Sunday, January 10, 1999
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Sunday, January 10, 1999 |
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SGPC members’ plea to CM CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — For the feuding Akalis another issue has emerged. Now the bone of contention is the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission. The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, is busy consulting legal experts to defend his action to remove the Chairman and two members of the commission and come out with a strong case. PM
to open Thein dam on Feb 12 |
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Plan to
down-size bureaucracy Badal
a weak CM: Bhinder 150
Dalits raped in SAD rule: BSP Fears
on mid-term poll allayed Punjab
best "investors' destination" Gang
of dacoits busted 75
leprosy cases detected in Ferozepore |
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Notification on judicial panel CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — For the feuding Akalis another issue has emerged. Now the bone of contention is the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission. The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, is busy consulting legal experts to defend his action to remove the Chairman and two members of the commission and come out with a strong case. The SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who thought that there was now another good stick to beat Mr Badal with, consulted lawyers and who finally moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. But much more important was his effort to have a letter signed by 92 members of the SGPC requesting Mr Badal to withdraw the notification. Meanwhile, in Amritsar, the newly appointed members have already taken charge of the commission. The Government in a statement here said. "The State Government of Punjab is well within its jurisdiction and powers under Section 70 of the Sikh Gurdwara, Act 1925. Subsequent to the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, the Central Government has itself, in exercise of its powers, has vested the power of appointment and removal of members of the commission upon the Punjab Government. The words used in Section 79 at that time were "State Government". These words have been substituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs Notification No SOS-13013/2/78-SR dated 19th October, 1978, with words ‘Punjab Government/the State of Government of Punjab’ in Sections 70,71 and 79. Thus the powers to reconstitute, remove or appoint the members of the Judicial Commission are specific, legal and within the jurisdiction of the Punjab Government", it further said. Under the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 after its reconstitution, the Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is to submit a list of the names of seven persons nominated by it and the Government of the State of Punjab after being satisfied that the persons are qualified as required by Section 70 is to appoint two members out of the list. The list of seven names was submitted by the present Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee authorities to the Punjab Government and by exercising its power under the Act, the Government has selected and appointed two members of the Judicial Commission out of the list. The third member of the commission has been appointed by the State Government at its own under the provision of the Act. Hence, the Punjab Government has not acted at its own, the commission has been reconstituted in a normal way of functioning of the Government. But a former Advocate General, Mr G.S Grewal, contended that this notification quoted by the Government itself is against the statute "The Punjab Reorganisation Act itself lays down that the Sikh Gurdwara Act and Panjab University Act would be central corporate bodies. The Centre cannot by way a mere notification vest powers in one State Government since a specific Act concerns other States. The basic Act has to be amended. We are challenging this", he said. The letter from 92 out of a total of 185 members of SPGC chided Mr Badal for following the steps of Congress Chief Ministers like the late Mr Partap Singh Kairon and Mr Darbara Singh by interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs. "This decision would be a blot on the name of a Panthic government. Akalis have always fought against the interference of the Government in the gurdwara and they always succeeded in forcing the Government to rescind its decisions", the letter said. The contention of the Government is that it has chosen two members from the list of seven submitted by the SGPC and selected just one on its own. "Those who signed the letter are forgetting that this government is led by an Akali Dal President and all these SGPC members were allotted tickets to contest the election by him alone. Also, the power to appoint members and also to hold elections are vested in the Government", a senior Minister, who did not wish to be quoted, said. The signatories to the
letter include Mr Surjan Singh Thekedar, Mr Bakhshish
Singh Panjoli, Mr Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Mr Pritam Singh
Bhatia, Mr Rattan Singh Allora and others. |
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PM to open Thein dam on Feb
