Saturday, April 10, 1999
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Saturday, April 10, 1999 |
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Khalsa Heritage Theatre
inaugurated ANANDPUR SAHIB, April 9 — Phulkaris, carpets, inlay work, medallions, tractors and performance by the Wadali brothers, marked the inauguration of the Khalsa Heritage Theatre and Handicrafts and Industrial Exhibition, here today evening. Shekhar 'to take part' in parallel show CHANDIGARH, April 9 — Former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav and BSP chief Kanshi Ram are among the leaders who will take part in the parallel celebrations being organised under the patronage of suspended Akal Takht Jathedar Ranjit Singh. |
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Celebrations boon to tent
dealers BATHINDA, April 9 — For the past one and a half months, printing press owners and tent dealers of the Malwa region are witnessing an unprecedented jump in their business due to the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa being celebrated all over Punjab.
Badal seeks meeting with Chautala Leakage of oil pipes, probe
ordered Row over Hanuman idol Cong march marked by dissent Special remission for prisoners Prof Manjit’s green campaign Order to release TADA detainee School principal refused bail Mann announces new panels Railway station inaugurated Fake currency racket busted |
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Khalsa Heritage Theatre
inaugurated ANANDPUR SAHIB, April 9 — Phulkaris, carpets, inlay work, medallions, tractors and performance by the Wadali brothers, marked the inauguration of the Khalsa Heritage Theatre and Handicrafts and Industrial Exhibition, here today evening. Organised by Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation Limited, the exhibition was inaugurated today by Mr Sucha Singh Langah, Minister of State for Industry, Punjab. Starting more than an hour behind schedule, the programme began with the Wadali brothers singing Sufi kalam, that resounded against the background of the "shabad gyan", at the various gurdwaras here. The Khalsa Heritage Theatre, will have a series of religious plays and shabads being performed daily, till April 15. Historical plays like "Eh Ladle Gobind Dey" and "Pargato Khalsa", will also be staged at the theatre. Branches of various banks have also been set up here, which are handling the booking of Khalsa-commemorative gold and silver medallions, being sold along with a certificate of purity. Punjab's comedy king, Jaspal Bhatti, was the guest of honour at the inaugural function. Interestingly, it was not the Khalsa Heritage Theatre or the exhibition that attracted crowds, but the Sikh Heritage Exhibition, at the Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College here which attracted large number of people. The "darshan" of this exhibition, with the reverent crowds covering their heads to see the Guru's sacred relics, holy texts, paintings of Gurus by both medieval and modern artists and other artefacts relating to the Sikh history, is being considered by most visitors as a part of the "Guru's Darshan". Most of the visitors could be seen reciting "paath" while going around the exhibition, which included a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib in which 'mool-mantra' has been inscribed by Guru Hargobind, a walking stick of Guru Har Rai, Guru Gobind Singh's embroidered shoes and even his "pashmina kamar kas". Other interesting exhibits, included two Japanese farience jars and a sugar caddy featuring the 10 Gurus, dating back to 1875, a mortal reminder of the recent history of the Sikhs. This exhibition has been
organised by the Punjab Government and the Anandpur Sahib
Foundation in co-ordination with the Central Government. |
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Shekhar 'to take part' in parallel show CHANDIGARH, April 9 (PTI) — Former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav and BSP chief Kanshi Ram are among the leaders who will take part in the parallel Khalsa tercentenary celebrations being organised under the patronage of suspended Akal Takht Jathedar Ranjit Singh. A Tohra loyalist and Shiromani Akali Dal MP Prem Singh Chandumajra told PTI here today that Mr Chandra Shekhar and Mr Kanshi Ram would participate in the celebrations on April 13 while Mr Yadav would join these on April 14. He said that Bhai Ranjit Singh would lead a march from Akal Takht on April 11 after prayers. Two other marches would depart from Damdama Sahib and Delhi on the same day, he said, adding that the three would join at Morinda near Ropar the next day at 11 a.m. Mr Chandumajra said Bhai Ranjit Singh would lead the joint march from Morinda to Anandpur Sahib where it would reach on the night of April 12. Mr Chandra Shekhar and Mr Kanshi Ram would address the gathering on April 13 while Mr Yadav would address it the next day. Asked whether
controversial issues would be taken up, he said that the
issues to be taken up included the propagation of Sikh
religion, the need for having a casteless society with
equal status for all and social issues. |
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Village view of tercentenary THREE hundred years ago, the young Guru of a fledgling community called a mass gathering at Anandpur Sahib. Nearly one lakh people responded to his call and congregated at Anandpur Sahib. There the Guru infused a new spirit of brotherhood in his followers. Three hundred years later his followers are celebrating the occasion and trying to relive that defining episode of Sikh history. At the dawn of the new century and a new millennium, Sikhism faces a whole new set of challenges which are no less daunting than the ones faced 300 years ago. The crisis of identity which all minority communities face is one of them. A sharply divided religio-political leadership is another. The vast majority of the Sikhs, living in rural Punjab, have responded to the tercentenary and the political upheaval with humour and robustness, typical of the peasantry. As the village folk prepare to commemorate the Khalsa tercentenary in their respective ways, interesting scenes are unfolding at marriages and bhog ceremonies and fairs and festivals. In the backdrop of the Khalsa tercentenary, the rift between the two Akali camps is an oft-talked of issue. The causes of the infighting and its consequences are discussed at length and with a maturity not generally associated with ordinary villagers. The women, on the whole, are not interested in politics. The reservation of seats in panchayats has generated some interest, but it is yet to