Friday, February 5, 1999
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P U N J A B | |
Friday, February 5, 1999 |
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Badal ready
to accompany PM
Development
plan for Dakala soon Safai
karamcharis for ban on polythene
80
more leprosy cases detected Fire
contained in time Agro-
economic research centre at PAU |
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Titans'
clash rings alarm bells CHANDIGARH, Feb 4 — It is indeed a macabre situation. The clash between the two titans of Akali politics has entered a scary area. It is now threatening to spill over to the streets. The two, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC President Gurcharan Singh Tohra, first looked to be fighting a normal kind of supremacy game. Mr Tohra had been critical of the government and often spoke about its non-performances. But when he asked Mr Badal to step down from the presidentship of the Dal and devote time to the government, Mr Badal's cup was full. Meanwhile Mr Tohra was feeling that Mr Badal was usurping his role and by involving the government in the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa. Interestingly, now not only the two leaders and their supporters are engaged in no-holds-barred battle, but the high priests are fighting and so are the members of the SGPC — each swearing by the gurus, and calling the other as the degenerated one. Two days backs, a meeting called by the Tohra faction and attended by the head priest of Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh, adopted an agenda which the Akali Dal at its historic meeting at Moga before the elections, had left far behind. It was declared by none else than Bhai Ranjit Singh that there should be a Sikh agenda for the tercentenary celebrations and it should include that Sikhs are a separate nation. Not to be left behind, the head priest alleged that the other high priests as well as the 131 SGPC members who were demanding his and Mr Tohra's sack were a purchasable commodity. He served a 48-hour ultimatum on Mr Badal — either accept this or be ready to have an alternative programme from Akal Takht. It is clear and as many of the Badal supporters admit that Mr Tohra has now pushed the fight between Mr Badal and the Akal Takht head priest. Now he can merrily sit back and guide this fight. This is one reason that despite commanding 131 SGPC members out of a total of 175, the Badal camp has not called a meeting of the SGPC central house very cautious in his comments on Akal Takht and Bhai Ranjit Singh Mr Badal's one task, as he debated with his group of advisors yesterday and today, is to turn the fight again between him and Mr Tohra. One view is that the SGPC executive, where Mr Badal has 10 of the 15 members with him, should remove Bhai Ranjit Singh as Takht Jathedar. But Bhai Ranjit Singh has declared in no uncertain words that he will not quit. In his words the SGPC which appointed him has no right to remove him. The All-India Sikh Gurdwara act, which treats him as head minister at par with other four head ministers, empowers the SGPC to remove him. How Mr Badal achieves this is yet to be seen. Clearly, Bhai Ranjit Singh basking in new glory has earmarked a role for himself. It is to needle Mr Badal with his new agenda. This agenda is reminiscent of the five-point programme announced by Mr Tohra in 1980 when again Mr Badal was the Chief Minister. This had the basic tenet that Sikhs are a separate kaum. The government could not complete its term as the then Janata Party Ministers had to quit. Later, Mr Badal during the long ordeal, also joined those who demanded a separate homeland for Sikhs. But it was only after the long period of bloodshed and return of peace that Mr Badal and Mr Tohra designed their strategy at Moga to win the minds of the people of Punjab. A new slogan of Punjabiat was given. It worked wonders. The Akalis got a massive win in the Assembly polls and later completely swept the Lok Sabha elections, a feat which would be difficult to repeat. Very cautious in his comments on Akal Takht and Bhai Ranjit Singh Mr Badal's one task, as he debated with his group of advisors yesterday and today, is to turn the fight again between him and Mr Tohra. One