12 PATIALA, Jan 9 — Punjab Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh today announced the Thein dam project had been completed and would be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on February 12. Stating this to The Tribune after inaugurating the three-day second international conference on South Asian languages at Punjabi University here, he said the project had been completed at a cost of Rs 3,200 crore. The minister said the project, which was originally proposed to cost Rs 65 crore, had been completed after a concerted effort by the Akali-BJP government which had made major budgetary allocations for it. "It was my intention to ensure hasty completion of the Thein dam project. With this in mind, a sum of Rs 750 crore was allocated in the last financial year and Rs 550 crore in the present year. With the completion of the project, the irrigation needs of Amritsar and Gurdaspur would be met and 600 mw of electricity produced", he said. The minister, who leaves today for London on a private visit, said he would visit the Thein dam site on January 16 along with the Chief Secretary and Secretary, Irrigation, to inspect arrangements for the inaugural ceremony. The dam would be filled with the start of the monsoon season and start generating power by September. Earlier, speaking at the conference, Capt Kanwaljit Singh said all languages mentioned in the eighth Schedule of the Constitution should be given equal opportunity to be developed as national languages. He urged the scholars to deliberate on different aspects of language planning and development and suggest means and ways to develop South Asian Languages. Delivering the keynote address on the future of linguistics, Dr Probal Das Gupta of the University of Hyderabad said departments of languages were disappearing. He called for reintroducing linguistic studies in literature departments and its teaching at the elementary level. Welcoming the guests and delegates, Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Joginder Singh Puar, himself a renowned linguist, said the university was among the first in India to establish the Department of Anthropological Linguistics with the aim of making a scientific study of languages. He said this department had done pioneering job in the field of linguistics, particularly in the field of scientific study of Punjabi language. Prof Hans H. Hock from
Illinois University, USA, in his presidential remarks,
highlighted the need for such conferences where
linguistic problems regarding South Asian languages were
discussed in detail. Dr Chanchal Singh, Head, Department
of Anthropological Linguistics and Punjabi Language,
spoke on the aims, objectives and programmes of the
conference. |
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Punjab's fiscal crisis PATIALA, Jan 9 — The Punjab Government has finalised two proposals to down-size bureaucracy and impose a 15 per cent cut on non-Plan expenditure to tide over the present financial crisis. Talking to the Tribune in an interview here today, Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh said both proposals had been discussed in detail and finalised. These would be put up before the Cabinet for approval in a few days. The Finance Minister said it had been decided to reduce the size of the bureaucracy as 65 per cent of the total revenue was being spent on pay, pension and allowances. Moreover, even in the Plan expenditure for development programmes, there was a 40 per cent component of salaries and allowances. He, however, refused to explain how the size of the bureaucracy would be reduced. A 15 per cent cut had been proposed on non-essential expenditure, including petrol and telephones. "A lot of people, including ministers, will have to give up certain luxuries", he said adding the government would stringently curtail expenditure. The state government had urged the Centre to take "definite, corrective steps" to pull the state out of the current recession." It is only then that excise and other revenue will increase substantially", he said. Attempts were afoot to improve tax collection. Laxity by the previous Congress regime had reduced revenue from taxes drastically. "While the adjoining states show an increase of 15 per cent every year normally, the Congress government was able to register an increase of slightly above 1 per cent in the last two years of its rule," he said. "I have succeeded in bringing up the revenue collection by 9.8 per cent in 1997-98 and expect to do better this year." Presenting the genesis of the present tight financial position, the Finance Minister said the Rs 900 crore additional burden put by the Fifth Pay Commission on the state was responsible for this. He said the government still had not imposed fresh taxes but was streamlining its functioning to meet the problem. Speaking on reports of salaries and pension being refused to officials, he said there had been no default and all dues till December 31 had been cleared. Besides development commitments were being met. Verbal orders on salaries may have been issued in some case, he added. Talking on Budget proposals for 1999-2000 AD, he said these would be finalised next month. However, the state government had learnt informally that the Planning Commission had okayed an assistance of Rs 2650 crore which was Rs 150 crore more than last year. Capt Kanwaljit Singh said his priorities while framing next year's Budget would be to lay stress on road building. A sum of Rs 350 crore was likely to be earmarked for planned roads and Rs 550 crore for link roads. Besides, stress would be laid on providing safe drinking water and rural development projects. He also announced setting
