Monday, June 14, 1999
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Monday, June 14, 1999 |
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Mann's ultimatum on
Dhami's release AMRITSAR, June 13 — The SAD (Amritsar) led by Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, has served an ultimatum on Mr Parkash Singh Badal saying his party will hold a demonstration in Amritsar if Mr Kanwer Pal Singh Dhami, Senior Vice-President of the party, is not released by June 21. SAD leadership change ‘at right time’ AMRITSAR, June 13 — Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, MLA from Amritsar and close confidant of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, has said the leadership of the party in the Punjab Assembly would be changed at an appropriate time. |
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20,000
acres under water Multi-crore
scam: two arrested 'Irregular'
PSEB sop to domestic sector Khadi
board loanees await instalment
Sant
Samaj likely to contest LS seat Rice
millers' plea to govt |
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Mann's ultimatum on Dhami's
release AMRITSAR, June 13 — The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, has served an ultimatum on Mr Parkash Singh Badal saying his party will hold a demonstration in Amritsar if Mr Kanwer Pal Singh Dhami, Senior Vice-President of the party is not released unconditionally by June 21. Talking to the Press, here today, Mr Mann said that Mr Dhami was arrested by the police from the SGPC complex in violation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which had directed the Punjab police to inform the court before arresting him. Mr Mann said his party would move the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard. Mr Mann said his party would file a Rs 1 crore suit against the SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur for demolishing his party's office on June 7 (a day after the 15th anniversary of Operation Bluestar). He alleged that even the Congress Government had not dared demolish the office of any party. When pointed out that the SAD (Amritsar) office in the SGPC complex was demolished as per the resolution of the committee passed last year, Mr Mann said if Bibi Jagir Kaur wanted to implement the resolutions of the SGPC then she should work on the resolution of 1946 in which the committee had demanded 'Khalistan' for the Sikhs. He alleged the resolutions passed by the SGPC in the past were never unanimous as other factions of the SGPC house were not taken into confidence. Mr Mann alleged that with the demolition of his party's office in the SGPC complex, as many as 43 orphan children who would also stay there had again become homeless. To a question on the probability of an alliance with the All India Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Mann said he would meet Mr Tohra shortly in this regard. He opined that all Panthic forces should join hands with a view to defeating the BJP, the SAD and the Congress in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. He said the SAD (Amritsar) would contest the forthcoming elections unitedly with the SAD (Democratic) and the SAD (Panthic). To another question Mann
said Mr Jasbir Singh Rode, president SAD (Panthic) was in
touch with the BSP chief, Mr Kanshi Ram, for seat
adjustment and he would meet Mr Jagir Singh Ganesh,
President, Janata Dal, tomorrow for seat adjustments. |
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SAD change in leadership
‘at right time’ AMRITSAR, June 13 — While the delegate session of the Shiromani Akali Dal, proposed to be held here on June 15, in all probability will expel the Tohra loyalists, including 12 MLAs who had attended the political conference at Gurdwara Alamgir in Ludhiana on May 20, Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, MLA from Amritsar and close confidant of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, has said the leadership of the party in the Punjab Assembly would be changed at an appropriate time. Talking to TNS here today, Mr Calcutta, however, said the All-India Shiromani Akali Dal would ensure that the Akali government completed its full five-year term as per the promise given to the people during the assembly elections. He claimed there was great resentment among the Akali MLAs as Mr Badal had been promoting his family at the cost of senior leaders. A majority of the Akali MLAs would definitely work for a change in leadership in the assembly, he claimed. He said Mr Badal was facing an explosive situation. Answering a question, Mr Calcutta said the delegates of SAD had no right to expel any leader of the party as their two-year term had already been completed. Ridiculing Mr Badal, he asked as to why no delegate session of the party had been convened in the past two years. He accused Mr Badal of "misusing" the political affairs committee, the working committee and delegates of the party for vested interest. He said the delegate session of the party had been convened by Mr Badal on June 15 at Amritsar to take action against Tohra loyalists while their term had already been completed. Mr Calcutta condemned Mr Badal and the SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, for putting restrictions on observing the 15th anniversary of Operation Bluestar. This had not happened even during the Congress regime, he alleged. Mr Calcutta alleged that