spread among women at large. But they are quite eager about the Khalsa celebrations and are in the forefront of organising trips to Anandpur Sahib on Baisakhi day. The commemoration of the Khalsa tercentenary has also become an occasion for redeeming the pristine purity of Punjab villages. Young men, given to drinking heavily, are being urged by their elders to visit Anandpur Sahib on Baisakhi and resolve to give up drinking and other self-destructive habits. Many youngmen have hesitantly decided to do so but are not sure whether they would be able to keep the resolve. Their anxious faces clearly reflect their dilemma. Some boys, almost sacrilegiously, pledge to stop drinking even as they pour one more drink at social gatherings. Guffaws of laughter follow. The presidents of village youth clubs have taken upon themselves the task of leading village bands to Anandpur Sahib. They are facing political dissensions though. The feuding factions are referred to as the Badal and the Tohra camps. Many young, energetic leaders are addressed as "pardhan ji" or even as "Tohra sahib". Interestingly, no young leader is called "Badal sahib". The local Akali jathedars seem to have lost their appeal and left the initiative to these emerging leaders. The offerings to the village gurdwaras have gone up. Consequently, many of them are being given a facelift. In some places community halls have been extended. At other places, whole new structures have come up. The attendance at gurdwaras has thus registered a new high but the older generation in villages remains unimpressed. They believe that the appeal of the form and spirit of the Khalsa is getting lost on the youth. The rapidly proliferating television sets in villages have generated increasing knowledge of the "other". This has led to changes in lifestyle and behavioural patterns. One fallout of this process of westernisation, varyingly called modernisation and globalisation, is the erosion of the Sikh identity among the youth. For many cricket matches and the coming World Cup are more eagerly solicited than the Khalsa celebrations. The truly pious and the
earnest are not interested in the politics of
celebrations. They are responding to the event in their
own quite and personal ways. They are the people who will
carry the torch of the Khalsa into the next century. |
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Celebrations boon to tent dealers BATHINDA, April 9 — For the past one and a half months, printing press owners and tent dealers of the Malwa region are witnessing an unprecedented jump in their business due to the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa being celebrated all over Punjab. The tent dealers, who have been facing a slump in their business due to the mushrooming of marriage palaces in almost all the towns of the Malwa region, are now again in demand. They are even finding it difficult to execute the orders of erecting the welcome gates along the routes of various marches being organised by political and religious organisation during these days. "I have not seen such huge orders even during the election days. To execute the orders to its maximum all tent dealers have pooled their resources", said Madan, who was digging up a hole on the main road in the city today to install the welcome gate for welcoming the Sarbans Dani Shardha Yatra of the Congress. From February 26, when the Chardhi Kala march was taken out by the Punjab Government from Talwandi Sabo, tent dealers and printing press owners have been receiving bulk orders. Photographers are also in demand as they are getting orders for still photography and video filming of various functions. Mr Ajay Gupta, a printing press owner, told TNS that political parties and religious organisation had been placing big orders for printing posters regarding their programmes on the tercentenary occasion. Social and commercial organisation had been printing posters to greet participants of various marches being taken out from the Malwa region. Another printing press owner said due to the imposition of model code of conduct by the Election Commission, printing press owners were virtually out of business during election days. But they were now doing good business. On the other hand, a competition of sort has started among activists of various political parties. Some party workers were spending like anything to out do each other by increasing the number and quality of welcome gates to draw the attention of their leaders leading marches and yatras. Meanwhile, welcome gates
installed on various main roads in the Malwa region at
very short distances have become a major traffic hazard
as these have reduced the width of roads considerably. |
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PM releases book on Sikh
history CHANDIGARH, April 9 — For the tercentenary celebrations, the Anandpur Sahib Foundation has brought out a 183-page book, titled, "The Khalsa: A Saga of Excellence". This book was formally released by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, at the inaugural function of the celebrations at Anandpur Sahib yesterday. Priced at $ 50 (US), the book contains 18 essays on various facets of the Sikh history written by eminent historians, scholars, and writers. The beautiful production is a collector's item. But it has a major printer's devil which may create an erroneous impression in the mind of those who are unfamiliar with the places associated with Sikh religion. This reference is in respect to a photograph spread over two pages, 32-33, which gives a panoramic view of the Golden Temple, but is captioned: "Akal Takht, Amritsar". The forward is by the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal. Media Transasia
collaborated with the foundation in the production of the
book, which also contains some paintings. |
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30 minute silence for ‘mukh vak’ ANANDPUR SAHIB, April 9 (PTI) — All activity at the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations venue here will come to a standstill for 30 minutes next Wednesday when the only voice heard will be from Takht Kesgarh Sahib, the seat of the creation of Khalsa 300 years ago. Instructions were issued to assure that no programme would be allowed from any stage between 10.08 am and 10.38 am on Wednesday when the "hukumnama" will be read from the Guru Granth Sahib, SGPC president Jagir Kaur told PTI here today. The "hukumnama" will be pronounced from Takht Kesgarh Sahib at 10.08 am to 10.15 am, but it could not be ascertained who would pronounce the hukumnama, commonly known as "mukh vak". The Guru’s
