Saturday, January 16, 1999
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Saturday, January 16, 1999 |
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VC trains guns on PUTA leaders PATIALA, Jan 15 — The war of attrition between a faction of the Punjabi University Teachers Association and the Vice-Chancellor, Dr J.S. Puar, has intensified with the university threatening to take action against the group for making "slanderous accusations" while issuing a show-cause notice to the entire PUTA leadership. PYC seeks
withdrawal of 'false' cases |
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 CM not to seek Tohra's resignation HOSHIARPUR, Jan 15 — Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal President Parkash Singh Badal today said he would not ask for the resignation of the SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. |
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Badal
pays tribute to Sekhon Punjab
to acquire 220 new buses Adampur
poll result contested PSEB
cost-cutting tactics may rebound Late
blight attacks potato crop J&K
situation under control: GOC |
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VC trains guns on PUTA leaders PATIALA, Jan 15 — The war of attrition between a faction of the Punjabi University Teachers Association (PUTA) and the Vice-Chancellor, Dr J.S. Puar, has intensified with the university threatening to take action against the group for making "slanderous accusations" while issuing a show-cause notice to the entire PUTA leadership. The show-cause notice specifically targets PUTA president S.S. Khaira and joint secretary Manjit Singh for misusing the forum to hurl "slanderous accusations" at the Vice-Chancellor and charges them with trying to "incite a section of the teachers to get involved in the ongoing political turmoil in the state". The notice mentions that such an activity does not fall within the objectives laid down in the university calendar while saying that the accusations levelled against the Vice-Chancellor were based on surmises. The notice also mentions that the accusation that the Vice-Chancellor, the Dean (Colleges), Dr Balkar Singh, and other persons had met Congress President Sonia Gandhi to hatch a plot to topple the Punjab Government was without basis. While referring to the accusations levelled regarding the science congress held in 1996, it says the matter is sub judice and being probed by the authorities. The notice, issued on January 6, threatened all office-bearers and the executive members that action would be taken against them within seven days if they did not reply to it. Vice-Chancellor J.S. Puar said the PUTA leadership had been given another week to explain its conduct as some of the office-bearers had requested for the supply of the show-cause notice in Punjabi. They must now reply by January 20, Dr Puar said, adding that those not party to the accusations would also have to make their stands clear. The Vice-Chancellor said he proposed to put up the issue of taking action against those hurling the accusations at the university to the Syndicate on January 23. Besides, he would also write a letter to the Punjab Federation of University Teachers Association (PFUTA) the letter head of which had been misused by PUTA president S.S. Khaira in his capacity as convener of PFUTA, Dr Puar said. However, Dr S.S. Khaira and Dr Manjit Singh said the university was trying to take action against those opposed to SGPC chief G.S. Tohra. They alleged that the notice had been issued by the Vice-Chancellor following pressure from the SGPC chief. They alleged that the SGPC chief had been rattled as his personal secretary, Mr Malwinder Singh Mali, who had been working as Public Relations Officer in the university on an ad hoc basis, had not been given extension by the rationalisation committee. They charged that the Vice-Chancellor had made a Tohra loyalist, Dr Balkar Singh, Dean, Colleges, and that the university bylaws had been broken to give recognition to a private college started by Dr Balkar Singh's son. Dr Khaira and Dr Manjit Singh said the show-cause notice had been condemned by a meeting of the executive which unanimously described it as an "attack on its freedom". However, PUTA secretary N.S. Atri, who leads five executive members who have disassociated themselves from the PUTA president, said the executive meeting held by the other group was unconstitutional as it had not been called by him nor had it been attended by his group. Dr Atri said he and five
other executive members would reply to the show-cause
notice by saying that they had nothing to do with the
allegations levelled against the university. |
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CM
not