Mr Badal and his advisers were solely responsible for the
split in the party. Mr Tohra and the Jathedar of Akal
Takht were unceremoniously removed at the behest of Mr
Badal. The Shiromani Akali Dal will have to pay a price
for this, he said. |
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Tohra-Sonia secret pact
alleged CHANDIGARH, June 13 — The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said today that Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra's latest views that the nationality of Mrs Sonia Gandi was a "non issue, an internal matter of the Congress Party" were grossly inept, highly exceptionable and misleading. Mr Badal alleged that Mr Tohra had a secret alignment with the Congress Party. He said both Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Tohra had maintained silence so far on the "war-like" situation in Kargil sector. He also alleged that Mr Tohra was helping the Congress. The Chief Minister said his party was the first to raise voice against the Congress strategy to project a woman of foreign origin as future Prime Minister of the country. He reiterated that a person who could neither understand any Indian language nor read its alphabets could hardly be expected to comprehend the people's legitimate needs, fears, aspirations and emotions. A person who occupied the Prime Minister's chair should be an Indian by birth. Leading countries insist
that a person elected to the chief executive's post must
be their own national by birth. This practice was being
followed in the USA, the UK, Italy, Sri Lanka, China and
Korea, he added. |
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Border villages tense AMRITSAR, June 13 — The fallout of the failure of the Indo-Pak talks yesterday in New Delhi triggered fresh migration today from the remote villages in close proximity to the international border. Although tension had gripped the residents living on the border who feared opening of another battlefront to counter Pakistani army-backed intruders in the Kargil Sector, the morale of the people remained high. Mr Ajit Singh, Sarpanch of a village right on the Indo-Pak border, said he had seen two wars in 1965 and 1971. Besides, a large number of young men from these and nearby areas were in the Army and were not frightened at the prospect of war. He appealed to the Army to give a befitting reply to the Pak aggression in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the people in the city were seen discussing various pros and cons. A large numer of businessmen to whom the reporter spoke said they would stay put here and not move but prefer to help the nation fight Pakistan to its logical conclusion. In the meantime the local Army authorities today prohibited the entry of civilians into the cantonment areas and also declared the Army golf course which had a large number of local civilians as members out of bounds. We are leaving the village due to a war-like situation as the Army has taken over in these areas and we just cannot let our children die. Moreover, we still have not forgotten the previous two wars of 1965 and 1971 in which we were completely ruined and still the wounds have not healed. In this situation, how can we wait for the war to begin thus we are moving to a safer place and also shifting household articles", said Mangat Ram of Khem Karan town, who was among the hundreds of people who were shifting from the border. Fear psychosis has gripped the villagers living in this border belt in the wake of escalating tension with Pakistan. As a result they have started evacuating the village situated on the Indo-Pak border. A large number of people have started leaving their houses in Khem Karan town and also from the adjoining villages of Mastgarh Mehdipur and Ratoke. When this correspondent visited the Khem Karan border a number of vehicles were seen loaded with household items, food grains and other items as they were to be shifted to safer places by the people who were panicky over the situation. Villagers said the situation became tense after the mutilated bodies of six soldiers were returned by Pakistan. Since that day the Army had taken position in the village. The situation became more tense since yesterday. There was a huge rush of trucks, tractor-trailers and tongas in which villagers loaded their goods. By the evening it was difficult for them to find some conveyance to load their goods. Interestingly, the locks were today sold at a much higher rate. About 90 per cent villagers have shifted from the border area. Villages bore a deserted look. Females with tears in their eyes packed the luggage and left for another place. "What should we do if we don't move out. It is difficult to leave home and go when we have spent our whole life here but for the sake of our children we need to go to a safer place as we fear war can start any time", said Manjit Kaur who was leaving with her children to stay at Patti where her relatives resided. Mangat Ram Gulati said the Army had neither asked them to leave the place nor tried to stop them from leaving which, he said, indicated the situation was getting worse. Bohad Singh, another villager who was leaving the place, said it was not easy for them to leave their house and property but they had no option but to leave for a safer place. He said he lost his leg in the 1971 Indo-Pak war but was not again ready to suffer. He said the panic was more due to the experiences of the last two wars. People here did not want to take any chance. Thus without wasting any time they had started moving out. People were seen moving out even during night. There was heavy Army
