the posting of
Mr D.S. Bains, IAS, will be issued later, while Mr B.
Sarkar will also look after the work of Special
Secretary, Home. Mr Devinder Kumar is relieved of
additional charge as Special Secretary, Revenue. Mr S.P.
Singh, IAS, Special Secretary, Science and Technology and
Environment, will also be Special Secretary, Vigilance. |
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Canadian team visits Amritsar AMRITSAR, Aug 5 — On a goodwill tour, a Canadian delegation comprising Mr Preston Mannig, Opposition leader of Canadian Parliament, Mr Bob Mills and Gurmant Grewal (all MPs), reached here last evening. It was received by Punjab Higher Education Minister Manjit Singh Calcutta, Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, the Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, Mr Narinderjit Singh and other eminent persons. At the Golden Temple, the delegation was received by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee members and a large number of Akali workers. Every member was presented with a "siropa", Sri Sahib (sword), a portrait of the Golden Temple and a set of religious books. At the Durgiana Temple, the delegation was received by Mr Surinder Kumar Billa, president, All-India Hindu Shiv Sena, and office-bearers of Sri Durgiana Mandir Parbandhak Committee. They were presented with siropas and portraits of the holy temple. The delegation left the
city in the evening. |
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Tributes paid to Bhagat Puran Singh AMRITSAR, Aug 5 — Glowing Tributes were paid to Bhagat Puran Singh, founder of the All-India Pingalwara Society, at a function held here today to commemorate his sixth death anniversary. Jathedar of Akal Takht Bhai Ranjit Singh described Bhagat Puran Singh as an embodiment of great compassion for the suffering humanity. The organisation built by him was providing succour to the infirm, destitute, disabled and the shelterless, he said. The Jathedar emphasised the need to emulate his qualities of sacrifice for the cause of the suffering humanity. Earlier, the Jathedar launched a mobile trauma van, dedicated to the memory of late Mubarak Singh, an eminent litterateur and social worker on the occasion. Eminent environmentalist Sunder Lal Bahuguna said the Pingalwara was a place of pilgrimage for him as the people with dreadful diseases were being looked after here. The Minister of Industries
of the Delhi Government, Mr Harsharan Singh Balli, Deputy
Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Dr Baldev Chawla,
also paid tributes to Bhagat Puran Singh. |
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Wrong exam paper: minister urged
to intervene AMRITSAR, Aug 5 — A former CPI MLA, Mrs Vimla Dang, has sought the immediate intervention of the Minister of Technical Education, Ms Upinderjit Kaur, to save the career of 25 students of the local Government Polytechnic. Mrs Dang, in a letter to the minister which was released to the press here today pointed out that a wrong question paper was given to the students who took their semester paper on "Utilisation of electrical energy" on May 18, 1998. Though the syllabus for regular students and part-time evening students was the same, their question papers had to be different, she added. The then principal of the Government Polytechnic, on opening the two sets of question papers, had found that both contained the same questions, meant for the evening students and that there was no separate question paper for the regular students. The principal discussed the issue with the Controller of Examinations, who advised him to let the regular students solve the same paper. The principal clearly mentioned this discrepancy on the answer-sheets of these students to avoid any problem in the results. The CPI leader alleged that the examiner who checked the paper failed to read the principal’s observation and failed the regular students for solving the wrong question paper. This amounted to injustice
to the 25 students, who had to pay a price for the
negligence of the Department of Technical Education, Mrs
Dang added and urged the minister to intervene in the
matter. |
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Over 3000 vehicles challaned LUDHIANA, Aug 5 — During the special campaign here to check violation of traffic rules, 3982 vehicles have been challaned so far. This was stated by Mr Arun Goel, Deputy Commissioner, at a meeting here to gauge the progress of the campaign. The Deputy Commissioner informed that the Transport Department had realised a sum of Rs 1.42 lakh. The Ludhiana Police has challaned 3250 vehicles, whereas the Jagraon police had challaned 574 vehicles, he said. He said the District Food and Civil Supplies Department had taken petrol samples, from 115 petrol stations and sent these for testing to laboratories. The Deputy Commissioner
directed the officers concerned to immediate remove all
police and octroi posts as well as liquor vends put up
between and on the corners of roads. |
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Punjab not to axe
‘wrong’ houses CHANDIGARH, Aug 5 — The Punjab Government is keen on regularising the houses built in violation of the Anti-Periphery Act and would file a reply in this contest in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 10. This was conveyed by Mr Sarup Singh, Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister, to a deputation of Anti-Periphery Act Action Committee which met him here today. Dr G.S. Jammu, convener of
the committee, in a statement said the minister assured
them that his department had taken a decision not to
demolish any structure, keeping in mind the feelings of
the people. |
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Lawyers’ stir against PSEB
