Sunday, May 2, 1999
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Sunday, May 2, 1999 |
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‘Summon’
Ranjit, Tohra to Akal Takht University bans entry of 5
students |
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 AmritsarBathinda Chandigarh Faridkot Fatehgarh Sahib Hoshiarpur Patiala
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Withdraw hike in octroi:
Chandumajra ‘Khalistan’ may be poll
issue: Mann Doctors unions threaten stir Mother earth needs ‘a little
rest’ Woman allegedly burnt 18 taken ill after drinking lassi SAD suffers setback Torture charge denied Navjot denied bail Godowns to be built near grain
markets |
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‘Summon’
Ranjit, Tohra to Akal Takht AMRITSAR, May 1 — Baba Mangal Singh, Acting Jathedar of the Gurbani Gurmat Sidhant Parcharak Sant Samaj (GGSPS), has said that Bhai Ranjit Singh and former SGPC chief G.S. Tohra should be summoned to Akal Takht, if they do not stop their "anti-Akal Takht and anti-Panthic" campaign immediately. Addressing a press conference here today, Baba Mangal Singh said the summoning of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, to Akal Takht on May 20 by the sacked Jathedar was "ridiculous". Bhai Ranjit Singh should refrain from calling himself the "real Jathedar" of Akal Takht. He said the SGPC had the power to appoint and remove a jathedar. Bhai Ranjit Singh was legally removed for his alleged anti-Akal Takht and anti-Panthic activities. Baba Mangal Singh alleged that Mr Tohra had been "using" jathedars of Akal Takht for vested interests during his tenure as the SGPC chief. He said even Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib was "used" by Mr Tohra. Replying to a question, Baba Mangal Singh said the committee constituted by the SGPC to probe charges against Prof Manjit Singh and Giani Kewal Singh, jathedars of Takht Kesgarh Sahib and Damdama Sahib, respectively, should complete the inquiry so that facts should be placed before the Sikh sangat at the earliest. He said for the welfare of the Panth, Bhai Ranjit Singh should now consider Giani Puran Singh as the Jathedar of Akal Takht. At one time, Bhai Ranjit
Singh had said that he would consider Giani Puran Singh
as Jathedar if he succeeded in administering amrit to the
entire leadership. Now that SAD leaders had agreed to
become Amritdhari on May 14 on the appeal of Giani Puran
Singh, Bhai Ranjit Singh should fulfil his commitment. |
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Faridkot seat FARIDKOT, May 1 — Will the sitting MP, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, or Mr Manpreet Singh Badal, MLA, Gidderbaha, be the candidate of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), led by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, for the next Lok Sabha general elections? With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, this question has become the talk of the town. The attention of all political parties and those who take a keen interest in the elections in this erstwhile princely state of Faridkot which has been divided into three districts. Rumours are rife in the political circles here that the SAD supremo, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, is willing to make his nephew, Mr Manpreet Singh Badal, the party's candidate from this parliamentary constituency in the coming elections instead of his son and sitting MP, Mr Sukhbir Badal, who had won from here in the past two elections. The other rumour which is doing the rounds in the political circles is that some close aides of Mr Badal and his political advisers have suggested the name of his wife, Mrs Surinder Kaur Badal, as the candidate from here as she wields considerable influence in every section of the society due to her social work at the grassroot level. Mr Manpreet Singh Badal, however, said Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal was the strongest candidate of the party to be fielded from this constituency. When asked that his name was also being mentioned as a prospective candidate of the party, he said all these were rumours as he had not been given any such offer by the party President. On the other hand, Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar, arch rival of Badal's family, while talking to TNS from Delhi, pointed out that coming Lok Sabha general elections would give an opportunity to the electorate to vote on the performance of the Punjab Government in the past more than two years. He added that if Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal did not contest the election from Faridkot, it would be a moral defeat of Mr Parkash Singh Badal and his government. He said he was hopeful of getting the party's ticket for the next parliamentary elections from this constituency. Political observers say
if Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal and Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar jump
into the fray, the contest in this politically important
and sensitive constituency would be interesting. |
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Withdraw hike in octroi:
Chandumajra CHANDIGARH, May 1 — Tohra camp has urged the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to roll back the hike in octroi rates in the state. Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, a close confidant of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, told mediapersons here this morning that he had written a letter to Mr Badal that there was a strong resentment among urbanites against the SAD-BJP Government over the hike in the octroi rates. He said the SAD-BJP alliance was given a massive mandate by the people of the state as it had promised in its poll manifesto to abolish octroi in the state. But instead of keeping the promise, rates of octroi had been enhanced. He said such a hike was in violation of the manifesto which was made public on the eve of the Vidhan Sabha elections. Mr Chandumajra has urged the Badal Government to immediately fulfil the promise with regard to octroi. Mr Chandumajra said the increase in various hospitals charges by the Punjab Government was another unwelcome step. When the Punjab Government was celebrating the tercentenary of the birth of Khalsa it should have made treatment free for all sections of society in the hospitals. But on the other hand, it had preferred to raise the charges which would certainly hit the poor. He added that such an increase had put a heavy burden on people and should be withdrawn forthwith. Reminding Mr Badal the promise made to employees posted in Patiala, Mr Chandumajra said despite the promise employees had not been given 15 per cent house rent. He said while addressing a public rally in Patiala. Mr Badal had promised to give 15 per cent house rent to government employees posted in that city. Mr Badal should also fulfil another promise made with the people of Patiala, Sangrur and Mansa districts as regards the embankment of the Ghaggar and construction of a barrage on it near Mubarikpur. Mr Chandumajra said Mr Badal had also stated that a barrage would be constructed near Mubarikpur at a cost of Rs 139 crore to prevent the flooding of the downstream areas in Patiala, Sangrur and Mansa districts. Mr Chandumajra said the project was prepared in and even the site was selected for constructing the barrage but the Finance department was not releasing money for this. He has urged Mr Badal to take up the issue with the Finance Minister to start work on the project before the monsoon season. With the introduction a single transit pass system for truckers, their problems had increased manifold. He wanted the scraping of the system. Mr Chandumajra said
farmers were facing problems in the selling their wheat,
and payment was not being made in time. All arrangements
with regard to wheat procurement had failed to live up to
the expectations. On other front the farmers were not
getting seed to sow cotton crop in the Malwa belt. |
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‘Khalistan’ may be poll issue: Mann AMRITSAR, May 1 (UNI) — Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann today did not rule out the possibility of his party floating the agenda of a separate state of "Khalistan" in the forth-coming Lok Sabha poll. Talking to newspersons after presiding over the working committee meeting of his party here, he said a final decision on this would be taken in the next meeting of the working committee to be held after the announcement of the poll dates. "We will examine the legal implications involved before making a formal announcement on the ‘Khalistan’ issue," he added. When pointed out that his party could be debarred from contesting the poll on a separatist plan, Mr Mann quipped: "Prior to independence the very leaders who fought for the country’s freedom swore by the loyality of the British crown after being elected.Our party wants to demonstrate to the world that majority of the Sikhs favour a separate state and there could be no debar on a party which projects ‘Khalistan’ as a poll issue". He accused the BJP and other communal parties for launching a mischievous propoganda against his party to debar its entry into the election arena. The working committee meeting decided to contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats from Punjab. However, the party would be open to poll alliance with anti-Congress and anti-Badal Akali Dal parties. Mr Mann said besides the ‘Khalistan’ issue the Amritsar Akali Dal working committee meeting, which was presided over by him adopted a resolution urging Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill to hold the Lok Sabha poll in September. The resolution said the process of preparing fresh electoral rolls could not be completed by the end of June. He said the working committee meeting favoured highlighting the misrule of the Badal government during the Lok Sabha poll campaign. He said the desecration
of Akal Takht by the Badal regime would be another
important poll issue which his party would highlight
during the campaign. |
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Doctors
unions threaten stir GARHSHANKAR, May 1 — The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) has severely criticised the Punjab Government's decision of steeply hiking the price of medical treatment in state hospitals and increasing the admission/tuition fees of medical students in graduate and postgraduate courses. Reacting sharply to the decision, Dr Ajay Bagga, press secretary of the state PCMSA, and Dr M.L. Puri, President, PCMS (Welfare) Association, in a joint press note, issued here today, after an emergency meeting of PCMS and PCMS (Welfare) unions said the decision would hurt poor patients and students as it may not be possible for the wards of common persons to get medical education in the state's medical colleges. They said with this decision medical treatment and medical education would become the monopoly of the rich. They said the decision was anti-people and against natural justice, as it was the duty of the state of provide health facilities to the people at an affordable prices. By steeply increasing charges the government is acting against the spirit of equality provided in the constitution. Dr Bagga and Dr Puri urged the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and the Health Minister, Mr Manoranjan Kalia, to immediately withdraw the hike warning that the PCMSA would launch a stir against the hike. They appealed to non-government voluntary organisations and social activists to work in collaboration with the PCMSA to force the government to withdraw the decision. It is worth mentioning