up of a three-member power tariff commission to decide
power rates in future. The commission, which would
consist of retired judges, would be an autonomous body by
an Act of government and its recommendations would be
mandatory. |
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Declare fiscal emergency in
Punjab: Amarinder NEW DELHI, Jan 9 — The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) has decided to urge the President to declare financial emergency in the State. The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Chief, Mr Amarinder Singh, told a news conference here today that the state Unit had sought an appointment with the President for the purpose. “We have written a letter to the President asking him to invoke Article 360 declaring financial emergency in Punjab since the state is facing a crisis,” Mr Amarinder Singh said adding the PCC was awaiting for the appointment to submit it. The Punjab PCC chief said the Constitution vested in the Centre the power to invoke the clause both at the national level in the states. “As far as we are concerned there is a case for declaring financial emergency in Punjab,” he said. He said the Punjab Government had been raising funds without actually working out how to return these and considering the manner in which borrowings were mounting, the state was heading for a massive indebtedness. The state Congress charged the Badal Government with squandering away scarce resources, pushing up expenditure without corresponding measures to raise revenue. Citing an instance, he said, the free power scheme for farmers alone cost Rs 1,400 crore annually whereas the State’s total revenue stood at Rs 2,500 crore. He said if the current drift in the economy was not checked, Punjab could be on the verge of a major internal crisis since unemployment was on the rise, farming community suffering on account of repeated crop loss and hostile neighbours willing to create disturbance. The Punjab Finance Secretary, he said, had now asked the state Treasury to honouring all cheques and this stood in contrast to the claim of the Finance Minister that everything was under control. Former Rajya Sabha MP, Surinder Singla, who was also present said despite the “tall claims” made by the SAD government, the Centre had not written-off the loan and as per a document of the state Finance Department, Rs 6,000 crore were still outstanding. Those present at the press
conference included, former MPs, Mr Virendra Kataria, Mr
Iqbal Singh, the CLP leader, Mr Jagjit Singh and former
PCC chief, Mr S.S. Randhawa. |
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Badal
a
weak CM: Bhinder GURDASPUR, Jan 9 — Mrs Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, senior Congress leader, told newsmen here today that Mr Parkash Singh Badal has proved himself as a weak Chief Minister and must quit in view of the deteriorating financial health of the state. She said it was sad and unheard of that pensioners were not getting their due in time because of the wrong policies of the government. Mrs Bhinder said it was unfortunate that the state government has decided to take loans from public undertakings for running the government. She warned the Chief Minister that this will send the public undertakings in the red. This will add to already mounting problem of unemployment among the youth. Mrs Bhinder said the government’s decision to divert funds of the Punjab Marketing Board for running the establishment would adversely affect the development of the rural areas. Funds for development in rural areas have already been stopped. Mrs Bhinder said the government has already diverted two instalments of more than Rs 200 crore of Punjab Health System Corporation. As a result 151 hospitals under the corporation were not being developed on the lines promised to the World Bank. This might lead to stoppage of another two instalments from the World Bank. This may also lead to the stoppage of a loan from the World Bank for four-laning of strategic roads. She said the Batala Civil Hospital has received an X-Ray machine of 300 mm, but it was not being installed as Rs 80,000 allocated for it had not been released by the corporation. Mrs Bhinder said promises made by the SAD-BJP alliance during Assembly and Lok Sabha elections to uplift the weaker sections of the society have not been fulfilled. The implementation of social welfare schemes was tardy and only 10 per cent eligible old persons had received old age pension so far. The Chief Minister’s announcement for bringing in a notification for covering Christians under the Shagun scheme was a mere farce. Not a single Christian has been benefited under the scheme so far, she said. Mrs Bhinder said the state administration has been brought to standstill in view of infighting going on between Mr Badal and Mr Tohra. Mrs Bhinder said Mr Badal is behaving like a Chief Minister of Faridkot and Muktsar districts only. All development activities