Land records computerised
FATEHGARH SAHIB: Fatehgarh Sahib has become the first Punjab district which will provide computerised copies of "jamabandis". Now farmers will be able to get copies of their ownership promptly. Moreover, this system will also constitute data for all types of development activities relating to the agriculture sector and various land reforms.

Get Pak declared terrorist state: Bitta
JALANDHAR, June 18 — Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, a former Punjab minister today urged the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to mobilise international opinion for getting Pakistan declared a terrorist state for its blatant intrusion into the Kargil and Dras sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.

Martyr’s brother gets appointment
FARIDKOT, June 18 — Hundred of villagers, and representatives of various political parties, reached Dhudi village today to join the antim ardas of sepoy Gurbhag Singh who laid down his life fighting Pakistani backed intruders in the Bandipur area near Srinagar on June 5 and paid tributes to the martyr.

Three injured as students clash
LUDHIANA, June 18 — At least three persons were injured, one of them seriously, during clashes between two groups of students at Punjab Agriculture University here today.

V.K. Khanna not relieved yet
CHANDIGARH, June 18 — Mr V.K. Khanna, a former Chief Secretary of Punjab, who has been chosen by the Centre for appointment as Chairman of TARIF, has not been able to take over his new assignment because of the reluctance of the state government to relieve him.

4 held in child abuse case
LUDHIANA June 18 — The police has arrested four persons, including a woman, allegedly involved in a child abuse case.

Nurses withdraw agitation
PATIALA, June 18 — Nurses in the state today resumed duty after an agreement with the Punjab Government over their demands but warned they could renew the agitation if the "accepted" demands were not implemented within a month.

Muslim body protest against Pak
JALANDHAR, June 18 — The Punjab Pradesh Muslim Welfare Society organised a march in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office here today to protest against the Pakistan attacks in Kargil.

Cong observer to camp for 2 days
AMRITSAR, June 18 — The Congress observer for the Punjab Lok Sabha poll, Mr Yagya Dutt Sharma, will camp here for two days in preparation for the forthcoming elections.

Minister for action against adulterators
MOGA, June 18 — The Punjab Agriculture Minister, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, directed the Agriculture Department officials yesterday to deal strictly with the insecticide and fertiliser dealers in the district, who indulged in the adulteration of these items.

SAD-BJP govt, a "failure"
MOGA, June 18 — The Congress will not only contest all Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in the fothcoming general election but also win these with a thumping majority as people of the state had lost faith in the SAD-BJP government.

Badal releases book

Paddy sowing hit by exodus
From Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

KHEMKARAN (Amritsar), — June 18 — While the exodus from border areas continues unabated the sowing of paddy in the Amritsar border belt has been adversely affected due to non-availability of migratory labour.

Farmers of the border belt especially the Khemkaran sector, have been facing a lot of inconvenience in obtaining labour with migrant labour fleeing to its parent states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. With the result that land owners often have to themselves pitch in. The situation in the Attari belt (Wagah border) is however, better. Despite the escalation of tension in the belt as many as 11 farmers (near Attari) sowed paddy across the border fencing.

Farmers of Dauke, which is flanked on three sides by Pakistan, sought permission from the Border Security Force and cultivated their land across the fencing. They are Sukhwinder Singh, Gurdip Singh, Sukhbir Singh Lakha Singh, Hari Singh, Pargat Singh, Gurnam Singh, Balwinder Singh, Sitar Singh. When contacted by TNS, they said that they had returned to their respective villages after leaving their wards, women-folk and belongings at safer places. "Now we don't care about the warlike situation", said Kunnan Singh of village Dauke. He said that he, along with other villagers, used to supply milk and food to the Army and para-military forces during the Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971.

"If we leave the village, who will supply the daily needs of those safeguarding our country at the border" said Charan Singh.

Areas of the Khemkaran belt from where the exodus is still continuing include Kals, Mastgarh, Noorwala, Asal Uttar Kalia, Sokatra, Manawa, Thathi Jaimal Singh, Lakhna, Rajoke Daleri. The Tarn Taran police has set up extra police assistance booths for providing timely information to the public as the anti-social elements can take advantage of the prevailing situation to burgle houses.

Farmers who had hoarded wheat in anticipation of a hike in prices, have been selling it at throwaway prices to private agencies as they need cash. The Deputy Commissioner Mr Narinderjit Singh, however has issued directions to government procurement agencies to purchase the wheat of needy farmers of the border belt on priority basis, and appealed to the farmers not to undersell their wheat.