to seek Tohra's resignation HOSHIARPUR, Jan 15 — Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Parkash Singh Badal today said he would not ask for the resignation of the SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. In an informal talk with journalists after inaugurating Swami Premanand Charitable Hospital at Mukerian, the Chief Minister said: "I respect him (Tohra), Why I should ask for his resignation. The SGPC is a religious institution. I have neither interfered in its affairs in the past nor will I do so in future". He said the SAD would also not interfere in the functioning of the SGPC. The Chief Minister also denied reports that he had recommended the name of anyone from Punjab for inclusion as a minister in the Vajpayee Government in the forthcoming Cabinet expansion. Reports to this effect were only "false propaganda", he added. Asked if the Punjab Government would lower bus fares in view of a decrease in the price of diesel, the Chief Minister said the government was considering it. Reiterating that there was no financial crisis in Punjab, Mr Badal said the disbursement of payments to pensioners would be sorted out in the next few days. He strongly condemned the alleged rape of the estranged wife of an IFS officer in Orissa and said such a shameful and unfortunate incident should be condemned by all. Later, addressing a public rally at Arya Senior Secondary School, he charged the previous Congress government with first burdening the state with a huge loan of Rs 8400 crore and then creating hurdles in the way of its waiver by the then I.K. Gujral Government at the Centre. He held former Congress Finance Minister Kewal Krishan responsible for the huge debt. He charged the Congress with having looted the nation after Independence. He charged the Congress with making attempts to create a wedge between Hindus and Sikhs. The Chief Minister said the Congress had only exploited the poor and had done nothing to improve their lot. It was shameful that some of its leaders including former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao were facing trials in different courts. He said the Congress was now dreaming of making Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister. The Chief Minister announced a Rs 5 lakh grant for Swami Premanand College and said the Rs 1.50 crore Swami Premanand Charitable Hospital would be allowed to set up a nursery training institute. Mr Badal also inaugurated the 40th Inter-Zonal Youth Festival of Punjab University in the college. BJP MP and actor Vinod Khanna, who was present said he was negotiating with a private Mumbai company for building bridges on the Beas and the Ravi and hoped that the Punjab Government would bear 50 per cent of the expenditure. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has, asked Mr Suresh Arora, DIG (Jalandhar Range) to probe the allegation that Charanjit Singh Channi of Hazema village in the district was picked up by the Jalandhar police from his house and sought to be falsely implicated in a case. The allegation was levelled by AISSF general secretary Daljit Singh Babak when he along with SAD MLAs, Chaudhary Balbir Singh Miani and Mrs Mahinder Kaur, met the Chief Minister at Mukerian. While the federation
leader claimed that Charanjit Singh, was taken away on
the intervening night of January 8 and 9 by a Jalandhar
police party, Jalandhar SSP Gaurav Yadav, in a press note
said the police arrested him on January 7 and registered
a case under the Arms and Explosive Acts registered
against him. |
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PYC seeks withdrawal of
'false' cases SAS NAGAR, Jan 15 — The Punjab unit of Youth Congress (PYC) today demanded the withdrawal of the "false" cases registered against the Adampur MLA, Mr Kamaljit Singh Lalli, and others. The newly appointed PYC president, Mr Devinder Singh Babbu, told a Press conference here that police raids were conducted on Mr Kanwaljit Singh's brickkilns, "false", charging him with keeping bonded labour. He said if the cases were not withdrawn within 15 days, the PYC would organise a dharna in front of the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner's office. The PYC chief said after losing the Adampur byelection, the Parkash Singh Badal Government was in a state of panic and was resorting to pressure tactics on opponents. Senior officials in Jalandhar district, including the SSP, had been transferred. Mr Devinder Singh said after the Badal Government took over, corruption and inflation had increased and the law and order situation had deteriorated. It was strange that even after the levy of heavy taxes the state treasury was empty. The government mortgaged the state's bus stands to get loans of Rs 350 crore to purchase buses. Besides, it took a Rs 2,000-crore loan from the World Bank for roads. The condition of roads was poor in Punjab and he wondered where the large loan amount had gone. The PYC chief sought a CBI probe into the matter. He claimed that there would be a mid-term general election by May after which the Congress would come to power. Mr Devinder Singh said in
the coming months the PYC would organise blood and eye
camps, seminars against dowry and narcotic drugs and
sapling plantation drives besides creating public
awareness against AIDS. |
