Wednesday, March 24, 1999
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P U N J A B | |
Wednesday, March 24, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Martyrdom
day with a difference |
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Copper
sulphate put into farmer's eyes Tributes
paid to martyrs Students'
careers in peril Rs
2394 lakh MC budget passed Construction
of wall opposed Manhunt
on to nab killers Teachers
to boycott exams Bhai
Ranjit Singh calls on ailing sant |
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Martyrdom day with a difference PATIALA, March 23 — Central Jail, Patiala, came into its own today with the artistes of feature film Shaheed Udham Singh putting back some laughter in the lives of jail inmates who have been helping in the production of the film at a cultural function held to mark the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh on the prison premises here. It was a pure payback hour with the artistes, including cine star Raj Babbar, who plays Shaheed Udham Singh and playback singers — Dhami of the Heera group, Durga Rangila and Jaspal Jassi. Raj Babbar even created a mini stampede when he started an impromptu bhangra with the jail inmates. The inmates responded enthusiastically till they were restrained by the jail staff who felt the situation could go out of hand. "We have seen nothing like this ever in the jail", said Shamsher Singh, who has been in the prison for the past four years. "I am thankful to Raj ji for giving us this entertainment besides the opportunity to act in the film." However, still others like Balbir Saini, aspire for a greater role. "I have been a drama artiste earlier and as I am getting out soon I will request Raj Babbar to give me some role, preferably something to do when the martyrs are being tortured as I am good at tragedy", said Balbir. Raj Babbar was surprised at the enthusiasm he generated in the jail. "I always wanted to do a role of a freedom fighter. I admired Udham Singh but never thought I would do his role. I thought on the lines of enacting Bhagat Singh or Chandra Shekhar until I read a book on the life of Udham Singh. The character fascinated me and I immediately accepted the offer when it was put to me by film producer Iqbal Dhillon." Raj Babbar said he felt the philosophy of Udham Singh was very close to that of Mahatma Gandhi. While Gandhi brought about social transformation by approaching intellectuals and opinion-makers and converting them to his views, Udham Singh struck a cord among people by changing his name to Ram Mohammad Singh Azad. He said he had high hopes from the film as for the first time an entirely new experiment was being tried whereby characters would speak the language of their choice. He said Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu would be spoken in the movie with Englishmen speaking Urdu as they were supposed to learn it, he said. Speaking to The Tribune, film producer Iqbal Dhillon said Udham Singh had been relegated to the background earlier and no research had been done on his life. He said, new facets of the martyr's life, had surfaced and these were being explored in the film. Iqbal Dhillon said during a visit to England he met Mr Karam Singh Cheema in whose house Udham Singh had stayed. Mr Cheema told him that the martyr used to meditate for hours with Bhagat Singh's photograph in front of him. He said Mr Cheema had told him that Udham Singh had a burning desire to find place besides Bhagat Singh in prosperity. He said the movie, which was expected to be completed in two to three months with schedules also planned for England and Pakistan, would not be shot in Sunam, the native place of the martyr. He said he wanted to ensure that the film looked dated and that Sunam of today would not fit the bill. When asked whether he would shoot the martyr's house, he said there was not much there. Moreover, Iqbal Dhillon
has nothing to do with the controversy over the statues
built in Sunam depicting Udham Singh with and without a
turban. He said his endeavour would be to depict Udham
Singh as he was — Ram Mohammad Singh Azad. |
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Copper sulphate put into farmer's
eyes BATHINDA, March 23 — Mr Gurmail Singh, a small farmer of Nandgarh village is battling in the local Civil Hospital to save his eye sight as copper sulphate was allegedly put into his eyes by an SGPC member, a former sarpanch of the village, and their henchmen late last night. The police has not registered any case. Though Gurmail Singh was admitted in the hospital today and the Civil Lines police station was informed about the incident at 11 a.m. by the doctor concerned. Dr Jugraj Singh Sandhu, SMO, Civil Hospital, when contacted said Gurmail Singh was under observation and it was very difficult to say at the moment whether his (Gurmail Singh) eye sight could be saved. Narrating the incident to newspersons here this evening, Mr Gurmail Singh said that he along with his 10-year-old son was in his farm when the former sarpanch, the SGPC member and their henchmen came to his farm and started beating him up. His son Sukhwinder Singh ran away. He said he was having a property dispute with the former sarpanch. He alleged that after beating him up the assailants put copper sulphate in his eyes. He was then taken to the house of the former sarpanch and illegally confined for hours. He alleged that he was then handed over to the police at Nandgarh chowki where he was kept for the night without medical aid. He was shifted to the local Civil Hospital by his wife and other villagers. He said he had appealed to the authorities concerned for providing him and his family members protection as the accused were still threatening them with dire consequences. No police official was
available for comments. |