Farmers of the border belt say that inadequate water and power supply in the border belt had also affected sowing of paddy. They said that they did not demand free power. "What we demand is uninterrupted power supply in villages of the border belt", said Ram Singh, a resident of Neshta village. Another farmer Baldev Singh said the state government should ensure that there was sufficient release of water in the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) network.

Patiala DC’s order challenged
By Our Legal Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, June 18 — On a writ petition filed by Mr Harmail Singh, former PWD Minister in the Badal Ministry and MLA from Dakala Assembly constituency, and by Mr Jagtar Singh, Akali Dal MLA from the Samana Assembly constituency, challenging the orders of the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, dated June 11, 1999, a Vacation Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a notice of motion to the state of Punjab, the Secretary, PWD, Punjab, and the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, for August 25, 1999.

Mr Justice H.S. Bedi and Mr Justice J.S. Khehar comprised the Bench.

Vide the impugned order the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, has changed the plans for the construction of roads already approved by the District Roads Construction Committee, Patiala, in the constituencies of Dakala and Samana which the petitioners represent.

It was submitted by the petitioners that no development having taken place since year 1983 due to the then prevailing circumstances in the state, the condition of the roads was very bad when petitioner No. 1 became the Minister of Public Works. He took the matter of the construction of new roads, flyovers and bridges seriously and district road committees were constituted in each district which submitted lists for the construction of new roads. The Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned made the Secretary of the committee.

The petitioners further submitted that the lists for the construction of new roads were submitted and approved for Patiala district, including their constituencies, and approved by the District Road Committee, Patiala.

But the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala vide the impugned fax letter on June, 11, 1999, vide which the construction of the roads in petitioners’ constituencies was unilaterally changed. It was alleged that Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, had got changed the list of roads, due to political struggle between Mr Badal and the former SGPC chief, which was illegal.

SGPC resolution stayed

A vacation Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday stayed the operation of the resolution of the SGPC appointing Mr Kulwant Singh, Secretary of the SGPC, as the Secretary of the Managing Committee of Mata Gujri College and Mata Gujri Institute of Management and Higher Education, Fatehgarh Sahib. It also stayed the operation of the resolution dated April 28, authorising Mr Kulwant Singh and other respondents to operate the accounts of the two institutes.

A writ petition against the impugned order was filed by Mr Kirpal Singh Libra, Additional Secretary of the committee of the two institutes.

The Bench comprising Mr Justice H.S. Bedi and Mr Justice J.S. Khehar issued the notice of motion to the SGPC through Bibi Jagir Kaur and others for August 11, 1999.

The SGPC vide the impugned resolutions informed the Principal of the institutes about the charge in the constitution of the committee.

The plea of the petitioner was that the constitution of the present committee was for three years. Any change in the constitution of the governing body (Education Committee of the SGPC) had no effect on the constitution of the Managing Committee of the institutes. It was further alleged that the impugned resolutions were passed to remove the petitioner who was considered close to Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, former SGPC chief.

Encroached land reclaimed: 7,000 hit
From Ruchika Mohindra

LUDHIANA, June 18 — The anti-encroachment drive launched by the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation along the Buddha Nullah has entered the final stage with the municipal corporation officials claiming 85 per cent of the operation is already over with another two to three days to go for the operation to be wound up.

In Wednesday’s drive at Upkar Nagar, seven ‘A’ category buildings (multi-storeyed cemented structures), 30 ‘B’ category structures (smaller pucca buildings) and 182 ‘C’ category (mud and mortar houses) were demolished, thus raising the number of demolitions so far to 1679.

About three acres of encroached land was reclaimed on Wednesday, making the total land reclaimed so far to 63 acres and worth Rs 114 crore.

The demolition drive began on May 28 with a view to decongesting the old city and streamlining the Buddha Nullah (in 13 km area along the nullah which falls in the municipal corporation limits) so as to prevent these parts of the city along the nullah from getting flooded during monsoons. These encroachments had been made on the land belonging to the Drainage Department and the three departments, the Drainage Department, the Revenue Department and the Municipal Corporation had been involved in the removal of these encroachments.

Although official sources put the number of persons affected by this anti-encroachment drive to 7000, the number of persons rendered homeless is much more. Many of these persons had the registry of the land and had got their building plans approved by the municipal corporation.