deployment in the border area. The entire border belt
bore a deserted look with panicky villagers moving out in
groups. |
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No cause for panic: CM TARAN TARAN, June 13 — Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today that the Punjab government and the Union Government were committed to protecting the life and property of the people of border areas and they should not panic. Addressing a
district-level political conference, Mr Badal said the
SAD-BJP government had always accorded top priority to
removing hardships of people in the border areas and
several incentives had been given to people in the border
belt. |
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20,000 acres under water HOSHIARPUR: Inhabitants, especially farmers of more than 80 villages located in the Bet area of Mukerian and Dasuya tehsils, are miserable these days on account of the ever-increasing water-logging problem in Dasuya subdivision of the district. More than 20,000 acres of land of the villages in submerged in water due to which crops in the area are fully damaged. The water-logging problem has now started affecting houses and household articles of the area. Farmers are sitting idle and are worried for their livelihood. The state government had done nothing so far to solve this ever-increasing problem. Mr Romesh Chander Dogra, Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and who represented the Dasuya constituency, has criticised Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, for giving step-motherly treatment to the area. He alleged that the SAD-BJP government had failed to take precautionary measures to control the water-logging problem. No funds had been given to provide relief to the affected families, whereas major funds of the state exchequer had been diverted to the water-logging areas of the Chief Minister's constituency during the past. Mr Iqbal Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Hoshiarpur, told this correspondent that the seepage problem in the district existed since long. The gravity of the problem was especially being experienced by farmers of Mukerian and Dasuya tehsils and Tanda sub-tehsil. Due to the seepage problem, the famers of the area were able to reap only one crop a year, whereas in other parts of Punjab the farmers were getting three crops a year. In order to minimise the problem of seepage in the district, the Western Bein canal had been constructed parallel to the Beas during the British empire. The canal traversed a distance of about 34 km in the district and ultimately into the Beas passing through Kapurthala district. The outfall of all existing seepage drains in the district was either in the Western Bein canal or the Beas, he added. The Deputy Commissioner said 2,830 acres of land had been affected by the seepage, namely Niku-Chak, Ladpur, Dhula, Kherian, Bhangala, Babulanj, Kaulpur, Hyatpur, Gazi, Ghasitpur, Mangupur, Mana Talwandi, Bhatian, Naushara, Bagowal, Khichian, Kala Manj, Fatowal, Mukerian, Godra Tanda, Ram Sahai, Chak Alabax, Atalgarh, Mauli Taggar, Abdullapur and Bhatian Jattan villages. The outfall of all other seepage drains such as Terkiana, Sadarpur, Lamin, Gounspur, Dhariwal, Barota Nangal Sehge, Changla, Bhangala, old Western Bein, Safadpur, Kurala, Tanda, Zahura, Bahadurpur, Mirpur of Dasuya, Tanda and Garhdiwala blocks was in the Western Bein canal. About 10,195 acres of land of Begpur, Sadowal, Galowal, Bhikhowal, Mada Tala, Pul-Pukhta, Rasulpur, Ferozepore, Prempour, Thakri, Bahadurpur, Mirpur, Talwandi Dadian, Terkiana, Lamin Pandori, Safadpur, Gounspur, Dhirowal Barota, Nangal Sehge, Ganga Chak, Chhngla, Manget, Passi, Khole, Sadarpur, Aki Tunde, Rajpur, Chak Suleman, Gurssian, Chak Bhumana, Alampur, Khokher, Alowal, Miani-Khas, Kanthian and Zahura villages located adjoining to the aforesaid drains and the Western Bein canal had been affected badly. He said the existing section of the canal was unable to deplete the flood discharge of the seepage drains and a number of choes outfalling into it. Therefore, a seepage project of remodelling of the Western Bein canal had been prepared and submitted to the state government for approval. Mr Sidhu said the seepage drains existing in the district had been resectioned since long, except a few such as Mauli Taggar, Zahura, Tanda Ram Sahai, Nangal Sehge drains. All other drains, the Western Bein canal and Kali Bein, which had not been resectioned since long, could not deplete and water-logged area effectively and efficiently because of the silt load and dense jungle growth. The result was that crops could not be sown on such land. The problem of seepage had also been aggravated to some extent by the construction of the Mukerian hydel and Kandi canal projects in the area. It was proposed to