here that the fee hike is up to 60 times the existing fee
structure for the postgraduate classes. |
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Mother
earth needs ‘a little rest’ CHANDIGARH, May 1 — "Mother earth needs a little rest. Provide this to her". This message will be disseminated to farmers across the countryside through various means by the Punjab Agriculture department. With "rest" to earth are interlinked several key issues pertaining to agriculture like transplantation of paddy, health of soil, farming related diseases and the dwindling sub-soil water table. In a state like Punjab where intensive agriculture has become a norm, soil does not get rest even for some days in a year to maintain its health. Experts say that "It has been over-exploited by the farming community". They are eager to reverse the trend. As a first step in this regard, a campaign in the coming days will be mounted in the state to press the farmers not to transplant paddy before June 10 in any case. Appeals in this connection will be issued by eminent farm experts, including Dr S.S. Johal, a former Vice-Chancellor, and an eminent agriculture economist, Dr Khem Singh Gill, and Dr Sukhdev Singh, both former Vice-Chancellors, and Dr G.S. Kalkat, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Agriculture University Ludhiana. Experts say that immediately after reaping the wheat crop, farmers in Punjab start transplanting paddy which is against the recommendations of the PAU and the Punjab Agriculture department. Last year farmers had transplanted paddy in 2.5 lakh hectares in May and in all 9.5 lakh hectares before June 10. The total area under paddy last year was 25 lakh hectares. Dr Mewa Singh Sonar, Director, Agriculture, Punjab, said this year farmers would be urged to provide rest to the soil for about a month and 10 days. He added that wheat had been harvested in almost in the entire state. Farmers would be requested to keep their fields vacant up to June 10. In fact Dr Sonar said
farmers would be motivated to "feed" the soil
during the vacant period by pumping into it compost,
poultry and pressed mud manure. Such manures would
restore the health of soil to a great extent and farmers
would be able to harvest a healthy paddy crop, he added. |
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University
bans entry of 5 students PATIALA, May 1 — Punjabi University today banned the entry of five students on the campus following a preliminary inquiry which held them guilty for inflicting injuries to an MBA student yesterday. The injured student, Sandeep Rishi, was attacked with iron rods and some sharp-edged weapons in front of the Law Department. Another student, Rajpal, was saved by two teachers of the same department. Prof S.S. Dhillon, Dean, Students, said according to the preliminary inquiry, Bhupinder Singh Cheema, Gagandeep Singh, Shivdeep Singh, Jagjit Singh and Sukhpreet Singh attacked Sandeep Rishi and Rajpal following a heated argument. He said the two groups had an old rivalry as Shivdeep was injured in an attack last year allegedly by members of the opposite group. The five students can, however, appear for examination with prior permission from the university authorities. The police has registered a case under Sections 506, 324, 149 and 148, IPC, against Bhupinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Shivdeep Singh and Jagjit Singh. Prof Dhillon said as the
police had not registered a case against the fifth
student, the university might relax the ban conditions
imposed on him. |
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Payment
crisis grips grain markets RAMPURAPHUL, May 1 — A serious payment crisis has gripped various grain markets of this region due to repeated dishonouring of cheques worth crores of rupees issued by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to commission agents in lieu of wheat procured by it. After having failed to get any positive response from the FCI authorities, hundreds of commission agents and farmers yesterday held a demonstration in front of its payment office here. Official sources said that commission agents could not be paid by the FCI authorities in lieu of their procured wheat within prescribed 48 hours as its cheques were being repeatedly dishonoured by the State Bank of Patiala's branch here ever since the procurement was started by it. Officials sources said that the FCI authorities could not make payment of the wheat procured at the Dhapali purchase centre after April 21, 1999. Last week, the commission agents of the Bhodipura purchase centre also held a demonstration in front of the payment office for non-payment of prucured wheat by the FCI authorities. Official sources said that credit limit of the FCI authorities for this region in the Bank was to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore while it wass issuing cheques worth Rs 2 to3 crore daily to the commission agents. The bank authorities after paying upto Rs 1.5 crore daily used to dishonour all remaining cheques. Mr H.S. Sethi, manager, State Bank of Patiala, when contacted on phone said that he had written to the FCI authorities concerned time and again regarding dishonouring of cheques but they did not take any action. He added that about 17 cheques worth Rs 70 lakh were dishonoured yesterday. Mr Sethi pointed out that by issuing cheques of amount more than its credit limit, the local FCI authorities were also creating problems for the bank as it had adversely affected the bank's functioning. Mr Gian Chand Garg, Assistant Manager, Accounts, who was not available in the payment office here when contacted at his residence at Bathinda on phone, claimed that payments were being made as per FCI norms. He said that payment to
the commission agents of the Dhapali purchase centre
could not be made as the inspector concerned could not