When this was pointed out to the Senior Town Planner, Municipal Corporation, Mr Balkar Singh Brar, he said the corporation sanctioned the plan of a building, by verifying the registered sale-deed that had been approved by the Revenue Department.

"Moreover, most of these persons had provided documents of different land and had occupied different land," he revealed.

Most of the persons dislodged from their homes so far had been those living in jhuggis — a fact also conceded to by the corporation officials. "However, many factories, too, have been demolished and people have tried to use all kind of political clout to get this drive stalled, but in vain," said Municipal Commissioner SS Sandhu.

He said before the anti-encroachment drive began, the corporation had made public announcements about its decision to remove all encroachments. This had helped in a big way and now 90 per cent of the persons who had encroached the land, had themselves started demolishing their structures, he added.

The marking for the land to be evacuated was done two days prior to the date when the demolition drive began and the demarcation for the area from which the encroachments were to be removed was done by the Revenue Department and no one had been spared, informed Mr Harjinder Singh, Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, in answer to a question about allegations that those with political clout and money power had been spared.

However, a part of the land that falls under the demarcation line and is occupied by the Ved Bharti Ashram, a gurdwara and a crematorium, which have to be removed. A senior official of the corporation on condition of anonymity said negotiations with the managements of these three bodies were on and a decision would be arrived at shortly.

The corporation has deployed around 100 men to carry out the demolition work. Most of the demolition work is being done by using JCBs or manually. This has led to another problem and people have complained that because of the use of machines, some extra demolition work (in area one or two feet beyond the demarcation line) is being done.

Meanwhile, work on the construction of 33-feet-wide roads on both sides of the Buddha Nullah was on at 10 places, informed Mr S.S. Sandhu.

Writer, educationist honoured
From Our Correspondent

AMRITSAR, June 18 — The Governor of Punjab and Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Lieut-Gen (Retd) B.K.N. Chhibber, appealed to Punjabis to continue to strive to achieve new heights and to make a collective endeavour to carry forward people from all walks of life, irrespective of caste, religion and region, to leave an indellible mark in the coming millennium.

General Chhibber was delivering the keynote address at the 25th annual convocation of Guru Nanak Dev University at Guru Nanak Auditorium. He said the level of higher education must be raised for a wider social perspective. The youth today had a greater responsibility towards society and the nation and mere degrees would not suffice to achieve this goal, he argued.

The Chancellor honoured eminent writer and journalist Khushwant Singh and veteran politician and devoted educationist Pandit Mohan Lal with doctorate of philosophy.

Speaking in his inimitable style, veteran journalist Khushwant Singh said he had always felt annoyed at himself for not being able to get recognition from his own people and community. But, finally, during the tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa, he was honoured with "Nishane-Khalsa" at Anandpur Sahib.

It was a moment of joy and immense happiness.

Mr Chhibber said: "We are passing through a serious economic crisis. In order to encourage primary and adult education, we should channelise our economic resources in this direction. He suggested that institutions of higher learning should generate their own resources.

He informed that the Punjab Government and the Syndicate of Guru Nanak Dev University had given approval for a regional centre at Gurdaspur. Vocational courses were being started from this academic session. He said the Punjab Government had decided to contribute generously for the centre. He hoped the centre would benefit students of the border belt in the field of science and management.

More than 500 scholars were awarded degrees. The Chancellor conferred degrees to postgraduate students while Dr Soch, Vice-Chancellor, awarded degrees to graduates. More than 100 toppers were honoured with gold medals.

Land records computerised
From Surinder Bhardwaj

FATEHGARH SAHIB: Fatehgarh Sahib has become the first Punjab district which will provide computerised copies of "jamabandis". Now farmers will be able to get copies of their ownership promptly. Moreover, this system will also constitute data for all types of development activities relating to the agriculture sector and various land reforms. It will also safeguard the interests of common public regarding the status of their land. The system will also help remove various anomalies in land records.

Elaborating the benefits of the system, Mr V.K. Janjua, Deputy Commissioner, said it would minimise the evils of manipulations and thus safeguard the interests of the poor and make neat copies available to land holders for, among other things, loan and subsidy cases. It will also help maintain and update land records properly. It will help build a data bank on the crop pattern for policy decisions and agricultural census work. This will lessen the workload of field staff, particularly patwaris.