construct 30 more drains to save at least 7,000 acres of
land in the area for which a special plan of Rs 16.49
crore had recently been submitted to the state
government. As soon as the funds were available, work
would be started to control the problem, he said. |
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Multi-crore scam: two arrested JALANDHAR, June 13 — The multi-crore theft of Indira Vikas Patras and Kisan Vikas Patras to raise loans from different banks has been busted by the economic offences wing. About 6,00,000 Indira Vikas Patras and Kisan Vikas Patras (each worth Rs 5,000) and worth Rs 300 crore at maturity were stolen while being transferred by rail from Nasik to Guahati. While investigation of the case was handed over to the CBI, the Calcutta office had registered several cases and made some arrests. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr Gaurav Yadav said here today that a large number of stolen Indira Vikas Patras and Kisan Vikas Patras were used by the racketeers to raise loans from different banks. The fraud was first detected when the banks lodged FIRs. An estimated 14,000 Indira Vikas Patras were kept as security with various banks and loans totalling Rs 2.5 crore were raised, he said. Two persons Raman Kumar, alias Bobby, son of Mr Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Amritsar, and Arun Kumar, son of Mr Balram Prakash, a resident of Chander Nagar, Ludhiana, involved in the fraud had been held. The SSP said Raman Kumar served as a link between persons responsible for the theft and those who planned fraudulent use of the patras. A Delhi-based groups headed by Balwinder Singh used stamps of various post offices to fill up the blank IVPs/KVPs and present these to various banks in Jalandhar. The SSP said 11 banks in
Jalandhar — Central Bank of India, Civil Lines,
Oriental Bank of Commerce, Mithapur road, Oriental Bank
of India, Mandi road, Central Bank of India, Industrial
Area, Punjab National Bank, Sudan Chowk, State Bank of
Patiala, Rainak Bazar, State Bank of India (railway
station) and SBI at Civil Lines — have been swindled
by these racketeers. |
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'Irregular' PSEB sop to domestic
sector PATIALA, June 13 — The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Engineers Association today alleged that the board management was trying to keep the billing of domestic consumers low artificially for the next six months through verbal instructions. Without specifying whether this was being done in view of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, association president Padamjit Singh said a temporary concession of Rs 120 crore would be given to domestic consumers through this move. In a statement here, he claimed while the PSEB was already giving power free of cost to the agricultural sector at an estimated loss of Rs 1300 crore per year, concessions to the domestic sector would drive the board into an accelerated bankruptcy by reducing cash flow from the domestic sector during the critical season of high demand. Mr Padamjit Singh alleged that according to verbal instructions issued from the head office 'sundry charges' were not to be billed for the next six months. He said the sundry charges were additional charges which were billed to consumers when extra revenue was to be charged on account of dead stop meters, Burnt meters, wrong metering, thefts, change of meters, unauthorised loads and regularisation of extra load. He said by this step the revenue due to the board would remain unrealised for six months while the board itself would resort to market borrowing at the rate of 18 per cent per annum. For six months the loss on account of delayed recovery alone would be 9 per cent, that is Rs 20 crore, he said. The association president alleged that according to another verbal order if the current bill during summer months exceeded the previous bill by 25 per cent the extra billing was not to be done and billing was to be continued on minimum basis. Mr Padamjit Singh claimed this instruction would artificially keep the billing low at the April/May level of consumption even though a consumer might have increased his consumption even due to air conditioners and desert coolers. He said on the other hand the PSEB had to meet its revenue expenses on a month-to-month basis, and include heavy expenditure by way of power purchase from the central sector, coal purchase Railway freight and staff expenses. He said during summer the finances of the PSEB were most critical because maximum percentage of power was given free to tubewells and the revenue dipped sharply while expenses shot up due to maximum energy generation and purchase. The association leader
claimed that at the end of six months domestic consumers
would be billed in lump sum for the previous six months
and they would have to pay huge accumulated arrears. |