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News analysis CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government will shortly begin its Budget exercise and work on the Annual Plan for 1999-2000. The Budget unfolds the Annual Plan, presents an analysis of the economic problems and lists ways the government intends to tackle the same. Though Punjab prepared a Rs 2,750 crore Annual Plan for the next year, the Planning Commission has directed the same be slashed down to make more "realistic". It wants the State to "improve" its performance and "prove" it will mobilise enough additional resources to meet the targets contained in the Annual Plan. This happened in the last week of December. The state is now engaged in a "revision exercise" because out of the Rs 2,750 crore Plan the state's "own resources" were shown to be only Rs 800 crore, which the commission found inadequate. In a bid to impress the Planning Commission or hide the government's lack of political will, the Finance Department has issued a circular to all concerned on how to prepare the Budget estimates. It has listed two directions: (1) the salary etc component will remain the same next year as is in the current financial year (2) there will be no hike in the non-Plan expenditure. Rather there will be a further 5 per cent cut on the non-Plan expenditure (at the current year level) next year. Therefore mere dependence of the Punjab Finance Department on market borrowings (these account for 41.84 per cent of the total receipts in the current year) rather than on tax-based resource mobilisation is not a good Budget game. This puts more liability on the state in terms of debt repayments. The current year's Budget shows no solid strategy. What will or should be the next year's Budget be like? According to Mr Subash Vaidya of the Panjab University School of Business the objective of any budgeting exercise should be to optimise the cost of governance by making the public expenditure more effective and need-based, ensuring striking of a golden mean between desirability and affordability. Punjab is not expected to become a victim, yet again, of populist measures and please-all exercises. No doubt the present system of budgeting is "accounting-oriented". Yet it has to be result-oriented. Prof Vaidya feels that Budget figures present priorities of a government. Mr Vaidya says Budgets should be for more than one year. The present system involves dividing the Budget into "Plan and non-Plan". Expenditure on a particular item for the first time is Plan budget and continuing spending gives it the status of "permanence". It is then covered under non-Plan Budget. Therefore, it should not be difficult to identify "activities, programmes and departments" which have long before outlived their utility but are still alive simply because they have acquired a history and have been covered under non-Plan side of the Budget. It will be worthwhile to examine Plan vs non-Plan budgets by experts so as to cut down on non-Plan activities. Though the state's Planning Board, which the SAD-BJP Government reconstituted, has not met despite two Budgets and two Annual Plans having been passed, the Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, does assure that the Board will be consulted, while, he is gearing up to present a "new look" Budget. Presenting an Annual Plan with a high outlay is one thing (it was Rs 2,500 crore for 1998-99, which is 19 per cent higher than that of 1997-98) but shortfalls quite another. Should budgetary support not invite and encourage private investment for schemes? This year's Budget handling and promises made show that results have not been tangible. Even simple promises like four-laning of certain roads have not been carried out. With revenue inflow much below the expectations and no stopping of revenue outflow, the crisis persists. Thus even basic essentials like health, education, roads infrastructure, drinking water etc remain neglected. The Confederation of Indian Industry has also prepared a "pre-Budget memorandum" to be submitted to the state for consideration, the latter is reportedly not very keen to lend its ears to the CII. Having given an "overview" of the state and its economy, the memorandum offers a chain of suggestions on tax structure and realisation and makes a reference to octroi, value added tax system, lowering of stamp duty rates etc. It also talks of infrastructure requirements, the upkeep of social infrastructure, disinvestment in state PSUs, incentives and subsidies etc. It feels that despite certain positive signs visible in Punjab's economy the worrying factors are equally glaring, like poverty: nearly 11.77 per cent Punjabis live below the poverty line and urban poverty is more pronounced. It needs attention in the Budget. The small-scale industry is in doldrums. Mr Jagjit Singh, who is General Secretary of the Mohali Industries Association, is keen that Punjab impresses upon the Centre for creation of rural infrastructure development funds (RIDF) where the banks should compulsorily park their funds to improve credit, deposit ratio at least 65 per cent against less than 40 per cent at present. Punjab has not fully availed of the money available from Ridf of the RBI compared to other states. This raises the point, says Mr Jagjit Singh, does Punjab have any concrete plans or projects or any long-term strategy for development? Development, in any case, is stalled for want of finance. Punjab, says RBI report, could avail of only Rs 110 crore (Rs 60 crore out of RIDF-1, Rs 32 crore from RIDF-2 and Rs 18 crore from RIDF-3) as against Uttar Pradesh which availed of Rs 367 crore, Gujarat Rs 200 crore, Karnataka Rs 154 crore, Madhya Pradesh Rs 230 crore and Maharashtra Rs 316 crore. Banks are the major
culprits in Punjab because these concentrate on deposits
and not on credit to industry, which is still in an
infancy in Punjab, laments Mr Jagjit Singh. |
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Badal
pays