view is that the SGPC executive, where Mr Badal has 10 of the 15 members with him, should remove Bhai Ranjit Singh as Takht Jathedar. But Bhai Ranjit Singh has declared in no uncertain words that he will not quit. In his words the SGPC which appointed him has no right to remove him. The All-India Sikh Gurdwara act, which treats him as head minister at par with other four head ministers, empowers the SGPC to remove him. How Mr Badal achieves this is yet to be seen. Clearly, Bhai Ranjit Singh basking in new glory has earmarked a role for himself. It is to needle Mr Badal with his new agenda. This agenda is reminiscent of the five-point programme announced by Mr Tohra in 1980 when again Mr Badal was the Chief Minister. This had the basic tenet that Sikhs are a separate kaum. The government could not complete its term as the then Janata Party Ministers had to quit. Later, Mr Badal during the long ordeal, also joined those who demanded a separate homeland for Sikhs. But it was only after the long period of bloodshed and return of peace that Mr Badal and Mr Tohra designed their strategy at Moga to win the minds of the people of Punjab. A new slogan of Punjabiat was given. It worked wonders. The Akalis got a massive win in the Assembly polls and later completely swept the Lok Sabha elections, a feat which would be difficult to repeat. But the present "threatening" agenda does provide Mr Badal a chance to make his ideological position very clear. He has to declare that he had genuinely travelled that long distance. In this agenda, there is nothing wrong per se. But those who have lived through the long night of violence, know that it can degenerate into a major clash point. Also this stance and the
agenda has thrown before Mr Badal some choices, a bit
hard ones. At this moment he could argue and rightly so
that he was authorised by the SGPC, all Akali MPs and
MLAs and district Jathedars of the Akali Dal to lead the
tercentenary celebrations. But how justified is this kind
of government involvement in the celebrations and
earmarking of a budget of Rs 300 crore. |
CPI
seeks action against Jathedar BHAIRUPA (Bathinda), Feb 4 — The state secretary of the CPI, Dr Joginder Dyal, today urged the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, to proceed against Jathedar of Akal Takht Bhai Ranjit Singh according to law for passing a resolution regarding the demand for a separate state for Sikhs, Sikh personal law and release of all Sikhs who were languishing in jails. Addressing a function organised here in connection with the death anniversary of Harpal Singh Khokhar, a party worker who was killed by terrorists in 1992, he alleged that the BJP was deliberately keeping quiet over the ongoing Akali crises in Punjab for remaining in power. He also urged the Chief
Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to make his position
clear on the resolution passed by a congregation at Akal
Takht on February 2 under the leadership of Bhai Ranjit
Singh. |
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Badal
yet to get communication AMRITSAR, Feb 4 — Even as the 48-hour deadline given to Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, to adopt the "Sikh struggle agenda" as part of the tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth has passed, neither has Akal Takht secretariat sent a written communication in this regard nor has the Shiromani Akali Dal chief submitted any reply so far. The press statement of Mr
Badal that he would discuss the "Sikh struggle
agenda" in the Political Affairs Committee after
getting the directive in writing before taking any final
decision on the issue has made it clear that he was
unlikely to succumb to "pressure" of Bhai
Ranjit Singh. On the other hand, Bhai Ranjit Singh has
said that he has asked Mr Badal to adopt "Sikh
struggle agenda" if SAD wanted to celebrate the
tercentenary through the press only. It is pertinent to
mention here that the Akal Takht Jathedar had threatened
to organise parallel programmes to mark the tercentenary
celebrations if Mr Badal failed to submit his undertaking
within 48 hours. Earlier too, Bhai Ranjit Singh had
boycotted the ceremonies organised by the SAD, SGPC and
state government on November 22 at Anandpur Sahib.