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Khadi board loanees await
instalment PATIALA, June 13 — More than 1500 state Khadi Board 'loanees' are a harassed lot. While last year they were pressing the Punjab Government for releasing the third instalment of their loan from the Central Khadi Commission, Mumbai, since April this year they are fighting for the disbursement of the same instalment finally released by the khadi commission. These "loanees" fear bankruptcy as they have already invested in their small-scale industries which are awaiting the loan since the past more than three years to start production. Mr Bala Singh, President, Khaadi Board Karzdaars Union, said the National Khadi Commission had issued a loan of Rs 6.5 crore to the Punjab Government. However, the Punjab Government, though, received money in April, they were yet disburse the amount to respective beneficiaries. Moreover, the beneficiaries resent a recent circular which states that as the Punjab government had to pay interest of loan to the Khadi commission from the day when it received the money, the loanee too, would have to pay interest from that very date. Mr Bala Singh said, "This is sheer injustice, We are told to pay interest on an amount which we have not received so far. Mr Subash Chand, Secretary and Mr Gurmeet Singh, Vice-President, said when they took the issue with the State Khadi Board they were told that payments were not being made as there was some problem of guarantee given to the khadi commission on the loan. While no official of the Khadi Board was willing to come on record, a senior official said the payment of loan was being delayed due to misinterpretation of policies. He explained that the Punjab Government had received Rs 2500 crore from the khadi commission and due guarantee had been given. However, the money was not for specific disbursement to the khadi board karzdaars but was meant for various focal point schemes. He said the khadi board had sent a fresh proposal for taking loan for disbursement to the loanees. Mr Manjit Singh, a loanee, said because the disbursement was delayed many of them were facing serious financial porblems. He said most loanees had invested the first two instalments given three years ago in buying land and installing basic machinery and in the absence of third instalment the production work could not be started. Moreover, loanees could not take loan from private agencies as they would not be eligible for subsidies, sales tax exemption and other benefits under the self-employment welfare scheme. Under the scheme loan is
given for setting up a small-scale industry starting with
an investment of Rs 60,000 to Rs 21 lakh. Main units set
up are for manufacturing readymade garments besides for
setting up brick-kilns, furniture business, cardboard
production, oil factories and shellers etc. |
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Move to privatise bus stand LUDHIANA, June 13 — Feasibility of privatising the Ludhiana bus stand is being worked out by the Punjab government. A private firm, Feedback Infrastructure, a member of the Feedback Ventures Group, has been hired to study the infrastructure and market for privatisation in coordination with the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board, the Tourism Department and the State Transport Department. Project for the development of the Ludhiana bus stand has been approved on priority and cost of development is estimated at Rs 9 crore. Sources reveal that the present bus stand cannot be split and a separate bus stand for local buses (catering to the city and 40 km area around the city) would be constructed. In this case, the cost of the project could go upto Rs 12 to 15 crore depending the area of the land required and place of its location. A fortnight ago, a team of Feedback Infrastructure had surveyed the entire nine acres area of the Ludhiana bus stand for assessing traffic potential and traffic requirements. It is learnt that 50 departure bays and unloading platforms for 15 buses would be needed. In addition, Feedback has recommended idle parking space for more than 150 buses, separate waiting rooms for women and men and place for car parking. Officials feel that after this development, the Ludhiana bus stand is slated to become the best in the state. It is learnt that the Bus Stand Management Company has also decided to hand over charge for the promotion of Jalandhar, Amritsar and Patiala bus stands to other private concerns. For the past couple of years, eversince the Construction cell of the bus stands was disbanded, there has been no budget for the development of the bus stands in the state. This has resulted in the bus stands being in a run down conditions. The Ludhiana bus stand receives 2111 buses daily. Besides the Punjab Roadways and the Pepsu Roadways Transport Corporation, inter-state buses leave for and come from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir. Rajasthan and Delhi. Approximately one lakh passengers leave the city daily for other places and the earning per day is Rs 5 lakhs. Despite these impressive figures, the Ludhiana bus stand certainly is not to be proud of . There are