were going on in that area only. She said Mr Badal had spent more than Rs 1400 crore in these districts. Regarding the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar in proposed Uttaranchal state Mrs Bhinder said the decision of merger was final and the delay in the three-member committee, headed by the Defence Minister, report was a calculated move of Mr Badal who fears that Mr Tohra might use this stick to beat him. Addressing a largely attended public meetings on the Indo-Pak border and backward village of Basau Barwan under Pathankot sub-division in this district, Mrs Bhinder accused Mr Badal of ignoring development of the area. She reminded Mr Badal that during Assembly and Lok Sabha elections he had promised the people to constitute a border development board for undertaking development of border areas in the state, not a single step has been taken in this direction so far. Mrs Bhinder said election promises of the SAD-BJP alliance has proved to be hollow as the government has failed in setting up industry in the border areas. Mrs Bhinder criticised
attacks on Christians in Gujarat and said that it was a
conspiracy hatched by fundamentalists with the help of
the BJP government in the state. She warned the Central
and Gujarat Governments to check this unhealthy tendency. |
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150 Dalits raped in SAD rule:
BSP BATHINDA, Jan 9 — Mr Avtar Singh Karimpuri, General Secretary, BSP, Punjab, today said after the installation of the SAD-BJP government in the state about 150 Dalit women had been raped. Addressing a press conference here, he said in the past two years about 250 farm labourers belonging to the oppressed classes had also been killed by the big landlords. He alleged that the Punjab Government had miserably failed to check the atrocities against Scheduled Castes and backward classes. He said that successive Congress and Akali governments had exploited the Scheduled Castes and backward classes for their political ends, but did nothing for their social security. When asked how many murders and rapes had been committed by the people belonging to Scheduled Castes and backward classes in the same period, he said that big landlords and other influential persons made the lower class people to commit such crimes. Mr Karimpuri said that the party was being strengthened in Punjab as its candidate had polled less votes in the Adampur Assembly by-election. He said district level workers meetings, rallies in 85 Assembly segments and a state-level rally would be held in Punjab. He said under the 'Apni Shakti Banao' movement, the workers would be educated about the treatment being meted out to them by the successive state as well as Central governments. He said the BSP would pressurise the government to enact the Reservation Act, clear backlog in government jobs, implement the Mandal Commission report and the SC and ST atrocities Prevention Act. He said that the SAD-BJP Government's economic policies were pro-feudal and pro big industrialists. He added that the state government was uprooting the Jhuggi-Jhopri dwellers under the pressure of big business houses. Mr Karimpuri said his party was in favour of celebrating the tercentenary of Khalsa Panth by those who followed Guru Gobind Singh's, message of social and economic equality. He said that BSP President Kanshi Ram should be the chief guest of such celebrations. He alleged that private as well as government owned electronic media was biased against the Bahujan Samaj Party as it was projecting the viewpoint of only upper classes. He pointed out that
episode of killing of a black buck by filmstar Salman
Khan remained on electronic media for days together while
the abortion of three women at Ludhiana due to
administration's high-handedness, was ignored. |
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Fears on mid-term poll allayed MOGA, Jan 9 — The Union Industry Minister, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, today said there was no possibility of mid-term elections in the country. Addressing a gathering at Dhudike village, after laying the foundation stone of 30-bedded community health centre today, he said certain leaders were spreading rumours of mid-term elections for their own political interests. He claimed that the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre was stable and fully prepared to meet any eventuality. He added that the Central government was also well prepared for the progress of all states. Mr Badal said Punjab was being developed as an industrial state of the country. About Rs 20000 crore would be invested in the industrial projects in the coming years in the state. He added that many new projects were also in the pipeline. He claimed that Punjab always progressed during the rule of the Akalis in Punjab. He alleged that during the Congress regime, no big project was set up in the state. Moreover, the Congress Government at the Centre always discriminated against Punjab in matter of industries, employment and development. He said the SAD candidate was defeated in Adampur by-election due to rise in the prices of essential commodities. He claimed that Punjabis were still with the SAD like a rock. He said there was no
financial crises in the Punjab Government. He also
expressed his disappointment on the attacks on Christians