"mukh vak" should resound clearly in this
"guru ki nagri" on the day when the Sikh
community is joined by the entire country in celebrating
the spirit of Khalsa", Ms Jagir Kaur said. |
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Khalsa award for late professor PATIALA, April 9 — Padma Bhushan awardee late Gurbachan Singh Talib after whose memory a road has been named in Model Town Colony here has been posthumously honoured with the prestigious "Order of the Khalsa Award" by the Punjab Government. The award would be presented to family members of the renowned Sikh scholar and academician on April 13 at Anandpur Sahib during the main function of the ongoing Khalsa tercentenary celebrations. A communication signed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, announcing the award was received by Dr Manjit Inder Singh, Senior Teacher, Department of English, Punjabi University, here today. Late G.S. Talib who had penned more than 15 books on literary research especially on Sikhism and study of comparative religion shot into fame with the translation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib into English, published in four volumes. This work brought him Padma Bhushan award. His son, Dr Manjit Inder Singh elated at the announcement said the award by the Punjab Government comes as a tribute to his father on his 13th death anniversary today. Late G.S. Talib had also
taught religion to students in Panjab University,
Chandigarh, Banaras Hindu University Varanasi, and
Punjabi University here. |
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Film on Malta tragedy to be
shown JALANDHAR, April 9 (UNI) — A public-spirited Indian team to probe the 1996 Malta Boat tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea, which claimed the lives of 289 youths of Asia, including 170 from the Doaba region of Punjab, has decided to screen a documentary film "Murder in the Mediterranean Sea" to rouse the consciousness of the nation for pressuring the Indian Government to launch a comprehensive probe into the mega tragedy. Stating this at a press conference here today, the probe team in charge, Mr Balwant Singh Khera, said the 45-minute documentary by Germany-based Kamal Taylan contained valuable evidence and the film had been telecast on the national network of Germany on January 6. Mr Khera said he had got the German script of the documentary translated into English and it would now be screened for the public at Hoshiarpur on April 25. He would also make public the interview of more than 20 Sri Lankan survivors of the tragedy as also the versions two surviving eyewitnesses, Sumittar Singh of India and the Ophilius Marianayagam of Sri Lanka, who saw the boat sinking in The Sicilian channel off the Malta coast on the night of December 25, 1996. He said his objective of making public all this evidence was to rouse the 'sensitivities' of the Union and Punjab Governments and political parties towards the mega tragedy and to build up public pressure for a comprehensive probe, either by a special investigating team (SIT), the CBI on or a sitting judge of the Supreme Court. Mr Khera, who headed a four-member private investigation into the tragedy by visiting several countries, including Malta, Italy and Greece, said that the documentary had totally exposed the versions of travel agents and vested interests in India, who had claimed that reports of loss of lives of 289 youths from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was baseless. The Governments of Italy and Greece had reopened the case and started prosecution and it was time the Indian Government, too, woke up to the human tragedy to prosecute all those responsible for it. Mr Khera urged the Union and Punjab Governments to particularly investigate the role of main Indian agent Mandhir Kumar Wahi, alias Bhola alias Pablo of Kapurthala, and Sarpanch Dharam Pal of Sehjowal village near Samrala in Ludhiana district. He said that the ship
Yeohan, from which 465 illegal migrants were being
transferred to F-174 big boats in the sea when the
tragedy occurred, was already in custody at Regio
Claveria, sea port of Sicily. |
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Badal seeks meeting with
Chautala CHANDIGARH, April 9 — Akali Dal president and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has promised the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, that he will make efforts to persuade the Indian National Lok Dal leader Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to support the BJP government at the Centre. During his visit yesterday to Anandpur Sahib, Mr Vajpayee and Mr Badal briefly discussed the political situation in the country and the possible threat to the government. Here the role of the allies figured and the possibility of Mr Chautala (who has parted company with the BJP), supporting the government also came up. Mr Vajpayee told Mr Badal since Mr Chautala was his friend, he should try to woo him. To this, Mr Badal said he would make an effort, informed political sources here said. Mr Badal, according to a source, has requested Mr Chautala to meet him in Delhi. It is not clear as to how Mr Chautala has reacted to the suggestion. The Punjab Chief Minister is in Delhi. He attended a function where the President released a stamp to mark the tercentenary of the Khalsa. He also met Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and sought funds for his beleaguered state. Mr Badal has had close ties with former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, senior leader of the Lok Dal and Mr Chautala's father. Recently, Mr Badal had stated that he could not force Mr Chautala go against his political grain. He had said that friendship apart, both had their own kind of political goals and did not wish to influence each other. Mr Badal was earlier instrumental in bringing Mr Chautala close to the BJP government. But Mr Chautala felt that gains for him were almost nil. Hence, the parting of ways. Mr Chautala's party has four members in the Lok Sabha. Though Mr Chautala, who recently led a demonstration by farmers in protest against the "anti-farmer" policies of the BJP-led government, spoke of "principled reasons" for the decision to leave the coalition, yet his main grievance has been failure of the Centre to give into his demand for dethroning the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal. For the past some weeks,
Mr Chautala has been close to the third front. He has
vowed not to support the BJP government while keeping his
options of future support to another political grouping
open. He has met leaders like former Prime Minister H.D.