only four sweepers for cleaning the entire nine acre area of the bus stand making the bus stand generally littered with garbage and other waste. A senior official of the bus stand conceded that there was a lot of uncleanliness on the bus stand and said, "since the state government has stopped new recruitments we have no other option but to make do with the available staff." The bus stand has 34 booths for selling tickets. However, bus conductors are rarely seen standing and selling tickets from these booths, often resulting in chaos and jostling among passengers while boarding buses. The place provided for parking two-wheelers is also insufficient shoe-shine boys, beggars and newspaper vendors, too to add to the crowding of the bus stand. During night, the lighting on the bus stand is also inadequate. Though floodlights have been installed, these are not sufficient and repair of the faulty ones is often delayed. Frequent traffic jams near the entrance and bad condition of the roads leading to the bus stand also add to the chaos near the bus stand. This is not just because of the on-going construction of fly-over near Model Town, but also due to unauthorised parking of private buses near the entrance. Early take-off of the
promotion project of the bus stand will give relief to
commuters till then the passengers for and from various
destinations of north India would have to bear the brunt
of mismanagement of the bus stand. |
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Sant Samaj likely to contest
LS seat LUDHIANA June 13 — The Gurmat Sikh Sidhant Pracharak Sant Samaj is likely to field its candidate from one of the 13 constituency for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state. This was stated by the president of the Akali Dal (Democratic). Mr Kuldip Singh Wadala in an informal chat with the media-persons here today. He said the formation of
a third front to counter the Akali-BJP combine on the one
side, and the Congress on the other, had also been almost
finalised. He said the front would comprise the All India
Shiromani Akali Dal, the Akali Dal (Panthic), the Akali
Dal (Amritsar), the Akali Dal (Democratic), and the
Bahujan Samaj Party talks of an electoral alliance with
Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and Janata Dal leaders like Mr
Sharad Yadav and Mr H.D. Deve Gowda were underway, he
said. He did not deny the possibility of an alliance with
the National Congress led by Mr Sharad Pawar. |
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Rice millers' plea to govt PATIALA, June 13 — The Punjab Rice Millers Association has appealed to the Punjab Government and the food and Supplies Department to withdraw a circular issued on June 2 demanding Rs 17.24 per gunny bag left with millers during custom milling of the 1998-99 season. In a statement here, the association president Mr Tarsem Saini, said the state government did not have the right to charge such an exorbitant price without the concurrence of the central government. He said during the 1997-98 season, the central government after examining the issue at length and taking into the consideration the viability of milling decided that the state government and agencies would charge 60 per cent of the prevailing levy bardana rate monthwise from the millers which worked out to between Rs 12 and Rs 13 per gunny bag. He said prior to this, the state government had fixed the price of such gunny bags at Rs 15-17 each plus taxes. Mr Saini, the state
government had done injustice to the millers by issuing
such a circular as they were already under debt due to
the faulty milling policy and rice ration. He requested
the government to re-consider its decision immediately
and allow the pattern finalised during 1997-98 to be
continued to save the rice milling industry. |
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ABVP men burn Sharif's effigy FEROZEPORE, June 13 — A large number of activists of the local unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today burnt an effigy of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the cantonment area here, amid slogans such as "Pakistan hai-hai", "Nawaz Sharif Murdabad" and "Kargil ke shaheed amar rahein". Traffic was disrupted for some time on the road. A two-minute silence was observed to pay homage to the Kargil martyrs. The ABVP's state
Vice-President, Mr Yogesh Gupta, condemned the treatment
mented to captured India soldiers by the Pakistan Army. |
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‘Cops in mufti in Golden
Temple’ AMRITSAR, June 13 — The newly floated All-India Shiromani Akali Dal led by Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra in a protest letter to Mr Parkash Singh Badal has alleged that the 'internal' security of the Golden Temple had been entrusted to the police in mufti instead of the task force of the SGPC. Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, a former Akali Minister and close confidant of Mr Tohra said even during the visit of Queen Elizabeth the police was not allowed to manage internal security. Mr Calcutta appealed to
the Jathedar, Akal Takht, to intervene for
"restoring the sanctity" of the Golden Temple.