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Tributes paid to martyrs HUSSAINIWALA (Ferozepore), March 23 — The Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal failed to address a state-level shaheedi conference here today, which was held to pay tributes to the martyrs — Sardar Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev who were stealthily cremated at this place on this day by the Britishers, in 1931. The conference was addressed by the local leaders including, Mr Zora Singh Mann, MP; Mr Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Minister of State for Cooperation and Sainik Welfare; Mr Surjit Kumar Jyani, Minister of State for Rural Development and Panchayats; and Mr Tarlochan Singh, member of the SGPC. They paid homage to the martyrs and asked people to follow the path shown by the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country. Earlier, the leaders also went to Samadhis of martyrs and laid wreaths there. The state secretary of the CPI, Dr Joginder Dayal said, it was shocking that neither the CM nor any other senior minister in his Cabinet had arrived to pay homage to the martyrs. Dr Dayal added that the absence of Mr Badal at the state-level shaheedi conference here, had shown how little respect he had for the martyrs, who were a symbol of unity of various regions and religions. The PPCC vice-president, Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar, along with hundreds of Congress workers went to the samadhis and laid wreaths. Mr Brar also criticised the CM for not reaching here to pay homage. He said, a new era of friendship and goodwill between India and Pakistan had begun due to sincere efforts of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. He appealed both the Prime Ministers to allow people of both the countries to pay homage to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at Hussainiwala on March 23 every year as these martyrs were heroes of undivided India. Mr Brar also said a deputation of Congressmen under his leadership would meet the Union Railway Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, within a fortnight to demand commencement of a train "Shardhanjali Express" between Ferozepore and Delhi via Moga, as a tribute to the martyrs. The Jamhoori Morcha, Punjab, also organised a "shardhanjali samaroh" near Hussainiwala. People observed two minutes silence to pay homage to the martyrs. PATIALA: On the occasion of Martyrdom Day busts of four police officers, who laid down their lives while performing duty, were unveiled by Mr Rajdeep Singh Gill, IG (zonal) at a function organised in police lines to honour families of 63 brave police officers. Paying tributes to late SSPs Avtar Singh Brar and Sheetal Dass and SPs Ranbir Singh Gill and Baldev Singh Brar the IG said these officers had helped in bringing to an end the era of terrorism in the state. The district Youth Congress also observed the Martyrdom Day by organising a function here today. The chief guest, Mr Sachin Sharma, secretary Punjab Pradesh Youth Congress exhorted the workers to follow the ideals of the three martyrs. At another function held on the occasion, the Lions Club (Baradari) organised a diabetes check-up camp at Vir Haqiqat Rai Public School. The NSS unit-III of the
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology organised
a blood donation camp today. |
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Students' careers in peril JALANDHAR, March 23 — As a result of the ongoing agitation of the Punjab and Chandigarh college teachers, the future career of nearly 1.5 lakh college students, both private and regular, appears to be in jeopardy. Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, had to reschedule the examination dates in the recent past. There has been almost a flood of press notes issued by the Registrar of GNDU during the previous week. First, it was the private candidates, mostly working employees, housewives and former college students, who were confused and harassed due to the cancellation, postponement and rescheduling of examination dates of different subjects. They have been left in the lurch. While these private examinees have taken their final examination in three or four subjects, the fate of remaining subjects is not known. Neither the GNDU Registrar nor these examinees are sure about the exact date/dates of examinations of the pending subjects. By the time these candidates come to know when they will be able to take the examination for the remaining two to three subjects they fear they will forget everything they had mugged during the previous couple of months. While on a round of various examination centres for private students at Jalandhar — like Lyallpur Khalsa College for Boys and Apeejay College of Fine Arts, The Tribune correspondent came across several such private examinees with anxiety writ large on their faces making inquiries from the authorities about the possible date/dates of their postponed papers. Kulwinder Singh, a student of BA-I, and Sanjoo of BA-II were unhesitatingly cursing the agitating teachers, the Punjab Government and the university alike. Vandana and Shveta of BA-II, who were accompanied by their parents, were almost in tears when this correspondent invited their reaction to the situation. The position of the regular college students is not different. They are also a harassed lot. They feel their future is in peril. GNDU, Amritsar, has postponed their first examination which was scheduled for March 24 to April 4. The fate of examinations fixed for March 26, 27 and 28 is not known. The college authorities do not help these regular college students when they make frantic inquiries from their respective colleges. The students are caught in a web of uncertainty. To compound the already confused situation, the managements of Non-Government Colleges Federation of Punjab and Chandigarh have declared they will not make the college buildings and furniture available for the conduct of university examinations. Moreover, the Principals of these private colleges will not work as Controllers of university examination centres nor will they receive the question papers and blank answerbooks from GNDU. Certain students openly
blame the teachers for deliberately choosing the
examination season for their agitation. They wish some