tribute to Sekhon LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The native village of the martyrs who laid down their lives during the freedom movement and later for the preservation of the hard-earned independence would be developed as model villages and the development plans would be prepared shortly to provide all facilities available in the cities to these villages. This was announced by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab, while addressing a largely attended shaheedi conference organised to commemorate the martyrdom day of shaheed Nirmaljeet Singh Sekhon who laid down his life during India-Pakistan war of 1971 in Kashmir at his native village Isewal about 20 km from here, today. The Chief Minister also paid to another martyr, Sarup Singh Sekhon, who also belonged to the village. While paying his tributes, Mr Badal said that Sekhon had made exemplary sacrifice during an encounter with four Pakistani planes in Kashmir during the 1971 war. Punjabis had always remained at the forefront and made sacrifices for the country. He announced that the main development projects and educational institutions in the villages concerned would be named after the martyrs. He exhorted the youth to follow the great martyrs and struggle to eradicate social evils from society. The Chief Minister directed the Additional Deputy Commissioner to bring the whole panchayat of the village to his residence at Chandigarh shortly so that the allround development plan of the village could be chalked out. He announced grants of Rs 5 lakh for pavement of streets and construction of drains and community centre and Rs 2 lakh for the school building. He also announced to upgrade the village high school to the 10+2 level. Among others who paid
their tributes to the martyrs were Mr Amrik Singh Aliwal,
Mr Bikramjit Singh Khalsa, Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, Mr
Bhag Singh Malha, Mr Saadhu Singh Ghudani, Mr Hira Singh
Gabria (all MLAs), Mr Surjan Singh Thekedar, Senior
Vice-President of the SAD, Mr Mal Singh Ghuman, Mr
Amarjit Singh Bhatia, Mr Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Mr Man
Singh Garcha and Jathedar Daya Singh. |
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Punjab to acquire 220 new buses SAS NAGAR, Jan 15 — The Punjab Government has decided to add 220 new buses to the existing fleet of the state transport. Stating this while talking to reporters here today, the Punjab Transport Minister, Mr Raghbir Singh, said the buses would be purchased by the end of the next month. He was here to inaugurate the state-level Oil Conservation Fortnight, being organised by the Indian Oil Corporation. The minister said the new buses were being purchased to replace every bus after five years, as the old buses consume more fuel than the new ones. He said with a view to replace the old buses, as many as 537 new buses had already been purchased by the Punjab Roadways and 77 by the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation during October last year. To encourage oil conservation, 64 bus drivers were given awards for saving fuel through good driving habits and maintenance of vehicles. Regarding the complaint of residents that the buses from Punjab were not going to the local bus stand, the minister said the problem was due to the fact that the causeway connecting the city with Chandigarh was under repair. However, the state transport authorities have already been directed that as the causeway had been re-opened, no bus should by-pass the bus stand. Mr Singh advocated judicious and efficient use of fuel. Mr A.M.Nagar, co-ordinator
of the oil industry for Punjab and Haryana, said the
conservation was the need of the hour, particularly in
the transport sector, as about 40 per cent of the total
oil consumption was being made by it. He urged the
consumers to identify the points where the energy was
being wasted. |
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Adampur poll result contested CHANDIGARH, Jan 15 — Mr Dalbir Singh, the defeated SAD candidate in the recently held Adampur Assembly byelection, today preferred a poll petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, contesting the election of Mr Kanwaljit Singh, the Congress nominee. The election petition will come up for scrutiny on January 28 before the Additional Registrar (Judicial). Urging the court to summon the entire records pertaining to the byelection and the recounting of ballot papers, Mr Dalbir Singh prayed that the election be declared null and void. The petitioner stated that Mr Kanwaljit Singh had won the election by a margin of six votes. He polled 35,285 votes while the petitioner got 35,279 votes. He added that 651 votes were declared invalid. He claimed that there was a difference of seven votes between the ballot papers counted after the opening of the boxes and the actual number of votes counted for declaring the result. The difference of votes
was due to an irregularity committed at the time of
counting the votes in favour of the returned candidate,
he alleged. |
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PSEB cost-cutting tactics may