Data entry work is going on a war footing. The entire data of Fatehgarh Sahib tehsil has been completed while that of the remaining tehsils would be over shortly. To complete data entry within the targeted period, the computer centre is kept open even on holidays and the number of operators has been doubled.

It is worth mentioning here that the district computer centre has been commended twice by the Punjab Government on Independence and Republic Day for excellent performance in the field of computerisation of data of various departments in the district.

Get Pak declared terrorist state: Bitta

JALANDHAR, June 18 (UNI) — Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, a former Punjab minister today urged the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to mobilise international opinion for getting Pakistan declared a terrorist state for its blatant intrusion into the Kargil and Dras sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Bitta, a former Youth Congress President addressing a press conference here said that India must move a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly session in September and persuade member states to declare Pakistan a terrorist state.

He said the Delhi-Lahore bus service should be suspended pending end to Pakistan aggression and the handing over of wanted terrorists to India.

He said that the government should step up internal vigilance to defeat diabolical design of Pakistan and its Inter-Service Intelligence Agency.

He urged the Punjab Government to make necessary arrangements for channelising public help in aid of soldiers fighting in the Kargil and Dras sectors. The state should issue immediate instructions to Civil Hospitals all over the state to make arrangements for collecting blood for jawans.

Martyr’s brother gets appointment
From Our Correspondent

FARIDKOT, June 18 — Hundred of villagers, and representatives of various political parties, reached Dhudi village today to join the antim ardas of sepoy Gurbhag Singh who laid down his life fighting Pakistani backed intruders in the Bandipur area near Srinagar on June 5 and paid tributes to the martyr.

The state Agriculture Minister, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, announced the state government had decided to raise suitable war memorials and galleries at each district headquarters in the memory of these Punjabis, who sacrificed their lives during the on-going conflict.

He delivered a letter offering a government job to the martyr's elder brother Mr Jagrup Singh. Mr Badal declared the upgradation of the village high school to senior secondary school and a road from village Kaler to Kot Sukhia be named after Gurbhag Singh.

Col. G.S. Sekhon (retd) donated a peace of land to the family of the deceased at Faridkot.

Three injured as students clash
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, June 18 — At least three persons were injured, one of them seriously, during clashes between two groups of students at Punjab Agriculture University here today.

Trouble had been brewing between the two groups over the past nine months and they had clashed twice before. An FIR had also been registered against Mandeep Singh, at the police post at the university on June 8.

In this regard, a disciplinary action committee meeting had been called and while Mandeep Singh was called to clarify his stand during an altercation between the students on June 8, the other group led by Navtej Singh, Amandeep Singh, Amardeep Dhillon (all P.G student of the College of the Agriculture) and Rajinder Pal Ghumman, a former students of the university, attacked friends of Mandeep Singh with swords, hockey sticks and "dahas".

In a separate incident last night, Mr Ajay Sharma coach of the PAU swimming pool, was abused and manhandled by an A.S.I., 13 PAP Battalion, Chandigarh, Mr Balraj Singh when he stopped the ASI and his men from entering the swimming pool. It is learnt that the ASI was under the influence of alcohol and also had a brawl with the watchman of the pool. A case has been registered against ASI Balraj Singh.

V.K. Khanna not relieved yet
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 18 — Mr V.K. Khanna, a former Chief Secretary of Punjab, who has been chosen by the Centre for appointment as Chairman of TARIF, has not been able to take over his new assignment because of the reluctance of the state government to relieve him.

A spokesman of the government says Mr Khanna has not been relieved because he is yet to reply to the charge sheet served on him. Moreover, the government has appointed a former high court judge as the enquiry authority to go into the allegation against him.

The state government is unhappy with Mr Khanna because he had ordered a CBI probe against certain officers, who are now close to the powers that be.

Immediately after the installation of the Akali Dal-BJP coalition government in the state, Mr Khanna was first shifted as Presiding Officer of the Sales Tax Tribunal, and later he was posted as Presiding Officer of the State Colleges and Schools Tribunal.

Mr Khanna, who is the seniormost bureaucrat in the country, next only to the Cabinet Secretary, had questioned the charge sheet served on him by the state government in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The high court has set aside the order of the Punjab Government ordering an enquiry against him as also the charge sheet served on him. The government had, however, appealed against this order in the Supreme Court.