public spirited persons approach the Punjab and Haryana
High Court with a public interest litigation for the sake
of 1.5 lakh students. |
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Rs 2394 lakh MC budget passed BATHINDA, March 23 — The local Municipal Council has passed a Rs 2394 lakh budget for the next financial year at a meeting here. According to the budget estimates, a copy of which was released to reporters by the Municipal Council president, Mr Bhupinder Singh Bhullar, Rs 1521 lakh would be spent on development projects in the city, Rs 707 lakh on the establishment while Rs 74.86 lakh had been kept as the contingency fund. The budget proposed to generate Rs 1275 lakh from octroi, Rs 262 lakh from house tax, Rs 175 lakh from excise duty, Rs 102 lakh from water and sewerage charges, Rs 70 lakh from rent, Rs 12 lakh from "tehbazari", Rs 2.50 lakh from licence fee and Rs 77 lakh from other sources. Mr Bhullar said that the budget allocation for 1999-2000 was Rs 300 lakh more than last year's budget. He added that the privatisation of octroi posts had fetched Rs 1 crore more than the target income shown in the budget. The councillors had made several proposals in the budget session, including the creation of a post of law officer introduction of a local bus service, claim of 10 per cent of the road tax being levied by the district transport authorities and grant of 50 per cent concession in the water and sewerage charges to the employees of the council and members of the weaker sections. The councillors in a resolution passed at the meeting appealed to the Punjab Government to impose a ban on the use of polythene bags. Mr Bhullar claimed that no
new tax had been imposed in this budget. He added that
the recovery of house tax arrears and water and sewerage
charges of previous years would be expedited to generate
additional funds. |
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Construction of wall opposed PATIALA, March 23 — The welfare society of certain colonies located near the local railway station has objected to the construction of a boundary wall by the Railways. In a complaint filed at a "sangat darshan" here yesterday by Mr Bir Devinder Singh, Congress leader on behalf of the society of Bharat Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Aschal Nagar, Sukh Ram Colony, Rasulpur village and Saidan, it was said that the Railways was constructing a wall which besides blocking all roads to the colonies, was leading to forcible closure of a number of houses and shops. Due to this, nearly 2000 families would be affected. The society said the colonies fell within six wards of the Municipal Corporation. It demanded immediate stoppage of the wall construction. However, Railway officials present at the "sangat darshan" expressed their inability to accept the demand saying similar construction was being undertaken in various parts of the country to avoid accidents on the tracks and save railway land from encroachment. The Deputy Commissioner formed a five member committee to find a solution to the problem. In another complaint residents of Samana appealed to the Deputy Commissioner to order the shifting of a carcass collection centre from the Patiala-Samana road. They said the civic body had approved the setting up of the centre ignoring their protests. The Deputy Commissioner
directed the Director Local Bodies to take up the matter
with the civic body. |
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Manhunt on to nab killers AMRITSAR, March 23 — The district police chief, Mr G.S. Sahota, today said that a manhunt had been launched to nab the killers of showroom attendant Rishi Kapoor, who was shot dead in broad day light on the busy Lawrence Road shopping area last afternoon. Mr Sahota said some positive clues had been unearthed which would soon establish the identity of the cleanshaven youngmen in their early twenties and would help in arresting them. The SSP did not rule out the possibility of both of them being drug addicts. Meanwhile, the district Congress chief, Mr Jugal Kishore Sharma, has expressed concern over the killing of Rishi Kapoor and the rising crime graph in the city. Last fortnight, a jeweller was killed in the heart of the walled city. Mr Sharma said that such incidents had created panic among the business community and urged the government to view these developments seriously which would undermine the morale of the people. He added the signs were ominous about the return of activities of anti-social elements. The silence on the part of
local leadership of the BJP, who are sharing power with
the Akalis, on the incidents had drawn flak from Congress
workers who had criticised them for their inability to
protect the people from the free roaming criminals. |
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Teachers to boycott exams JALANDHAR, March 23 — The higher education sector in the state has come to a standstill with the call for examination boycott by the coordination committee of the university and college teachers organisations against the negative policies of the Punjab Government. As a mark of protest, the teachers have been organising protest rallies and dharnas in Punjab and Chandigarh. Prof Jaspal Singh Randhawa, district president, Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU), said than an 11-member squad of teachers sat on a token hunger strike on the grounds of the Deputy Commissioner's office, Jalandhar for the second day today. Teachers speaking on the occasion, demanded inclusion of non-government college teachers in the pay revision scheme, implementation of pension gratuity scheme and withdrawal of cut in 95 per cent grant-in-aid scheme. They resented the delay in the issuance of complete notification on pay revision as earlier it did not contain the UGC provision of counting the past service and adjustment of total service for fixation in the revised grade. The leaders threatened to
take the struggle to the constituencies of SAD-BJP
ministers and MLAs, if their demands were not met
forthwith. Dr V.K. Tewari, Prof J.S. Randhawa, Dr R.B.