submit the bills and lifting of wheat was not done. |
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Woman
allegedly burnt HOSHIARPUR, May 1 — The Mukerian police has registered a case under Section 307/498A, IPC, against Romesh Chander and his wife, Manorma, residents of Mukerian, for allegedly setting their daughter-in-law, Neeru, on fire yesterday. According to the FIR, Sunil Kumar son of Romesh Chander married Neeru on January 26, 1999. At the end of one month's leave Sunil Kumar reported for work. Neeru's father-in-law and mother-in-law allegedly started torturing her for bringing insufficient dowry. Neeru was pregnant and
both Manorma and Romesh Chander were insisting that she
had an abortion. When she refused to do so, Manorma
allegedly set her on fire. She raised the alarm and on
hearing her cries her neighbours came to her rescue. They
took her to the local Civil Hospital, where her condition
was stated to be serious. |
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18
taken ill after drinking lassi BATHINDA, May 1 — Eighteen persons, including children, were taken ill at Kilinihalsinghwala village, 16 km from here, today after consuming "lassi". Out of 18 patients suffering from vomiting, five were rushed to the local Civil Hospital while the other 13 were treated at the village itself by a medical team which was sent there by the district administration. Dr H.S. Chahal, who headed the team talking to TNS said all patients were out of danger. He added that samples of the "lassi" had been taken for chemical examination. Mrs Kulwant Kaur, who
was admitted to the local Civil Hospital, told TNS that
after consuming "lassi" brought from the house
of Mr Gurcharan Singh, nambardar, she immediately started
vomiting. After some time she fell unconscious. |
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SAD
suffers setback FATEHGARH SAHIB, May 1 — The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today suffered a set-back in the district when a Tohra loyalist, Mr Balwinder Singh Barkatpur, was elected Chairman of the Block Samiti, Sirhind, without any contest, while members of the Badal faction allegedly remained absent. About 11 members out of 14 attended the meeting which was presided over by Mr Zora Singh, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, here. The post of the chairman had become controversial as the feud between the Badal and Tohra factions had cast its shadow on the election. Being a home-town of Mr Tohra, the Badal group tried hard to win over Mr Mandeep Singh, previous Chairman of the samiti, who belonged to the Tohra group. When he switched loyalties, members passed a no-confidence motion against him and he was removed. Mr Mandeep Singh got a stay from high court and on the directions of the court the election was conducted. Mr T.R. Sarangal, Deputy Commissioner, had appointed Mr Zora Singh as observer. Later addressing a press
conference, Mr Gurdev Singh Khalsa, senior Akali leader,
said the election had proved the Akali workers and the
people were with Mr Tohra. They alleged that in spite of
the pressure tactics the government failed to win over
the members. |
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Torture
charge denied CHANDIGARH, May 1 — The Punjab Inspector-General of Police (Litigation) has denied before the Punjab Human Rights Commission the allegations levelled against the Ludhiana police that it had harassed and tortured certain Muslim youths and a woman. A complaint against the Ludhiana police was filed by a local advocate on the basis of a news item. The complainant had alleged that the police had used third degree methods to torture 28 Muslims and a woman with a view to extorting money. He had also alleged that the legs of the victims were torn apart. In a letter to the
Secretary, Punjab Human Rights Commission, the
Inspector-General stated that he had got an inquiry
conducted by the SP (City) of Ludhiana. The inquiry
report stated that the allegations levelled in the news
report were false. A copy of the report has also been
sent to the commission. |
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Navjot
denied bail CHANDIGARH, May 1 — Mr Justice M.L. Shingal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, has declined the bail plea of Navjot Singh, one of the suspects in the Beant Singh assassination case. The judge observed: "Heard. No ground to allow bail. Dismissed". Navjot Singh was
arrested under Sections 302, 307 and 120-B, IPC and the
Explosive Substances Act in September, 1995. In his application Navjot Singh had stated that the trial court be directed to close the prosecution evidence "due to the completion of three years from the date of recording the plea of the accused on the charge framed". The main grounds for the bail sought were that his name did not figure in the FIR. The prosecution had not held any identification parade for him. He claimed that neither arms nor any explosive material was recovered from his possession. In support of his
contention Navjot Singh had cited a Supreme Court
authority saying that "if the conclusion of the
Sessions trial was not possible within a reasonable time
despite cooperation from the accused, in that
circumstance the undertrial prisoner deserves to be
released on bail pending trial on the ground of delayed
trial alone". |
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Godowns to be built near grain
markets FARIDKOT, May 1 — The Punjab Mandi Board has decided to construct godowns near grain markets to preserve excess produce of farmers in each town in the state. The project will be completed before the next paddy season, said Mr Mal Singh Ghuman chairman of the board at a press conference here today. The step was being taken
keeping in view of the heavy glut of wheat and other
produces in the markets. |
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