The apex court had stayed the operation of the high court judgement.

4 held in child abuse case
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA June 18 — The police has arrested four persons, including a woman, allegedly involved in a child abuse case.

According to information Jaswinder Kaur a minor was allegedly married off by her parents to a 40-year-old man. Bahadur Singh, after some time the marriage broke up and the girl was married off to Bahadur Singh’s younger brother, Sohan Singh.

It is learnt that the girl’s father-in-law too, abused the girl sexually. The police has arrested Bahadur Singh, Sohan Singh, the girls’s parents Kulwant Kaur and Surinder Singh.

The girl’s father-in-law, has absconded.

Two Punjab Mahila Congress leaders, Mrs Gurmail Kaur and Mrs Amarjeet Kaur, have also been named in the FIR and are at large.

The arrested have been sent to police remand for two days. The girl, Jaswinder Kaur, has been sent to the Nari Niketan.

Nurses withdraw agitation
From Our Correspondent

PATIALA, June 18 — Nurses in the state today resumed duty after an agreement with the Punjab Government over their demands but warned they could renew the agitation if the "accepted" demands were not implemented within a month.

Mrs Jeewanpreet Kaur, President, Punjab Nurses Association, said the decision to withdraw the agitation was taken yesterday at a meeting with Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh. She said the minister had assured that demands like scale of Rs 6400 for upper promotion, no recovery of "over-drafted" salary and special hearing of the anomaly committee regarding nurses' pay scales, would be accepted.

The association said the government had also agreed to increase the scholarship sum of nursing students.

Muslim body protest against Pak
From Our Correspondent

JALANDHAR, June 18 — The Punjab Pradesh Muslim Welfare Society organised a march in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office here today to protest against the Pakistan attacks in Kargil.

Mr Dilbag Hussain, state president of the society led the protest march, which started from Immam Nasar here. He condemned the attitude of Pakistan leaders towards the situation in Kargil. He criticised the role of Pakistan Government in the brutal murder of six Indian soldiers.

They also submitted a memorandum to Ambassador of Pakistan through Deputy Commissioner.

Senior Congress leaders Mr Lekh Raj Sharma, Mr Darshan Singh Chaudhary, Mr Shakil Ahmad and more than 500 Muslims took part in this protest march.

Cong observer to camp for 2 days
From Our Correspondent

AMRITSAR, June 18 — The Congress observer for the Punjab Lok Sabha poll, Mr Yagya Dutt Sharma, will camp here for two days in preparation for the forthcoming elections.

He will meet leaders and workers belonging to Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur to seek their views on prospective candidates and to galvanise party workers.

According to a senior party leader, the names of candidates for the Amritsar and Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seats, namely Mr R.L. Bhatia and Mrs Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, had already been finalised but a candidate for the Tarn Taran constituency was yet to be finalised.

Mr Sharma would visit various constituencies and get an overview of the scenario before presenting his report to the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi.

Minister for action against adulterators
From Our Correspondent

MOGA, June 18 — The Punjab Agriculture Minister, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, directed the Agriculture Department officials yesterday to deal strictly with the insecticide and fertiliser dealers in the district, who indulged in the adulteration of these items.

The minister, who was addressing a meeting of officials of the Agriculture Department, also said the samples of medicines and other pesticides should be taken.

The District Agriculture Officer, Dr Kartar Singh Brar, told the minister that as many as 65 samples of various insecticide companies had been taken so far besides 45 samples of fertiliser.

SAD-BJP govt, a "failure"
From Our Correspondent

MOGA, June 18 — The Congress will not only contest all Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in the fothcoming general election but also win these with a thumping majority as people of the state had lost faith in the SAD-BJP government.

This was stated here today by Dr Malti Thapar, General Secretary, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), and Mr Satnam Singh Sandeshi, President, PPCC (farmers' wing).

Speaking to reporters here, they said the present government in the state had failed to meet the expectations of the people. It had raised the rates of power, hiked the bus fares and fees in government colleges. Farmers in the state too were frustrated as they had not been compensated for the losses they had suffered because of natural calamities and wrong government policies, they added.

Badal releases book
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 18 — The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, here today released a book entitled, "Aadh Granth Vich Sanklit Bhagat-Vani Vich Naitikta da Sankalp".

The book has been published by the Language Department, Punjab, as part of the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of Khalsa. It is written by Dr Madan Gopalachariya.