Deva Gowda and the CPM general secretary, Mr Harkishan
Singh Surjeet. |
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Leakage of oil pipes, probe
ordered BATHINDA, April 9 — Thousands of litres of petrol and diesel got mixed in the oil depot of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) at Phhosmandi here following leakage in the branch pipes of the Bathinda-Kandla oil pipeline in the depot premises. Sources said a high-level team of the IOCL had started a probe into the incident. The team comprising high-ranking officials from Mumbai, Chandigarh and Delhi was finding reasons of the leakage of pipes and mixing of petrol and diesel which took place on April 3. Mr P.S. Negi, Senior Terminal Manager, IOCL, Oil Depot, when contacted declined to give information regarding the incident. The sources said the mixing of petrol and diesel which took place on April 3 came to the notice of depot authorities when the retail outlet dealers of the IOCL complained to them that the petrol had been mixed with diesel. The local depot authorities, which had supplied about 30,000 litres mixed oil to the retail outlets of this and surrounding districts, swung into action and stopped the retail outlet dealers from selling the fuel to consumers. The oil depot authorities pressed mobile testing lab into service and checked the samples of all retail outlets. The authorities allowed the sale of fuel only on those petrol pumps where the samples were found fit and withdrew the entire stock of petrol and diesel from those petrol pumps where the samples were found unfit. The authorities, to prevent any untoward incident, also made announcements on the public address systems of village gurdwaras urging the public not to use the fuel taken from specific petrol pumps. The sources said in three days, up to April 7, the oil depot authorities succeeded in collecting about 26,000 litres of mixed petrol and diesel. To collect the remaining quantity of the mixed fuel, the authorities were making efforts. They said the leakage
took place due to the flattening of valves in the pipes.
This happened as there was a variation in the pressure in
the pipes. |
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Row over Hanuman idol FEROZEPORE: Lord Hanuman's 35-foot-high idol installed in the complex of the local Sri Radha Krishan Mandir has generated a controversy ever since the Municipal Council served a notice on the temple management committee to demolish it. On February 3, the Executive Officer (EO) of the council through a notice directed the temple president to either demolish the idol within three days or face its demolition with costs by the council. The notice said the idol was an encroachment on municipal land. The temple committee president, in his reply, said the notice had hurt the religious sentiments of members of a particular community. The EO withdrew the notice on February 8. Local MLA and Minister of State for Cooperation and Sainik Welfare, Punjab, Janmeja Singh Sekhon also intervened. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Gurdev Singh Sidhu, on February 10, asked the local SDM, Mr D.P.S. Kharbanda, to inquire into the matter and submit a report within three days. Following the order, Mr Kharbanda recorded the statements of the EO, the management of the temple and members of the Beopar Mandal. The EO, Mr Jagir Singh Thind, told the SDM that the decision to serve the notice was taken at the District Anti-Encroachment Committee meeting, held under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner on January 27. When contacted, the Deputy Commissioner denied the allegation of Mr Thind, saying he had issued general instructions at the meeting to take appropriate action against encroachers on government land throughout the district. The matter of the demolition of the idol was not particularly discussed, he added. The SDM, in his inquiry report, said that no clear instructions about the encroachment by Sri Radha Krishan Mandir were issued to the EO at any meeting of the committee. The report held that the EO worked in an irresponsible manner and hurt the religious feelings of people. As a result, tension prevailed in the city. "Therefore, it would be right to take action against the EO", he concluded in his report. According to the Sri Radha Krishan Mandir Prabandhak Committee president, Mr Surinder Kumar Sharma, the idol was established about five years ago. Mr Sharma added that it
was constructed in two years at a cost of nearly Rs 3
lakh collected from the public. Labourers were called
from Ayodhaya and West Bengal. |