in Gujarat. |
Punjab best "investors'
destination" JALANDHAR, Jan 9 — Punjab was declared as the best ‘investors’ destination’ in the country, at the seminar "Investment opportunities for Non-Resident Indians" in Punjab, here today. Speaking at the seminar organised by the NRI Sabha, Mr Ramesh Inder Singh, Principal Secretary, said incentives given by the state government, such as the allotment of industrial plots within one month on assessing the NRI project is viable and bankable, single window system, sales tax exemption up to 10 years, and lower power tariff make Punjab the best ‘investors destination’ in the country. To safeguard the properties of NRIs the state government has amended laws. Now an NRI can evict illegal tenants from his urban and rural property, by summary trials, he said. Addressing over 100 NRIs today, the Principal Secretary assured transparency and support in the form of speedy clearance to NRI projects. The chief guest, President
of the Dandee Mutual funds, a $ 6 billion Canadian
company, Mr Terence Ruie, said the company would be
starting three funds in the country, and would invest in
safe viable commercial ventures in the country, The
Dandee company is into mining, power and mutual funds. |
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Gang of dacoits busted KAPURTHALA, Jan 9 — The police here claims to have busted an inter-district gang of dacoits involved in about 60 dacoities. Senior Superintendent of Police Iqbal Singh said here today that 11 members of the gang had been arrested and the police had seized gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 3 lakh from their possession. He said the gang, consisting of 25 to 30 members, had committed nearly 60 dacoities in Kapurthala, Tarn Taran; Jalandhar, Ferozepore and Moga districts. Detailing the arrest of the dacoits, the SSP said on information that some armed persons had taken a refuge near the uninhabited area of the proposed Science City at Wadala railway crossing with plan to commit a dacoity yesterday, the police raided the place and arrested 11 dacoits. Three members of the gang, however, managed to flee under the cover of darkness. The police seized three countrymade pistols along with cartridges, three swords, three "gandasis" and iron rods from the men. The SSP said the members had confessed to having looted jewellery and cash worth Rs 25 to 30 lakh in 60 dacoities. He said the police parties had been despatched to apprehend other members of the gang, including its leader Nawab, resident of Kaila under police station Dharamkot. The SSP said the gang leader and two other members Anayet and Mukhtiar Singh, both residents of Ferozepore district, had already been declared proclaimed offenders by the police. The police had solved four dacoities committed by the gang in the Sultanpurlodhi area. The arrested gang members
include Geja, Prem, Lal, Boor, Jagir Singh, Joginder,
Jaswant, Rachpal Singh, Sawan Singh and Chinder. |
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75 leprosy cases detected in
Ferozepore ABOHAR, Jan 9 — Seventyfive persons were found suffering from leprosy in Ferozepore district during the current year, 50 of them migrant labourers. This was stated by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Gurdev Singh Sidhu, at a district-level function held under the National Leprosy Eradication Programme at DAV Auditorium here today. Mr Sidhu said Punjab would be able to eradicate leprosy by 2000 AD. There was a need to bring about awareness at the grassroots level about the disease. Educational institutions could cooperate more in making the campaign a success, he said. The Lions Club, Innerwheel Club, Rotary Club (Midtown), Bharat Vikas Parishad, Social Welfare Society and Mahila Dakshta Samiti worked together for today’s function, but Block Development Officers could not manage the presence of sarpanches and panches. Civil Surgeon Dr V.K.
Bassi and District Leprosy Officer G.S. Dhillon spoke on
the symptoms and treatment of leprosy. A declamation,
painting and slogan writing competitions were held for
students. Dr Bassi gave away prizes which were sponsored
by the Lions Club (Abohar Greater) and Mandi (Abohar). |
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NRI meet ends JALANDHAR, Jan 9 — The first NRI Sports Festival concluded at the PAP grounds, with great fanfare here today. NRI teams promised to participate in more disciplines next time. Teams from the USA, Canada, England and India, participated in wrestling, tug-of-war, kabbadi and weight lifting competitions. A women's hockey match was held between California (USA) and Punjab State Electricity Board. None of the teams could score a goal. The vice-chairman of the
organising committee, Dr GS Aujla, Inspector General,
Jalandhar zone while speaking at the closing ceremony
said the NRI sports festival was an initiative to bring
the second generation Indians settled abroad, closer to
their roots. "Such festivals will be held every
year", he added. |
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Teeth for state medical council