He alleged there was resentment among the devotees as
they were harassed by the police on the eve of the 15th
anniversary of Operation Bluestar. He alleged that the
himself was stopped by senior IPS officers from going
inside the Golden Temple on June 6. |
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3 killed in roof collapse LUDHIANA, June 13 — Three persons died and 10 were injured after the roof of Radha Soami satsang bhavan at a nearby Kohara village collapsed while the repair work was on. The dead have been
identified as Gurbaksh Singh, Baljeet Rai and Jaldar Sai.
Two of the injured are stated to be in a critical
condition. |
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UK envoy visits Wagah
border AMRITSAR, June 13 — Sir Rob Young, British High Commissioner to India, accompanied by his wife and daughter Julliette visited the Golden Temple here today. They visited the Wagha border in the evening. Sir Young and his family took "parikarma" of the temple and paid obeisance at the temple. Mr Young was presented with a shawl and a model of the Golden Temple. Julliettee Young was also presented with a shawl. A set of religious books was also presented to them. They also visited
Jallianwala Bagh where they were received by former Union
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs R.L. Bhatia, BJP
MLA Laxmi Kanta Chawla, Dr Raj Kumar, general secretary
of the PPCC, and other dignitaries. They paid homage at
the Flame of Liberity". |
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Steps to boost water supply BATHINDA, June 13 — All 159 rural water supply schemes in the district will be made functional within one month. A decision to this effect was taken at the monthly meeting of the District Planning and Development Board presided over by the Punjab Education Minister, Mr Tota Singh. According to a press note issued here today, Mr S.R. Ladhar, Deputy Commissioner, said that the Punjab Government would give Rs 10,000 for each rural water supply scheme for its necessary repair. An equal amount would be contributed by the panchayat of the village where rural water works were located. He said a different time schedule would be set for a group of three villages for the supply of drinking water from the same water works. Arrangements were being made to remove unauthorised booster pumps from water pipes, he added. Mr Ladhar said special
watch was being kept on attendance of pump operators on
the water works and if any pump operator was found
absent, departmental action would be taken against him. |
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Urs concludes FATEHGARH SAHIB, June 13 —The three-day annual Urs in memory of Sheikh Ahmed Farooqui Sirhindi at Roza Sharif, Fatehgarh Sahib, concluded today. More than 50,000 Muslims from all over the country and abroad paid homage. A 20-member delegation of Bangladesh Muslims was the main attraction. "Magrib di Namaz", "Fajar di Namaz" and "Tilwat" for peace and prosperity of the country was performed. Addressing a press
conference, Mr V.K. Janjua, Deputy Commissioner, and Mr
Paramraj Singh Umranangal, S.S.P, expressed satisfaction
over the arrangements and said no untoward incident was
reported. They said the pilgrims were provided basic
facilities, civil amenities and adequate security. The
District Public Relations department had set up an
information centre round the clock. |
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Plan to merge grade opposed KHANNA, June 13 — The Food and Supply Inspectors Union, Punjab, has taken exception to the proposal to merge inspectors (grade II) with inspectors (grade I). This was stated by Mr Hardev Singh Rosha, president and Mr Hardip Singh, general secretary of union, while talking to mediapersons, here yesterday. Mr Hardip Singh emphasised that there were grade I inspectors with more than 20 years service. They had not been able to get any promotions. Mr Rosha stressed that
the nature of working of the Food and Supply Department
was such that an inspector needed a subordinate for field
work. |
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