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Cong march marked by dissent BATHINDA, April 9 — A verbal duel between activists of the Congress and the Rajiv Gandhi Lok Bhalai Manch marked the entry of the Sarbans Dani Shardha Yatra led by PPCC president Amarinder Singh into this city. Trouble started when the district Congress Committee tried to dissuade Mr Amarinder Singh from attending a Khalsa tercentenary function organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Manch. At this, Dr Satpal Bhateja, chairman and Mr Tehal Singh, president of the manch respectively, blocked the vehicle of Mr Amarinder Singh near the TV tower. After heated exchange between Congress and manch activists, Mr Amarinder Singh agreed to attend the function diffusing the situation. The yatra, which started today from Talwandi Sabo after a night halt, got a mixed response en route to Bathinda. In the city the response was good. Apart from Mr Amarinder Singh, Mr Jagjit Singh, leader, Punjab Congress Legislature Party, Mr Jasbir Singh, Mr Harmender Singh Jassi, Mr Bal Mukand Sharma, Mr Surinder Kapoor, Mr Gulzar Singh, (all former ministers), Mr Karam Chohan, Mr Jagroop Gill and Mr Kewal Krishan Aggarwal, Mr Bhagat Singh Dhaliwal, and Mr Krishan Kumar Sharma all senior Congress leaders travelled with the yatra. Later, addressing a press conference here, Mr Amarinder Singh said Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was nobody to tell the country who was its future leader. Reacting to the statement of Mr Badal at Anandpur Sahib yesterday that Mr Sharad Pawar, a senior Congress leader, was the future of country, Mr Amarinder Singh said that Mr Badal should manage the affairs of his own party, which had started crumbling. The PPCC president claimed a huge response to the yatra showing that the people of Punjab wanted the Congress to return to power. He added that it also proved that no Sikh had been alienated from the Congress. Regarding the announcement of setting up of a military academy at Anandpur Sahib by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee he said the Akalis were fooling the public. He said the Congress government of Delhi had founded a university named after Guru Gobind Singh but Mr Badal had failed to set up a university at Talwandi Sabo, which was accorded the status of 'Guru Ki Kashi' by Guru Gobind Singh. Mr Vajpayee gave nothing to Punjab on the tercentenary, he added. When told that the yatra had brought infighting in the Congress to the surface, he denied any infighting and claimed that the yatra had united all the factions and lobbies in the party. He pointed out that if the Punjab Government did not allow the party to hold its conference at the pre-selected site, it would hold the function at an alternative site. He added that for the party conference all the members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had been extended an invitation. He made it clear that Mr
Manmohan Singh and Mr Sharad Pawar, both senior leaders
of the party, participated in the function organised by
the Punjab Government at Anandpur Sahib yesterday as they
were members of the National Executive Committee of the
tercentenary celebrations. |
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Special remission for prisoners CHANDIGARH, April 9 — The Punjab Government has decided to grant one year's special remission, effective from April 14, to all prisoners in the state. These include TADA detainees. According to a Home Department spokesman, the government has also decided to remit the portion of the unexpired sentence of imprisonment for life. This one-time order would be applicable to a male prisoner who was 20-year-old at the time of committing the offence and had undergone the actual sentence of more than eight years and with a remission more than 13 years; a female prisoner or a male prisoner who was below the age of 20 at the time of commission of the offence and had undergone the actual sentence for more than five and a half years and with a remission more than 10 years; a prisoner who was more than 70-year-old and had undergone the actual imprisonment for more than four years; a prisoner over and below 20 years working in the open air jail for not less than one year and had undergone the actual sentence for more than 7/4½ years and with remission more than 12/10 years, respectively. Such prisoners would be released prematurely. However, prisoners undergoing life imprisonment due to ghastly/double murder, involving extreme brutality and bestiality, those whose sentences had been commuted to life imprisonment, convicted for dowry death, convicted for wrongful confinement for extortion, convicted in a rape case or convicted in a case where the victim was a child under the age of 14 would not be eligible for special remission, the spokesman added. The special remission would also not apply to those convicted under the central acts. Nearly, 250 prisoners
would be released as a result of this special remission.