Singh, Prof Veena Watni and Prof Jagir Kahlon were among
the speakers. |
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Bhai Ranjit Singh calls on
ailing sant LUDHIANA, March 23 — Bhai Ranjit Singh, the "suspended" Jathedar of Akal Takht, today called on Sant Sucha Singh Jawadi, who is under treatment at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. He was accompanied by Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, former Jathedar of Akal Takht, and Baba Servjot Singh Bedi, president, Gurmat Siddhant Sant Samaj. Talking to newsmen Bhai Ranjit Singh alleged that the Punjab Government headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal was "creating an atmosphere of fear and terror" to scare away the foreign-based Sikhs who would like to participate in the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib on Baisakhi. "Terrorism is born out of suppression and cruelty", he added. Asked to comment on the call by Mr Badal to jointly celebrate the tercentenary of the birth of the Khalsa he said the 'hukamnama' issued by him meant nothing but a joint celebration free from any rancour or bitterness between different groups. The 'hukamnama' issued by him was still in force and had not been withdrawn. Those who violated it would have to face the consequences sooner or later. Mr Badal had done more harm to the Sikh Panth than Mughal ruler Babar. He asserted that all the
recognised and traditional Sikh organisations stood
solidly behind him (Bhai Ranjit Singh) to celebrate the
birth of the Khalsa. He did not recognise Giani Puran
Singh as the acting Head Priest of Akal Takht. |
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BJP MLA for ban on lotteries AMRITSAR, March 23 — Firebrand BJP leader and MLA Lakshmi Kanta Chawla today strongly demanded a total ban on lottery business in the state. Mrs Chawla in a press note issued here lashed out at the state government for encouraging the vice of gambling which had become a cause of major worry. The BJP MLA felt the government must conduct an impartial survey of the persons involved in the lottery business. She also questioned the moral right of the government to discourage gambling on the one hand and becoming involved in the lottery racket to collect funds to run the state exchequer on the other hand. She urged the government
to review its policy and added that for the sake of
limited financial gains the entire society need not be
sacrificed. |
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Namdhari Sant Khalsa march on March
28 CHANDIGARH, March 23 — Eminent artistes, including Vilyat Khan, Rajan Mishra and Sajan Mishra, performed at the Sangeet Sammelan organised by the Namdhari darbar at Bhaini Sahib. Mr Gurbhajan Singh Sanyasi, a spokesman of the darbar, said Satguru Jagjit Singh of Namdhari Darbar was the brain behind this Sammelan which concluded today. He said the Namdhari Sant Khalsa march would start from Bhaini Sahib on March 28. He added that the march
would be received by Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar of Takht
Sri Keshgarh Sahib, and the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr
Parkash Singh Badal, at Anandpur Sahib. |
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Punjab Govt urged to take back
teachers CHANDIGARH, March 23 — Mr Mohinder Singh Gill, a former president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, and Mr Brahm Mohindra, a former Congress minister, in a joint statement issued here today urged the Punjab Government to regularise the services of all temporary employees and take back those teachers who were removed from service in recent months. They said that when Punjab Government was celebrating the Khalsa tercentenary it would be appropriate to provide jobs to 1800 teachers who were removed from service in 1997. It was unfortunate that a woman teacher had to resort to an indefinite fast to get employment when the state government was holding celebrations. They said it would have been better if the government had spent money to provide jobs to people. It would have been the real tribute to Guru Gobind Singh who created the Khalsa. Both leaders met Mr
Gurcharan Singh, a removed teacher, who was on an
indefinite fast to press the government to restore his
services. They also went to the PGI to meet Mrs Tejinder
Kaur, who is also on an indefinite fast. |
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CPI secy decries Mann's
statement FEROZEPORE, March 23 — The state secretary of the CPI, Dr Joginder Dayal, has alleged that the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, wanted to get political advantage by shouting "hot slogans". Reacting on Mr Mann's recent threat to fill up Rajasthan feeder with earth which carried Punjab's eight million acre feet water to Rajasthan if the Rajasthan Government did not allow the residents of Punjab, especially the Sikhs, to purchase agricultural land there, Dr Dayal said that such slogans would not solve any problem. Talking to this correspondent here, today, Dr Dayal said, Mr Parkash Singh Badal should get the canal water issue settled from the BJP-led government at Centre as the BJP was SAD's coalition partner. Dr Dayal reminded of an all-parties meeting held to discuss the issue a year ago and said it was decided in the meeting, which was convened in Chandigarh by the Punjab Government, that canal waters issue should be resolved through a dialogue with the parties concerned. Dr Dayal said that the meeting was also attended by Mr Simranjit Singh Mann who should now act in a decent manner and refrain from giving provocative statements in press. Later, he addressed about