Instead, he had organised a "Khalsa march" from
December 4 to 6. |
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Mann,
Rode meet Badal CHANDIGARH, Feb 4 — The Akali Dal President and Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal today got support from unexpected quarters in his fight against the SGPC President, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. Akali Dal (Mann) President Simranjit Singh Mann and the former head priest of Akal Takht, Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, held an hour-long meeting with Mr Badal at his residence and are said to have assured him support. Interestingly, Mr Rode was present at the meeting called by the Tohra camp at Akal Takht two days back and is party to the resolution that served an ultimatum on Mr Badal. It asked him to adopt the "panthic agenda" and also declare that the Sikhs are a separate "qaum" (nation). Informed sources said the three leaders discussed the current situation threadbare. They did support Mr Badal, but it was not total. The leaders also gave their assessment of the current situation and the role Mr Tohra and Bhai Ranjit Singh could play. Mr Rode, a nephew of Sant
Bhindranwale, who owns the Punjabi daily "Aj Di
Awaz", spoke about the issues that bother the Sikhs. |
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JD
leaders appeal to Badal LUDHIANA, Feb 4 — Mr Harish Khanna, coordinator, steering committee of the state Janata Dal, has asked the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to take a serious note of the activities of the fundamentalist forces and to react in accordance with the law of land. In a strongly worded
statement issued to the press here yesterday, he said
that the ongoing tussle between the Badal and Tohra comps
has taken a turn for the worst, with Akal Takht fixing a
deadline for the Badal government to accept the
"Sikh agenda," which does not augur well for
the state and its people. Mr Khanna said that if the
SAD-BJP government discards its secular agenda, it would
mean betrayal to the people of Punjab. |
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Congress
opposes move to release detainees AMRITSAR, Feb 4 — The Congress will launch a morcha if the government released all the Sikh detainees arrested for killing innocent people as demanded by Bhai Ranjit Singh, Jathedar Akal Takht. Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, former President of the Indian Youth Congress, said that the Congress would oppose any move to release those who were convicted for assassinating the then Chief Minister Beant Singh and other senior Congress leaders. Mr Bitta said that Bhai Ranjit Singh must be dismissed as Jathedar of Akal Takht as he was allegedly making attempts to revive militancy. He said that the demand of "Sikh agenda" raised from Akal Takht was anti-national. The state and central governments should take immediate steps to check the activities of Bhai Ranjit Singh who was re-grouping the hardliners, he alleged. Mr Bitta said that he would meet leaders of various secular political parties, including Mr Satya Pal Dang, Mr Ram Bilas Paswan, Mr Jagjit Singh Anand and Mrs Lauxmi Kanta Chawla to solicit their support to defeat this "nefarious designs" of anti-national forces. Mr Bitta alleged that the cold-blooded killing of Tara Singh Hayer, Editor of the Indo-Canadian Times in Canada, should be taken as an eye-opener for all political parties opposing terrorism as he was allegedly killed after he was excommunicated from the Sikh Panth by the Sikh clergy. He alleged that Bhai Ranjit Singh had become controversial and was responsible for "lowering" the prestige of Akal Takht. The Pakistan's ISI could exploit the situation if the like-minded parties did not come on a single platform to oppose the efforts of reviving militancy in the state. Mr Bitta alleged that Bhai
Ranjit Singh had openly threatened the Chief Minister by
stating that he would be held responsible for the
"dire consequences" if any effort was made to
remove him as jathedar. He said such threats were
"unprecedented" in the history of Sikhism. |
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Directive
on Dogra stayed till Feb 9 CHANDIGARH, Feb 4 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed till February 9 the operation of the Central Administrative Tribunal judgement, dated January 28, setting aside the second six-month extension given to Mr P.C. Dogra, Director-General of Punjab Police. Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice Iqbal Singh, who pronounced this order in the open courtroom, held: "After hearing counsel we are of the view that it is necessary to peruse the records of the Central Government and the Punjab Government. On our asking, the Standing Counsel of the Central Government and state of Punjab have accepted notice. Since the issue involved in the petition relates to the post of Director-General of Police, it merits early decision and with that end in view we direct counsel to instruct the officers of the respective governments to make available the entire record regarding the case to the court by the afternoon of February 6. The parties are expected to come prepared for arguments on February 8." Speaking for the Bench, Mr Justice Singhvi further held: "Till February 9, 1999, the operation of the order passed by the tribunal will remain stayed to the extent it relates to the post of Director-General of Police and the continuation of the petitioner on that. This will not, however, preclude the government from continuing the exercise (of selecting a suitable officer who could succeed Mr Dogra) in terms of the directions given by the Central Administrative Tribunal." This order was delivered by the Bench on an appeal filed by Mr Dogra contesting the judgement of the tribunal. Belonging to the 1964 batch of the I.P.S, Mr Dogra had attained the age of superannuation on March 31, 1998. The state government had granted him extension in service beyond March 31, 1998, for six months under Rule 16 of the All-India Service Rules, 1958. Later, the state government wrote a letter to the Union Government urging that "as the state government requires the services of Mr Dogra for at least a year beyond March 31, 1998, he may be granted an extension in service from April 1, 1998, to March 31, 1999. The second extension to Mr Dogra was jointly questioned by three Additional Directors-General of Police on the ground that all of them were eligible for appointment as DGP. However, the extension in service had stalled their promotion. Hearing on People's Commission put off On a request made by counsel for the Punjab Government, the High Court today put off till March 10 the hearing of the petition questioning the functioning of the People's Commission. This order was passed by Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice Iqbal Singh. Earlier, the Standing Counsel for the Centre told the court that the Union Home Ministry had turned down the Punjab Government request for extending the tenure of the Punjab Human Rights Commission from one year to 10 years. "If the request is accepted, it would open the floodgates for complaints and it would not be easy for the commission to handle them," counsel added. The Punjab Government's counsel on the other hand, revealed to the Judges that the state government planned to approach the Union Government with a fresh proposal for extending the term of the commission from one year to 10 years. "The Chief Minister will take up this matter with the Union Home Minister at the personal level," counsel said. Speaking for the Bench, Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi told the counsel for the Punjab Government that "whatever endeavour the government wants to make, it can make. We do not intend to postpone the hearing beyond a few weeks." Mr Justice Singhvi told counsel for the Union Government, Punjab Government and the Committee on Disappearances in Punjab, in no uncertain terms that "we shall continue the hearing for three days. After all this is an important matter and we want to decide it as early as possible." The petition challenging
the functioning of the People's Commission was filed by
Mr Sudershan Goel, a High Court lawyer who sought
directions for restraining the People's Commission from
carrying out its activities. |
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They
kill them for their sport MUKTSAR: Hundreds of acres of fertile land is submerged in water for the past 6 years giving the area the look of a big lake. Village dwellings with crumbling walls in clusters look like tiny islands of sorrow. Misery is writ large on the faces of the residents. The land which once was their source of livelihood does not produce a single blade of grass, thanks to the manmade waterlogging, which the political leaders prefer to call it a natural calamity. The situation assumes significance for the simple reason that the area falls in the Lambi and Gidderbaha constituencies, represented by none other than the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and his nephew, Mr Manpreet Singh Badal. The water attracts a large number of migratory as well as local birds (including water fowls and ducks) which flock in thousands from far-off places, including central Asia. The birds descend on such lakes in search of food, but these innocent guests are given a different treatment. The bird lovers will definitely be hurt to learn that they are slaughtered by the dozens everyday. The hunters come armed with .12 bore guns, air guns and other weapons. They kill the birds for their sport. Yet, there are others, who are starving and cannot afford these weapons. They are more ruthless. They kill them for money. Their modus operandi is that they bring the poisoned grain, disperse it in the areas, where the birds feed and leave the site till the next day. The innocent creatures fall prey to this bait. The next morning the feeders come to collect the dead, semi-dead or dying birds. The story does not end here. The birds are then taken to the nearby markets