An official order regarding this special remission was
issued by the Department of Home Affairs and Justice
yesterday. |
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Prof Manjit’s green
campaign ANANDPUR SAHIB, April 9 — "Make Punjab green to protect its environment", is the message emerging from the precincts of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib here, fined by the Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Prof Manjit Singh. For along with discharging his religious duties, Professor Singh feels a duty towards restoring the ecological balance of state, which suffered a tremendous forest loss in the past four decades, especially after the onset of the green revolution. Punjab figures among the states with the lowest forest cover in India. To bring the maximum area under the plough the farming community had recklessly cut forests. Earlier each village housed a thick cluster of hardy trees called "jhirri" in local parlance. But even these disappeared in the past few years. To revive this patronage to greening of Punjab's villages, Professor Manjit Singh quotes from the holy scriptures while distributing saplings among people who come to Anandpur Sahib to pay obeisance. In the Guru Granth Sahib, there are several references lauding the importance of the environment, water and other attributes of nature. The tercentenary celebrations of the birth of Khalsa have provided Prof Manjit an excellent opportunity to extend his concerns and forge a movement in the countryside. As many as one lakh saplings will be distributed by Professor Manjit Singh during the tercentenary year. Already about 55,000 saplings had been distributed. For involving the youth in this movement in a big way, a programme has been chalked out to distribute 30,000 saplings among youth when they come to participate in a youth conference to be organised by the youth wing of Shiromani Akali Dal here on April 12. Dr Kehar Singh, a Professor in Punjabi University, who is providing help to Professor Manjit Singh in his endeavour reveals that the Jathedar is also in touch with the Indian chapter of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to provide green cover to Anandpur Sahib on the pattern of Vrindavan, a holy place in Uttar Pradesh. He said that Professor Manjit Singh, who is also a patron of an international body - Association of Religion and Conservation- dedicated to the cause of spreading the message of environment through religious preachings, is also in contact with Mokichi Okada, a Japanese organisation which professes nature as its religion. Mokichi Okada is
interested in promoting organic farming under which use
of chemicals is totally prohibited. The organisation is
prepared to provide technical knowhow for nature farming,
according to Dr Kehar Singh. He said that the increasing
use of pesticides and chemicals has become a big threat
to Punjab's ecological balance. |
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Order to release TADA detainee CHANDIGARH, April 9 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Punjab Government to release Jasbir Singh, a convict under TADA, on parole for a period of four weeks. Mr Justice R.L. Anand, who issued the order, observed: "The impugned order (rejecting the request for release on parole) stands quashed and directions are given to the Punjab Government to release the petitioner on parole for a period of four weeks, provided he furnishes a bail bond and a surety bond to the satisfaction of the District Magistrate, Jalandhar, who shall order the release of the petitioner on accepting the bail bond and the surety bond." The judge added: "The petitioner shall not commit any offence during the period of parole and he shall avail the parole only for the purpose he has applied for." "The stand of the state," the judge ruled, "as reflected in the order is that since the petitioner has been convicted in a TADA case, he is not entitled to parole. Such a sweeping criterion adopted by the state government cannot be sustained in the eyes of law in view of the Punjab Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary) Release Act, 1965 and in view of the constitutional rights given to an individual." The petitioner was
convicted under TADA, the Explosive Substances Act and
the Arms Act. |
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School principal refused bail BATHINDA, April 9 — Mr Inderjit Sharma, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Bathinda today declined the bail application of Mr Surinder Singh Gill, Principal, Dashmesh Public Senior Secondary School, who was booked by the Talwandi Sabo Police on an allegation of embezzling lakhs of rupees in school funds. Mr Sharma earlier stayed the arrest of Mr Gill upto April 8, when Mr Gill moved his application. On April 8, Mr Sharma, after going through the case file, reserved orders for today and declined the application. Mr Gill, principal of Dashmesh Public Senior Secondary School Talwandi Sabo being run by Punjab State Defence Security and Relief Fund Educational Society Chandigarh, was indicted in an inquiry held by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Mr Alok Shekhar on the order of the Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chairman of School Management, Mr S.R. Ladhar. Mr Gill was suspended and subsequently served a chargesheet containing about 64 charges, after being indicted by the inquiry. He was booked under Sections 406, 409, 420, 468 and 471 of IPC. Meanwhile, Mr Gill, in a press note issued here today, alleged that he was being harassed by the district administration and denied all the charges made out in the chargesheet. Claiming he was an eminent educationist, he said that he had maintained the accounts properly. He alleged that the
chairman of the school management, Mr Ladhar was 'doing
all this to teach him a lesson'. He added that a senior
Akali leader who was very close to the Punjab Chief
Minister, had played a key role in the whole affair. |
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Mann announces new panels FATEHGARH SAHIB, April 9 — Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President, SAD(A), announced a new executive committee and advisory committee of the party here yesterday. Mr Munshi Mohamad Asrif has been made President of the Muslim wing, Punjab, Mr Ravinder Pal Singh Bagli, Special Secretary and Mr Swarn Singh Sandhu, Mr Harnek Singh Diwana, Capt Nirmal Singh and Mr Jagdev Singh members. Mr Ajmer Singh Bhoparai,
Mr Baldev Singh Randhawa, Mr Tarlok Singh and Mr Kamikar
Singh, were made the Vice-Presidents of the advisory
committee. |
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Railway station inaugurated ANANDPUR SAHIB, April 9 — The newly constructed building of the local railway station, dedicated to the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations, was inaugurated today by the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal. Earlier, the building was to be inaugurated on April 5 by the Union Railway Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, but due to the non-confirmation of the minister's programme, the inauguration ceremony was cancelled. The building has been constructed at a cost of Rs 70 lakh in a record period of eight months. It has three booking counters, two retiring rooms, an upper class waiting room, a general waiting room, and a computerised reservation counter. Apart from this a parking has also been constructed. On the occasion, Mr
Badal also inaugurated the computerised reservation
counter, which will work temporarily for a month.