sought PATIALA, Jan 9 — The state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has urged the government to drop the proposal of a Nursing Home Registration Act and reconstitute a Punjab Medical Council instead and take effective steps to end quackery in the state. Dr O.P. Singh Kande, Chairman of the legal cell of the state IMA unit, in a letter to the Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare urged for reconsideration of the matter of registration of nursing homes in the state by passing an act. Dr Kande said the Punjab IMA was of the view that there was no need to bring such an act as all qualified doctors were registered and their practice was regulated under the Punjab Medical Registration Act, 1916, and the Medical Council of India Act, 1956. He said these acts provided ample powers to the council and the government to take action against any body providing below standard medical services and indulging in malpractices. The quacks could be forced to stop their practice under the existing rules. Practice by allopathic doctors and running of nursing homes could be regulated by strengthening the respective councils. Dr Kande has proposed that
the government should immediately reconstitute the Punjab
Medical Council and give powers to the council to
regulate the working of nursing homes in the state. |
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Payment of salary, pension sought MOGA, Jan 9 — Many pensioners and also certain government employees here today complained that their payments had been held up by Treasury when they visited these offices for the purpose. Stating this here today president, Punjab pensioners association Hardev Singh said that following reported directions from the state government to stop all payments with immediate effect. Although no such statement had been issued by the authorities in this respect Mr Hardev Singh also urged the government to make immediate and proper arrangements for the payment of salary and pension. Residents of this town including businessmen, lecturers, government employees and others today condemned the directive of the Civil and Supplies Department asking them to submit forms and ration cards to this department along with a photograph of their family members including young girls and married women if they wanted to get their quota of their ration of essential commodities through government fair price shops. Many of them today asked
the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and
also the Civil Supplies Minister to intervene otherwise
they would launch a statewide agitation if this directive
was not withdrawn. |
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New civil hospital to be ready
by June AMRITSAR, Jan 9 — Principal secretary Health and Family Planning Punjab, Rajesh Chhabra said that a civil hospital with modern amenities being built at a cost of Rs 8 crore, would be complete by June this year. The Principal Secretary added that the World Bank had also made available to the Punjab Health Systems Corporation Rs 4 crore for sophisticated equipment for hospitals here to provide better health care. The government had added an intensive care unit at civil hospital at Jalandhar recently and laparoscopic equipment provided at Jalandhar and Ludhiana for better facilities in government hospitals in the state. Mr Chhabra stated this
while inaugurating a five-bed intensive care unit of Mata
Kaulanji mission hospital, charitable institution here.
He lauded the role of charitable organisations. The ICU
was donated by Mr Amar Singh Chawalwala to the hospital .
Honorary director of the hospital and former DRME Dr
Balwant Singh Tung complimented the management. |
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Industrialists for withdrawal of notice HOSHIARPUR, Jan 9 — Resentment prevails among local industrialists against the Forest Department for recently serving them a notice under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The department, through the notice, has charged them with illegally using the forest land adjoining the mainroad for passage to their units. Besides, they had constructed gates of their units adjoining to its land without taking permission from the department, thus violating the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the notice says. The department has instructed them to take permission from it for this purpose within 15 days, failing which legal proceedings would be initiated against them. Mr Chander Mohan Puri,
president of the Factory Owners Association of Nasrala
belt, told this correspondent here yesterday that the
department had only served notices to the industrialists
overlooking hundreds of other commercial and residential
units existing on roads which, too, came under the
protected forests land. He urged the authorities to
withdraw the notice. |
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Fake judge held JALALABAD, Jan 9 — The police here has arrested a person posing as a civil judge. An FIR lodged by Pritam Singh of Tinda Wali village with the police said that a person living in the village waterworks for the past four months had been describing himself as H.S. Daliwal, a PCS civil judge, posted at Ropar. He also allegedly cheated villagers of their money by saying that he would get their work done using his position. The complainant told the police that the said person used to wear black coat and black tie and also carried an identity card. Following the complaint,
the police raided the suspect's house and arrested him.