rebound PATIALA, Jan 14 — A regional body meeting of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Engineers Association held here today has decided to start an agitation against the board management. The association has decided to convene an emergency executive meeting on January 23 to chalk out a concrete agitation plan in view of the board's "delaying" tactics in addressing the problems of engineers as well as its failure in streamlining its own functioning. Disclosing this here after the meeting, the association's general secretary Mr H.S. Bedi said resentment prevailed amongst the engineers due to the failure of the management to finalise the category-wise scales and various allowances admissible to them. He said while pay-scales and allowances of Punjab Government employees and engineers were finalised over a year ago a decision on PSEB pay-scales and allowances was still pending although a "wage formulation committee (WFC) constituted in January 1996. Mr Bedi said despite repeated assurances that the pay revision committee would finalise its recommendations by October '98, no progress had been achieved. Also by overruling some of the important and unanimous recommendations of the WFC, the board had made a mockery of the pay revision committee, which is not acceptable to the engineers, he added. The association's general secretary said the board had also adopted a short-sighted "penny wise pound foolish" policy in trying to make minor savings while totally disregarding losses. Thus working of the Lehra Mohabat thermal plant had been seriously impaired as the board had not created a separate 'operation and maintenance' organisation under an exclusive chief engineer. It was primarily due to this deficiency that the first 210 MW unit at Lehra Mohabat was seriously damaged inflicting direct and indirect losses in the range of Rs 50 to 100 crores. Even today unit number two was being operated in a sub optional manner because an operation and maintenance organisation did not exist. The engineer said the board was repeating this mistake at Ranjit Sagar Dam also. While the government was planning to inaugurate the prestigious Ranjeet Sagar Dam on February 12 the board had not taken any action to deploy and train technical and engineering manpower to run the power house. He said the association had repeatedly warned the board against possible damage to the power plant due to inadequate and untrained staff as happened in the case of Lehra Mohabat unit-I. But it seemed the board management was not taking the advice seriously. He said the working of various important departments of the board had been paralysed due to a large number of posts being kept vacant for the past five months. Even the prestigious Ropar Thermal Plant was being managed in an 'ad hoc manner' after the retirement of its chief engineer in November 1998. He said while promotion
panels were supposed to be finalised by June last year
they had not been finalised yet with the result that
promotions had been held up at all levels accentuating
stagnation and resulting in retirements of the engineers
who are on the verge of promotion. While the emphasis of
the board management is to save on minor expenditures
here and there, areas where major losses were accruing
such as in rationalising of tariff, curbing of leakage
and energy audit were being ignored. |
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Late blight attacks potato crop RAJPURA, Jan 15 — After paddy and cotton crops, it is now the turn of potato. The hostile weather is wreaking havoc upon potato crop in Punjab. Due to cloudy weather, the late blight has attacked the crop creating a panic among farmers. At present the disease is mainly confined to the crop which was sown early. Affected farmers told TNS that potato crop has started withering, first, plant leaves turn black and in due course, the plant starts withering, they added. Officials concerned admit the late blight on potato crop in certain parts of the state and say that the prevailing unfriendly weather is responsible for such an attack. They say that the disease could be controlled at an early stage by spraying pesticides recommended by the officials of the Agriculture and Horticulture departments. Mr Kuldip Singh Sandhu, Director of Horticulture, Punjab said the farmers had been advised to spray pesticides to protect the crop. If the cloudy weather continued, disease could become more severe. The officials said that low temperature with humid and foggy conditions was conducive for the attack of the disease on potato crop. Farmers have started harvesting the crop which was sown early. The late sown potato crop needed to be saved the officials said. Mr Sandhu said that about 50,000 hectares is under the current crop of potato. It was sown in September-October and its harvesting would continue for a few more days. He said that the department is expecting about 7.5 lakh tonnes of potato yield from the current crop against the earlier estimate of 10 lakh tonnes. In fact, potato crop was even affected at the sowing stage in September and October due to heavy downpour. At that time, the crop which was at a sprouting stage was suppressed by the heavy rain. Later, too, the weather remained unfavourable. As a result, the farmers would suffer a loss of 2.5 lakh tonnes of the yield. The current crop will be followed by another potato crop. In Punjab farmers take two potato crops in a season, between the paddy-wheat rotation. Farmers say that the size of the potato was small compared to last year. In Punjab, potato is
mainly grown in the Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar belts, apart
from Kapurthala and certain parts of Patiala and Moga.