However, Mr Vijay Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager,
Ambala, claimed that this facility could be extended
after examining the response of the passengers. |
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Fake currency racket busted JALANDHAR, April 9 (UNI) — The city police today claimed to have busted a racket in preparation and circulation of fake Indian and foreign currency with the arrest of two accused from whom the police seized currency worth over Rs 3 lakh. Stating this here, SSP Gaurav Yadav identified the arrested accused as Rony of Defence Colony and Chander Sekhar Mehta of Kot Pakshian in the city. He said a copying machine used in preparing Indian, American, British and Nepali currency had also been seized from them. The police officer said the accused had been circulating the fake currency to various money exchangers and shopkeepers. Produced in a local court today, they have been remanded for further investigation, according to SHO Harpreet Singh who caught the accused last night from near Jyoti cinema hall in the city. The SSP said further investigation could reveal vital clues to the networking of the fake currency racket and more seizures could not be ruled out. Mr Harpreet Singh said
recovery made so far comprised 111 notes of Indian
currency of Rs 500 each and 89 notes of Rs 50 each, 42 US
dollar bills of 100 each, 72 pound sterling of 20 each,
27 Nepali currency note of Rs 100 each. |
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No plans for military
academy CHANDIGARH, April 9 — Government of India has no plans to set up a military academy on the pattern of the ones at Dehra Dun and Khadagwasla. In fact, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee while responding to the demands raised by Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal at Anandpur Sahib yesterday had said that details could be worked out for setting up a military training centre. He did not even touch the second demand raised by Mr Badal during the course of his speech, marking the inauguration of the tercentenary of the Khalsa, that a para-military training centre be set up at Anandpur Sahib. Mr Vajpayee had offered to get the demand for four-laning of the road between Chandigarh and Anandpur Sahib examined and spoke about the shortage of funds. According to Punjab
Government sources, initially there was no proposal to
make any demand at this solemn and religious function.
But later Mr Badal thought that perhaps he could raise
some demand and use this occasion to have a military
academy at this historic place. What Mr Vajpayee conceded
was a military training centre. |
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Teachers 'beat up' student LUDHIANA, April 9 — A case about a school student being allegedly beaten up by four of his teachers, resulting in serious injuries to him, has come to light. On April 7, Saurabh Khullar, a student of a local school at Shastri Nagar, who had just appeared in the plus two examination, went to the school to collect his certificates of participation in various sports activities from his physical education instructors. He had an altercation with his teachers, following which the four teachers sitting in the room allegedly began hitting Saurabh with iron rods. Saurabh received severe
injuries and was taken to the Civil Hospital by his
parents, where he was given stitches at 13 places. Later,
the parents also went to the police and the teachers were
asked to submit a written apology to the parents. |
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Badal's gesture to Pawar flayed LUDHIANA, April 9 — Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, a senior Akali MP and confidant of former SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra, said today that Mr Parkash Singh Badal's description of Mr Sharad Pawar as the "future of the country" was tantamount to giving a clean chit to the Congress and its leaders, who were instrumental in bringing untold miseries to the Sikhs in the form of Operation Bluestar and anti-Sikh riots of 1984. In a statement issued here, Mr Chandumajra said he could not understand why Mr Badal went to the extent of honouring a Congress leader with a "siropa" on such a pious occasion like the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa. It was indicative of the secret understanding which Mr Badal and the Congress leaders had reached he said and noted that the Jathedars of Takht Kesgarh Sahib and Damdama Sahib had stayed in the background in order to avoid any contact with those responsible for Operation Bluestar and the anti-Sikh riots. He also said that by
demanding establishment of a military academy at Anandpur
Sahib, Mr Badal had displayed his limited vision and had
gone against the philosophy of Guru Gobind Singh. Mr
Badal should have demanded Chandigarh for Punjab an
equitable division of river waters and more autonomy for
the state, he said. |
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College teachers put off stir JALANDHAR, April 9 — The All-India Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisations has decided to postpone the proposed march to Parliament on April 28 in view of the positive response from Union Government officials towards the demands of teachers. The decision was taken by the federation after a meeting with officials in New Delhi on Wednesday. Dr VK Tewari, National
Secretary of the federation, said here yesterday that the
official side, represented by the Education Secretary of
the HRD Ministry, Mr P.R. Dasgupta, assured the teachers'
deputation that the four schemes, already agreed upon,
would be made more elaborate during implementation. The
government also assured them of a solution to their other
problems. |
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Tercentenary to be celebrated at AMRITSAR, April 9 — The tercentenary celebrations of the foundation of the Khalsa Panth will be celebrated at Panja Sahib (Pakistan) on April 14 simultaneously with the nationwide celebrations in India. An advance party of 17 SGPC employees have already left for Pakistan by Samjhauta Express train for making arrangements to receive a jatha of devotees who would go to Pakistan on April 12 via train. This jatha would come back on April 21. However, a jatha of 351
Pakistani Sikhs, mostly Sindhis, would cross the Wagha
Border by road for the first time after 51 years of
Partition. On the other hand the government has not
granted permission to 78 devotees to visit Pakistan for
celebrating the tercentenary of the Khalsa Panth. |