three hundred volunteers of the All-India Youth and
Students Federations' at Hussainiwala, near here. |
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| Diary | ||
Unplanned
growth on the rise PATHANKOT: Despite best efforts of the Municipal Council and the Town and Country Planning Department unplanned constructions are coming up in every corner of the town. Slums are also coming up every where and nobody bothers to check their growth. Since Pathankot is not only a big market centre but also a gateway to Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, it needs to have planned construction of the city. Unauthorised construction and encroachments in the vicinity of Dalhousie Road, Model Town, Dangu Road, Railway Road, main bazars and municipal bazars are becoming part of urban culture. The open spaces with green trees have been covered with numerous structures. It has also come to light that the building plans of few localities such as the garden colony, the Indira Colony, Model Town and the Dhangu road link colonies have been approved. Civil engineers appear to have set a target of converting the whole town into a commercial settlement. Their indifference to well-planned development is reflected in their plan to cover all vacant areas with workshops and industrial units thereby causing pollution to the inhabited areas. The Municipal Council, the Improvement Trust and the Urban Development Department, however, say that to curb unwarranted housing clusters a number of notices have been issued to violators of the building byelaws. But unfortunately the authorities do not have enough staff to enforce the rules. When contacted, the SDM, Pathankot, says that the department concerned is keeping a constant check on those violating provisions of building norms. Mr S.K. Mittal, Executive Officer, Municipal Council, says a sum of Rs 3 crore is being spent for the beautification of Pathankot town this year. * * * * Mr Satya Pal Saini, BJP leader and legislator from Sujanpur, distributed cheques worth Rs 5100 each to 20 families belonging to poor and weaker sections under the shagun scheme to facilitate the marriage of their daughters. Mr Saini reiterated his promise for giving a new facelift to the semi-urban town of Sujanpur by realising more funds from the state government. * * * * Vinod Khanna, the actor-turned-politician and an MP from Gurdaspur, has announced a grant of Rs 51,000 for the building of the Abhinay Kala Mandir, a cultural and heritage society of the city. The announcement was made by Mr Samrinder Sharma, a political secretary of the MP on his behalf. Vinod Khanna was due to inaugurate a Punjabi nite "Hullo 1998" here, but he could not make it. Mr Surinder Mahajan, Mr Suresh Gupta, Naveen Mahajan and Mr Shakti Choudhary were honoured for their contributions in the social fields. * * * * A seminar on LPG conservation and LPG safety clinic was organised by the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited here. Mr S.K. Datte, Senior Sales Officer of Bharat Petroleum explained methods of saving LPG. A competition was also organised and prizes distributed to the winners, according to Mr Gurpreet Singh Ahluwalia. * * * * Enhancement in the toll tax by the J&K government has caused great resentment among people of the Narot Jaimal Singh area which is part of Pathankot subdivision. The sudden hike in the toll tax tariff from Rs 20 to Rs 100 on cars and light motor transport vehicles for every trip has not only put on extra fiscal burden on the people but has also forced taxi drivers and other four-wheeler operators to increase the fares. Mr Raman Bhalla, a former minister, Punjab, urged the J&K Government to withdraw the hike as it will put the people under great financial burden, especially the vehicle owners who would be forced to pay Rs 200 as toll tax to get a return pass through Lakhanpur toll tax barrier. * * * * The Old Students Association of Government Senior Secondary School (old M.B. High School) organised its seventh annual function here. Dr Chanan Singh, an old student of this school now settled in America, was the chief guest. Master Mohan Lal, Forest Minister, Punjab presided. Five former students of
this school, including Mr Joginder Singh, Chief Engineer
(Haryana), Mr Janak Raj Gupta IAS (Rajasthan), Mr P.
Sharma, KAS (J&K), Mr Subhash Verma, MD, and Mr
Sudarshan Verma were given award of excellence. |
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