While the Hoshiarpur area is mostly dependent on
short-duration varieties of potato, in Moga and the other
parts, long-duration varieties are sown. |
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J&K situation under control:
GOC BATHINDA, Jan 15 — Lt-Gen G.K. Duggal, GOC, 10 Corps, today said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was under control despite the fact that foreign mercenaries were still flowing into the valley. Addressing a press conference after inaugurating a three-day exhibition of weapons and equipment seized by the Army during the eight-year proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir here, he said: "Had the situation in Jammu and Kashmir not been under control, Pakistan would have divested the valley from India by now. He pointed out that Pakistan had set up training camps in the tribal areas bordering the valley and Afghanistan where foreign mercenaries were trained before pushing them into the valley. He claimed that now Taliban was active in the valley. He said to solve the dispute, continuous dialogue between India and Pakistan was the best way. To a question, he said the recent digging up of the cricket pitch in Delhi by Shiv Sena activists would not make any impact on the existing relations between India and Pakistan. To another question, he
said the Punjab and Rajasthan border with Pakistan was
well protected and the BSF deployed there was doing a
fine job. He said stray incidents of infiltration of
insurgents and smugglers from these borders did not
concern the Army in any way. |
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KLF militant arrested BATALA, Jan 15 — The Batala police has arrested a militant belonging to the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). Mr Lok Nath Angra, district police chief, said the militant who was identified as Gurmej Singh alias Geja was arrested on a tip-off. A revolver and some cartridges were recovered from his possession. Giving the details, Mr Angra said Geja was an accomplice of Gurdip Singh Mathura and Nirmal Singh Nimma alias Gadar of the KLF. The gang was responsible
for a large number of killings and extortion. Mr Angra
said while most of the gang members had earlier been
killed in encounters, Geja had been evading arrest for a
long time. He said the militant had confessed to his
involvement in a murder case and other crimes. |
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SGPC’s complaint to PCI AMRITSAR, Jan 15 — The SGPC today complained to the Chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI) against the Jalandhar-based Punjabi daily, Ajit. In the complaint, SGPC secretary Surjit Singh said the newspaper had launched a vilification campaign against the SGPC, Akal Takht and "hukamnama". He charged the newspaper with publishing a story based on written statement of Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar of Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib. However, when contacted by the SGPC, Prof Manjit Singh denied having issued any such statement. Pointing out that this was
a gross violation of ethics of journalism, the SGPC
alleged that this news item was planted to denigrate and
malign Akal Takht, its Jathedar and
"hukamnama". It demanded action against the
reporter and the Managing Editor of the daily. |
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Cell to monitor mass contact
soon PATIALA, Jan 15 — The Punjab police chief, Mr P.C. Dogra, today announced that a special cell would be created to monitor the mass contact programme launched by the state police which had floundered after a good start. Talking to newspersons after inaugurating an electronic mobile firing range at the Commando Training Institute at Bahadurgarh, near here, the police chief said although mass contact meetings had been held at the district level, they could not be properly monitored. He said due to this there had been a loss of momentum in the programme, attributing it mainly to the inability in giving prior knowledge of visits by senior officers at the grass-root level. He said to offset this problem he had decided to open a special cell in his office which would be monitored by a senior staff officer who would work under his supervision. According to the mass contact programme initiated earlier, senior police officers, including the SSP, DIG and IGs were to address a fixed number of meetings at the police station to listen to grievances of the public and address them on the spot. Mr Dogra said he had written to all district police chiefs, saying that he would visit district headquarters to address mass contact meetings. Speaking on the issue of
the withdrawal of security in a number of cases, he said
it had been decided to allow security to only those who
perceived a genuine threat perception. Security review
would be undertaken at all district headquarters. |
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Calcutta meets Darshan Singh LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, and his close confidant and former minister, Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, today met the former Jathedar of Akal Takht, Prof Darshan Singh Ragi, at his latter's residence here. The meeting lasted nearly
three hours. Although both sides declined to divulge what
was discussed. It is presumed that they exchanged views
on the current crisis facing the Akali Dal due to the