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Punjab holiday on April 12,13 CHANDIGARH, April 9 — The Punjab Government today declared a holiday on April 12 and 13 on account of the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa, according to an official notification. All government offices,
boards, corporations and education institutions will
remain closed on these days. |
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Court holiday on April 13 CHANDIGARH, April 9
— The Punjab and Haryana High Court today declared
April 13 a holiday in the Chandigarh sessions division in
lieu of May 8 on account of the tercentenary celebrations
of the Khalsa. |
||
Middle school in shambles FAZILKA, April 9 — Government Middle School here located in a thickly populated area is in shambles. Originally the primary school at the location was upgraded to middle standard three years back in April 1996. A new building for the middle school was to be constructed. However, no construction has been made till now. As a result of this about 50 students of middle classes are facing great hardship. Their studies are conducted in classrooms of the primary school in a haphazard manner as no furniture and other equipment have been made available to them. Mr Raj Kishore Kalra,
General Secretary, Government Secondary Teachers Union,
Ferozepore district unit, in statement here yesterday
demanded of the Punjab Government that all necessary
facilities for the middle school be provided to the
students at the earliest. |
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Pak doctors to attend
conference JALANDHAR, April 9 — The Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India will organise a conference on April 18 here in which the Pakistan Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society will participate. A delegation of about 40 eminent doctors from various cities of Pakistan will take part in the conference. The Health Minister of Punjab will be the chief guest. An exhibition featuring latest medical equipment will also be organised. The main topics of discussion include infertility and trends in modern obstetrics. Doctors from all over
the state will participate in the conference, according
to Dr Kamal Gupta, President of the Jalandhar Obstetrics
and Gynaecological Society. |
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Dismiss Fernandes: Youth
Congress LUDHIANA, April 9 — Mr Sushil Malhotra, General Secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Youth Congress, has demanded the dismissal of the Union Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, in the wake of the charges levelled against him by the sacked Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat. Mr Malhotra has appealed to the President to order a CBI inquiry against the Defence Minister. Mr Malhotra was addressing a meeting of the Youth Congress workers here yesterday. He also condemned the hike in taxes by the state government and said it would increase inflation. He also criticised the
state government for spending a huge sum of Rs 500 crore
on religious celebrations at Anandpur Sahib and said
states should be secular. |
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Lottery stockists warn govt LUDHIANA, April 9 — The Northern India Lottery Stockists Association has warned of an agitation if the government went ahead with its decision to ban all types of lotteries in the country. Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Om Parkash Chugh, president of the association, said that the decision to ban the lottery would render without work nearly 25 lakh people engaged in the business of lottery directly or indirectly. It yielded a revenue of Rs 400 crore annually to the state government which would stop if the lotteries were banned. Mr Chugh argued that if lottery was a social evil, so was consumption of liquor. If playing with others money in the stock market was legal, why should the government declare lottery illegal. He alleged that a
powerful matka and chit fund mafia was behind the
government move to place a ban on lotteries. He warned
that the association would oppose the ban tooth and nail.
He noted that certain governments, including those of
Kerala and Maharashtra, had threatened to move a court of
law if the government put a ban on lotteries. |
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Amarinder Singh gets siropa PATIALA, April 9 — Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh and former Maharaja of Nabha, Hanumant Singh, were honoured at a function held last night at Sidsar Gurdwara in Alohran village in Nabha sub-division. Sant Sukhdev Singh Alohran presented siropas to Capt Amarinder Singh and Maharaja Hanumant Singh at a reception. District Congress rural
unit President Hardyal Singh Kamboj in a press note here
said the shradha yatra was given a big receptions at
Ablowal, Rakhra, Rautipur, Nabha and at Sidsar yesterday. |
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Secretariat staff join celebrations CHANDIGARH, April 9 — Employees of the Punjab Civil Secretariat here today participated in the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa organised by the Punjab Raj Mulazam Dal and other organisations. After the bhog of akhand path, a community kitchen was also organised. Mr Jaswant Singh
Randhawa was presented with a siropa by Ms Amarjit Kaur
Bhullar, president of the Istri Akali Dal. Mr Oma Kant
Tewari, president of the Punjab Civil Secretariat
Association was also given a siropa. |
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Baisakhi mela opens KHARAR, April 9 — A
Lions Baisakhi Mela-99, dedicated to the tercentenary
year of the Khalsa, was inaugurated here today. According
to Mr Sudarshan Verma, Vice-President of the Lion Club,
Kharar, the mela would conclude on April 11 and Mr Ravi
Goyal, District Governor of the club, would gave away the
prizes. Various competitions would be held and there
would be cultural programmes, by Punjabi singers. |
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350 get degrees PATIALA, April 9 — As many as 350 graduates and postgraduates received degrees at the annual convocation of the local Government Mohindra College here today. Mr G.P.S. Sahi, Principal Secretary, Higher Education and Languages Punjab, delivered the convocation address. He congratulated the graduates who received their degrees on the momentous occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa. Earlier, Mr Mukhtiar
Singh, principal of the college, welcomed the guests,
including the Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, the
Director of Languages, the Director of the NIS, the
Commissioner of Income Tax and principals. A cultural
programme was also presented on this occasion. |
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