to be sold to the dhaba and restaurant owners. Before selling, their stomach are removed to check the effects of poison. Sometimes some birds die of poison at obscure places and only the foul smell signals the death of yet another innocent victim. Apart from this, some hunters use nets in and around these lakes. The birds, touching down preferably in the morning or evening get trapped in the nets. This practice is continuing since long, as the villagers revealed to this correspondent. A group of villagers sitting at Therri village appeared angry over the indifferent attitude of the administration which has failed to check this violation of the Wildlife Protection Act. Had the authorities taken a serious note of the situation, the illegal practice would have stopped much earlier. At Ghagga village some persons told this correspondent that the police raided these sites a few times, but the hunters come in disguise or they operate in the darkness. Deputy Commissioner,
Phulwant Singh Sidhu, when contacted, was not available
for comments. |
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Badal
ready to accompany PM CHANDIGARH, Feb 4 — The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said today that he would be happy to accompany the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to Pakistan in the first official trip of the bus to Lahore provided he was invited. He said it was a very good development as efforts at the appropriate level had been started for improving relations with Pakistan. "I would be ready to go even beyond Lahore if the invitation was extended to me," said Mr Badal. When asked what kind of reception the Punjab Government would like to give to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had expressed the desire to accompany Mr Vajpayee on return journey from Lahore for resolving various issues. Mr Badal said he would gladly do whatever desired by the Central Government. It is possible that Mr
Nawaz Sharif may express the desire to visit his
ancestral Jati Umra village in Amritsar district where
his forefathers stayed for decades after migrating from
Kashmir. The house belonging to Mr Nawaz Sharif's family
in the village is still intact though not in good shape.
A few months ago, some people from his ancestral village
had gone to Lahore to meet him and had stayed at his farm
house. |
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Wedded
to the the game of kabaddi CHANDIGARH: Meet Ali Mohammad Khawaja. He is Adviser, Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs; Government of Pakistan. In sports circles, he is popularly called the "grand old man" of kabaddi. At 70, he looks much younger. This sportsman of robust built with a tall frame came all the way from Lahore to be present at the Harjit Singh Brar memorial kabaddi tournament held in Bajakhanna in Faridkot. Harjit was a kabaddi "hero" at home and in Pakistan, who was killed in a road accident near Chandigarh in May last year. With tears glistening in his eyes, Khawaja Sahib, as he is commonly addressed, recalled the way Harjit would play the game challenging the opponents with a smile. "His untimely death came to me as a personal blow. I have lost yet another younger brother", he sighed. Khawaja Sahib is President of the Asian Kabaddi Federation (national style) and also Secretary-General of the Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (circle style). If the two Prime Ministers, Mr Nawaz Sharif and Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, can offer to travel in a bus to establish "closer ties" between the two countries, it will be much easier and more homely if the two countries were to exchange their players for a test series of kabaddi matches. "Kabaddi is a common game of two Punjabs, which share their culture and much more. Is it not far more easy to cross artificial, man-made borders simply by chanting, "kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi..." and embracing the other person to bridge the gap between the countries and the people?" he asked. Having met Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal earlier in the day when he invited Mr Badal to be present at the "Prime Minister kabaddi cup" being held in Islamabad from March 19 to 23, Khawaja Sahib came to The Tribune office for an interaction. His message is simple and clear: let politicians have sportsmanship to sort out important issues. Sports as a medium can play an effective role in solving and sorting out many a contentious issue". He is committed to promoting kabaddi. "Once the opposite players hold each other in an embrace and score a point they do so in a spirit of sportsmanship, unlike the politicians who, if not given a coveted post, tend to pull each other's legs to climb up". Khawaja Sahib is here as a guest of Mr Manpreet Singh Badal, MLA, who is President, Amateur Circle Style Kabaddi Federation of India, of which Mr J.P. Sharma is the Secretary. this federation has been sending players to Pakistan and inviting Pakistan players to play in India. "Our country has participated in six tournaments held under the banner of the Prime Minister's kabaddi cup in Pakistan", he added. The federation has 18 states affiliated to it. The visiting Adviser has extended an invitation to Mr Manpreet Singh to visit Pakistan along with Mr Parkash Singh Badal in March. The invitation stands accepted. The only regret of Khawaja Sahib is that this game is not getting sponsors like cricket and hockey. But he is not the one to give up or rue the non-availability of money. Both Khawaja Sahib and