The person disclosed his identity as Harial Singh son of
Rattan Singh and resident of Veroke village near
Baghapurana in Moga district. The police has registered a
case. |
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Small savings work suspended KHANNA, Jan 9 — Post office savings agents are in a fix for the past 10 days due to the ‘wrong’ policies of the Central Government. The Finance Ministry issued orders in the last week of December to all states to stop the work of small savings in post offices from January 1 this year as the rates of interest and the terms of fixed deposits in post offices were to be revised. The Finance Ministry has reportedly decided to reduce the rates of interest and increase the term for fixed deposits. The amount interest in Kisan Vikas Patras (KVPs) and the Indira Vikas Patras (IVPs) which previously doubled in five-and-half years, but will now double after six years. The rate of interest on National Savings Certificates (NSCs) has also been reduced. Work relating to small savings will resume at the Head Post Office here within a week after fresh stationery and other material has been published. The suspension of savings
work here has caused a loss of crores to the Punjab
Finance Department. |
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Patients' diet money may go up AMRITSAR, Jan 9 — The Punjab Government is planning to revamp the functioning of the once prestigious Dr Vidya Sagar Mental Hospital here. The Principal Secretary, health and Family Planning, Mr Rajesh Chhabra, while talking to this correspondent last evening, said the department was considering to raise the daily diet money from the present Rs 25 to Rs 50 for giving the over 400 patients a well-balanced and nutritious food. Earlier, the government was giving only Rs 8, which was a pittance and could barely meet the food requirements of patients. About the report submitted by the Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College here, for handing over the mental hospital to the college, Mr Chhabra pointed that it was being examined. He, however, felt that it was not possible for the college to manage the hospital with over 400 patients. Sometime ago, the Punjab
Human Rights Commission had appointed a team to look into
the working of the hospital, where many patients had been
rendered blind due to the 'apathetic' approach of the
doctors. |
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Mandi
board
staff's plea on bonus CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — The Punjab Mandi Board Employees Union has urged the authorities concerned to make payment of bonus to employees posted in the field at the earliest. In a statement issued here
today, the union said that while employees posted in the
headoffice were given bonus before Divali, employees
posted in the field had not been given the bonus so far. |
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JD elections in March, April BATHINDA, Jan 9 — The internal organisational elections of the Janata Dal would be held in March and April, 1999, in all states, Mr Vipan Kumar, member of the national council of the Janata Dal, said in a press note issued here today. He said the new membership
drive would be launched in Punjab before the elections. |
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Pensioners decry ban on payments BATHINDA, Jan 9 — The Punjab Government Pensioners Welfare Association today condemned the imposition of undeclared ban on the payment of salaries and pensions to all treasuries by the Punjab government on January 6. In a press note issued here, Mr Kishan Singh, General Secretary of the association, alleged that for the past two months, the pensioners were facing inconvenience to get pensions. He pointed out that
pension was the only means for the pensioners to make
their ends meet. He said that the Punjab government
should make it sure that in future no such ban be imposed
on the payment of salaries and pensions. |
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2 murder cases solved BATALA, Jan 9 — The police today solved two murder cases with the arrest of three persons. Mr Lok Nath Angra,
district police Chief, Batala, said the suspects —
Krishan Kumar, a resident of Santokh Rai, Krishan
Kishore, a resident of Bihar and Naresh Kumar, a resident
of Uttar Pradesh — were arrested by a naka party
near the drain bridge in Kalanaur police station. One
country-made pistol and some ammunition were also found
from their possession. Mr Lok Nath said the culprits
confessed that they had killed Leela Wanti last year with
a bat and took away Rs 10,000 and valuable clothes etc.
They also killed Joginderpal at Santokh Rai village on
December 31. |
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2
beldars
suspended LUDHIANA, Jan 9 — Mr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, today suspended two beldars found absent from duty during a surprise check. They two are Hardev Singh and Davinder Singh. Explanation of their seniors has also been called for. Mr Sandhu warned the
employees of the corporation to perform their duty
regularly, failing which serious action would be taken
against them. He also instructed all officers of the
corporation to conduct daily surprise checks to ensure
punctuality and regularity. |
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Poster-making competition CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — A poster-making competition on AIDS awareness was organised by the Government College of Education with the Panjab University branch of the State Bank of India on the college campus, here today. The Bench Manager of the SBI presided over the function. The prize winners are
Anupama Mahajan (1), Pooja Khosla (2), Sapna (3) and Ritu
consolation prize. |
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Attitude of Punjab govt
‘callous’ CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — The Senior Citizens (Pensioners) Council, SAS Nagar, in a press note here today said pensioners were being denied pension despite claims of the Finance department that it had not issued any instructions to the Treasury to stop payment. "The attitude of the
Panjab Government towards its senior citizens is callous
and cruel, especially when 1999 has been declared as year
for Welfare of old people", it added. |
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NEW DELHI, Jan 9 — The
Punjab Congress has decided to urge the President
to declare financial emergency in the state. The
state Congress chief, Mr Amarinder Singh, told a
news conference here today that the state unit
had sought an appointment with the President.