move JALANDHAR, Aug 5 — The District Bar Association will go on a day’s strike tomorrow in protest against the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) for charging commercial tariff on residential premises of the lawyers. The PSEB has issued a memo on May 7, 1998 wherein commercial tariff was directed to be charged from the lawyers who had, opened full-time offices in their houses. A joint statement issued by office-bearers of the association, condemned the uncalled for circular issued by the PSEB by covering the residential premises under the non-residential power supply to the lawyers. The president of the
association, Mr Nanda, said lawyers did not run
commercial activities and as such the act of the PSEB in
imposing commercial tariff was irrelevant, he said if the
circular was not withdrawn, the association would
intensify the agitation. The bar urged the Punjab Chief
Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal to intervene in the
matter. |
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Threat to health workers flayed TARN TARAN, Aug 5 — Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal and Dr Harjit Singh Brar convener and co-convener, respectively, of the PCMS association of the district unit of Amritsar, here today condemned the threatening of employees of community health centre (CHC), Mianwind, on July 31. Dr Sohal and Dr Brar said some persons of Batala had misbehaved with employees of the CHC and taken away some records of the hospital. They also put pressure on CHC employees to change medico-legal reports of some patients admitted to the CHC, they added. The association has
submitted a memorandum to the higher authorities
demanding registration of a case. |
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Anti-encroachment campaign SANGRUR, Aug 5 — The anti-encroachment drive launched here a few days ago has been a success. Both temporary and permanent encroachments on municipal land have been removed. As many as seven pucca shops constructed illegally on municipal land near the local PRTC bus stand were demolished. The police was deployed at the site to ward off any untoward incident. Most of the encroachments
were removed voluntarily by the persons concerned
following persuasion. |
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Night rail service restored PHILLAUR, Aug 5 — The Northern Railway has decided to restore night rail service on the Ludhiana-Hisar section after 14 years. Railway sources said here
yesterday that the 4 LH 5 LH Ludhiana — Hisar
passenger train would be restored from August 14. The
train would leave Ludhiana at 10 p.m. and reach Hisar at
4.20 a.m. next day. It would depart from Hisar at 11 p.m.
and reach Ludhiana at 4.50 a.m. next day. Night rail
service on this rail section was stopped on October 31,
1984. |
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Resentment over poor power supply AMRITSAR, Aug 5 — Shopkeepers of the wholesale cloth market at Shastri Market here have expressed their resentment over the erratic power supply to the area. The general secretary of an association of shopkeepers here, Mr Sudarshan Kumar Wadhwa, in a letter to the PSEB, has complained about the poor power supply to the market. He has urged the board to
provide uninterrupted power supply for the smooth
functioning of their business. |
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Class XII exam schedule SAS NAGAR, Aug 5 — The Punjab School Education Board has announced the schedule for the annual matriculation and Class XII examinations to be held in March, 1999. The board secretary, Mr Jagjit Singh Sidhu, said here yesterday that the matriculation and class XII examinations (Science, Commerce, Agriculture and Technical and also additional papers, etc.) would begin from March 2 and those of Class XII (humanities, vocational and compartment cases) from March 16. The schedule for the
submission of admission forms and fee had also been
announced by the board. |
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Panches' plea on drug smuggling TARN TARAN, Aug 5 — More than 150 panches, sarpanches and other persons of the border Chabal area today held a meeting with the local SSP, Mr Jasminder Singh. They expressed to him
their concern that a large number of local youths were in
danger of becoming drug addicts in view of smuggling of
drugs to the area. They demanded steps to check the
smuggling. Mr Nishan Singh Sandhu, DSP (City), was also
present. |
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Survey for SC workers launched JALANDHAR, Aug 5 — The Labour Bureau of the Government of India has launched a survey to assess the living working conditions of the Scheduled Caste workers. Mr S.R.S. Gill, Director-General, Labour Bureau, Government of India, Chandigarh, today launched the survey to assess the conditions of sweepers, scavengers, bone crushers, tanners and shoe-makers, in the organised and unorganised sectors here. Earlier, such surveys have been conducted at Agra, Sholapur, Madras, Patna, Indore, Gaziabad and Asansol. Mr Gill called upon the industry to favourably respond to the bureau's initiative in obtaining statistics pertaining to this stratum of society and extend full cooperation to the survey team. Earlier, Mr Gill called on
Mr Suresh Sehgal, Mayor of Jalandhar, and discussed with
him problems of sweepers and scavengers employed by the
local municipal corporation. |
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Deputation calls on Minister CHANDIGARH, Aug 5 — A deputation of the Punjab Roadways Karamchari Dal, led by its President, Mr Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Information and Public Relations Minister, called on the Transport Minister, Mr Raghbir Singh, here today. The deputation submitted a
memorandum demanding purchase of new buses, adequate
representation to the dal in Bus Adda Management
Committee, family passes to the Punjab Roadways employees
(on the pattern of Rajasthan Road Transport Corporation),
special increment to employees who did not take part in
the strike in July last year and release of increment to
those whose increments were stopped for any reason,
whatsoever. |
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