Manpreet announced that besides on "exhibition"
kabaddi match on the occasion of the tercentenary
celebrations at Anandpur Sahib, there would be a
seven-test match series in April and May in Punjab,
Haryana and Delhi. |
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Development
plan for Dakala soon DEVIGARH (Patiala), Feb 4 — Punjab Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh today said a comprehensive scheme would be prepared for the Dakala Assembly constituency for a speedy development of the area. Addressing a meeting of party workers here in connection with the February 12 rally being held at Patiala, he said he would allocate funds for the scheme in the forthcoming Budget. The Finance Minister said a special scheme was necessary for the constituency as piecemeal development could not cope up with the needs of the area. He said the scheme would take into account the devastation caused by floods in the area and suggest ways and means to improve the situation. He also reassured people that they would not be discriminated against in the distribution of grants for development as was being rumoured. Earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) vice-president Charanjit Singh Walia also spoke on the issue in his speech. Later, talking to reporters, Capt Kanwaljit said the SGPC chief's son-in-law, Mr Harmail Singh Tohra, should have attended the meeting. The minister also touched upon the issue of factionalism in the party and said it could lead to the revival of militancy in the state. He said it would only help the Congress. However, maintaining peace and communal harmony was the responsibility of the state government and no-one would be allowed to disturb the peace in the state. He accused the Congress of making irresponsible statements which could worsen the situation. About the increase in the
price of urea, he said the central government and the
Prime Minister had been informed about the SAD's reaction
and said the party would take a final decision in this
regard soon. |
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Safai
karamcharis for ban on polythene KHARAR, Feb 4 — Mr Sardip Singh Ghagga, Member of the National Commission of Safai Karamcharis, set up by the Government of India, has asked the Punjab Government to ban the use of polythene bags in the state as they create a hindrance in the cleanliness in the towns. He said that the residents were throwing waste filled in polythene bags in the drains, resulting in the blockade of dirty water which further spread foul smell. He said that this creates a lot of problems for the safai karamcharis who clean these drains. He was talking to reporters here yesterday after meeting safai karamcharis, members and officers of the Kharar Municipal Committee. He said that all municipal committees should pass resolutions to fine all those residents who throw garbage in polythene bags. He demanded that the Punjab Government sanction more posts of safai karamchari as the present strength was not sufficient to meet the demand. For example, in Kharar the population has increased and the limits of the city expanded but the number of karamcharis remained as it was 10 to 15 years back. He said that the commission in principle was against the cleanliness work being given on a contract basis. He said that the commission has recommended to the Union Government that keeping in view the financial positions of the committees and the importance of cleanliness, at least 60 per cent of the wages of the karamcharis should be paid by the Central Government. He demanded that the
school going children of the safai karamcharis should be
given scholarship without any condition. |
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80
more leprosy cases detected GURDASPUR, Feb 4 — Eighty more leprosy cases have been detected in the district. This was stated at a seminar held jointly by the District Leprosy Society and Rotary Club Midtown here today. Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, presided over the seminar. Addressing the seminar, Mr Sandhu directed members of the society to persuade lepers to give up begging. He said if they failed to do so, action would be taken against them. He ordered SDMs and senior medical officers to make a comprehensive plan regarding the maintenance of sanitary conditions in lepers' colonies. The Civil Surgeon, Dr Davinder Pal Singh Sandhu, said leprosy was curable. Of the new leprosy cases
detected, 19 are from the Kandi area of Dhar subdivision.