ongoing confrontation between Mr Tohra and Mr Parkash
Singh Badal. |
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Aided
school
staff ‘denied’ panel pay ROPAR, Jan 15 — Resentment prevails among 12,000 teachers, employees and pensioners of over 500 aided schools of Punjab over the non-implementation of the recommendations of the Fourth Pay Commission report. This was brought to the notice of the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, a few days ago at Kurali by union leaders. Stating this here yesterday, Mr Manohar Lal Chopra, General Secretary, Punjab State Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union, alleged that the benefits of the pay commission report had been "illegally denied" to the aided school staff. He said the Punjab Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, had agreed to implement the recommendations at a meeting held with the union leaders on August 27, 1998. The General Secretary said
the state executive of the union would meet at Ludhiana
on January 17 in this regard. |
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Army Day celebrated JALANDHAR, Jan 15 — The Vajra Corps celebrated Army Day yesterday at Jalandhar cantonment. The day started with wreath-laying at the war memorial to pay homage to the martyrs. Lt-Gen Kamal Davar, General Officer Commanding, Vajra Corps, laid the wreath on behalf of the corps and a two-minute silence was observed. Senior retired officers also paid their homage. An exhibition at Katoch
Stadium was also held to depict the achievements of the
army in the proxy war. Armoury artillery and infantry
equipment was put on display for the school children. The
exhibition was inaugurated by Gen Davar. |
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Commission stays forum's order CHANDIGARH, Jan 15 — The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has stayed the order of District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, directed the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority to pay 18 per cent interest on Rs 3,000 to Mr Mukhtiar Singh and one more person from November 18, 1989, to July 12, 1996. The Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority had first contested this order before the State Redressal Commission and later before the National Commission. The stand of PUDA was that
it was clearly stated in the advertisement of demand
survey that no interest on registration fee would be
payable. |
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Nigerian remanded in custody KHARAR, Jan 15 — Mrs Neelam Arora, Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate today remanded a Nigerian student named Nelson Omiko, who was arrested by the Mohali police on the charge of selling smack, in police custody till January 18. Mr K.S. Brar Assistant
Public Prosecutor, and Mr Balwant Singh, an SHO of
Mohali, who appeared in the court pleaded that the
accused used to sell smack through rickshaw pullers and
students. The accused used to use his mobile phone to
carry on his illegal trade. Fifty grams of smack was
recovered from his possession, which was produced in
court. |
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Non-teaching staff stage
dharna JALANDHAR, Jan 15 — The non-teaching employee of Hans Raj Mahila Mahavidyalaya (HMV) staged a dharna in front of the college today. Mr H.B.D. Sharma of the employees union condemned the attitude of the Punjab Government regarding the "inordinate delay" resorted to by the government in sanctioning for the grant of the revised grades to non-teaching employees of private colleges. PATIALA: On a call given by Private Colleges Non-Teaching Employees Union, Punjab, staff of the Multani Mal Modi College here went on a day-long strike. The strike call was given
to express the employees resentment at failure of notify
the amended pay scale, medical allowance and pension of
non-teaching staff. |
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CM
flags
off kinnoo containers GARHSHANKAR, Jan 15 — The Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, flagged off from Chhauni Kalan in Hoshiarpur districts today. The first consignment of three truckloads of kinnoos to be sold in Bangalore, Varanasi and Kanpur. Mr Kulwant Singh Chaunniwala, an orchardist, stated that each truckload contained 60000 kinnoos (about nine tonnes). The kinnoos have been washed, waxed, graded and nicely packed and would fetch 1.5 to 2 times more that what he got in Punjab. While addressing the
kinnoo growers, Mr Badal said that government would now
give more emphasis to processing and marketing of the
produce, besides production. |
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One arrested for murder KOTKAPURA, Jan 15 — The police has arrested Paramjit Singh alias Pamma in connection with the murder of Harjinder Singh, Secretary, Cooperative Society, Surghuri. Faridkot SSP H.S. Sidhu told this reporter here today that Paramjit Singh who had tried to mislead investigators by smashing the head of the deceased and disfiguring his face had confessed to the crime. The SSP said Paramjit Singh killed Harjinder Singh on December 23 last year for allegedly cheating him of Rs 10000 on the pretext of getting him a job. The district police chief
said the weapon used for committing the crime had been
recovered. |
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