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Fire
contained in time FATEHGARH SAHIB, Feb 4 — The timely action of Mr Raj Kumar, chowki in charge of Sirhind Mandi, save a fire here from spreading last night. According to information available, the wooden kiosks at Ropar Bus Stand, Sirhind, caught fire at 4 a.m. Someone noticed smoke coming out of kiosks and raised an alarm. Mr Raj Kumar learnt about the fire. He along with his force reached the spot and extinguished the fire with the help of public. Five kiosks were completely damaged. Various social
organisations have appreciated Mr Raj Kumar's sense of
duty and demanded a suitable reward for him.
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Literacy
campaign a non-starter GURDASPUR, Feb 4 — The total literacy campaign which started here more than a year ago is still a non-starter. Under the scheme, adults between the age group of 15 to 35 were to be taught the three Rs . The district had received the first instalment of Rs 25 lakh from the Centre for creating public awareness in this regard. The then Deputy Commissioner, Ms Ravneet Kaur, held various meetings at block, tehsil and district levels and involved voluntary social organisations and other non-governmental organisations to make the scheme a success. Initially the campaign was to be financed by the Centre. But no money was received after the first instalment about nine months ago. The implementation of the campaign slackened due to the non-availability of funds. The scheme is estimated to cost Rs 84 lakh, out of which the state has to now contribute one-third. Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, has asked Block Development and Panchayat Officers, SDMs and Community Development and project officers to coordinate their activities and carry the scheme to its logical conclusion, but in vain so far. As many as 14 block
project coordinators, who are on deputation from the
Education Department, have been asked to impart training.
But most of them are being paid paltry sum of money for
organising activities to promote adult education. |
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A
CM's rebuff to Tota Singh CHANDIGARH, Feb 4 — Another controversy has engulfed the Punjab Education Department, which earlier faced a lot of criticism with regard to the starting of English at the primary level. This time it pertains to starting religious instructions at the school level. A statement in this connection was made yesterday by Mr Tota Singh, Punjab Education Minister, saying that the government would start religious instructions as a subject in schools from the next academic session. The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said there was no such proposal. At least it was not a decision of the Punjab Government. Mr Tota Singh might have taken this decision at his own level, the Chief Minister quipped. Elaborating, Mr Badal said
neither Mr Tota Singh had brought this issue before the
Cabinet nor he had consulted him (Mr Badal). He said his
government would not do anything that communalises the
atmosphere in schools.
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Theft
in ex-ASI’s house ROPAR, Feb 4 — A theft of gold ornaments worth Rs 1.50 lakh was committed in the local Malhotra Colony yesterday evening. According to the police, the thief stole about 35 tola gold ornaments from the house of Mr Narinderpal, a former ASI of the Punjab Police. A case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC has been registered. It is also learnt that the house was locked when the theft was committed. It is the second theft in
the town in the past few days. Earlier, a theft of
articles worth Rs 1 lakh was committed in Ali Mohalla. |
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1
held for making spurious spices LUDHIANA, Feb 4 — The city police has busted a gang, involved in the making and selling of adulterated spices, with the arrest of one Gopal Das. The accused, along with Manjit Singh, had rented a shed where they used to prepare adulterated spices. The police and a team from the Food and Civil Supplies Department had raided the premises. A large quantity of such spices was seized. In another incident, the police arrested Yoginder Pal Singh and Liaqat Ali for reportedly selling LPG cylinders on black. The accused were caught
with a trailor carrying 250 cylinders. |
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Agro
- economic research centre at PAU LUDHIANA, Feb 4 — The Union Ministry of Agriculture has set up an agro-economic research centre (AERC) at Punjab Agricultural University here on an on-going basis. The main objective of the centre is to conduct analytical research and evaluation into specific agro economic problems in Punjab. Dr Karam Singh, senior most professor in the Department of Economics and Sociology has joined as Director, AERC. Earlier, as head of the department, he was instrumental in the opening of the centre. The centre will also carry
on research work on structural changes and fundamental
problems of agricultural economics and rural development
of the country and give technical advice to the union and
state governments. |
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