 |
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| Friday, August 4, 2000, Chandigarh, India    |
BJP bid to
prevent ‘extreme’ step by Badal Make ‘9
tehsils part of Uttaranchal too’
Rs 54 cr
pension scam unearthed Who will
be Chief Engineer? |
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‘Provide
more security to yatris’ Series
of Lok Adalats
Bus fares
amended Specialists
for rural hospitals 4 crore for
building sainik rest houses
Rally outside PSEB
head office MC
shops on sale for tenants DC
suspends patwari Seminar
on child health organised Martyrs’ statues
surface in DC’s office
Gangs of chain
snatchers busted MP
denies helping murder accused
Punjabi
University to
fill vacant seats SC
welfare schemes a hoax: Cong
Privatisation
of octroi condemned
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BJP
bid to prevent ‘extreme’ step by Badal CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — Sensing the limited options before the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and his agitated mood over the issue of Udham Singh Nagar district, the Punjab unit of the BJP, a partner in the state government, today became active to prevent Mr Badal from taking any" extreme"’ step on the issue. The president of the Punjab unit, Mr Brij Lal Rinwa, feeling concerned over this issue and related developments, today tried to establish contact with Mr Badal for planning a joint strategy to find a solution to the issue amicably. "I am trying to talk to Mr Badal on the phone to discuss this issue and to plan a joint move to build up pressure on the Centre to accommodate our viewpoint in this connection", Mr Rinwa said. While talking to The Tribune, Mr Rinwa said he was hopeful that Mr Badal would not take any step that strained the relations between the two partners in the government in the state and at the Centre. "I along with Mr Badal will try to get the issue resolved at the Union Government level", Mr Rinwa asserted. He said there was immediate need to remove the apprehensions of all Punjabi settlers in Udham Singh Nagar district and to ensure their full involvement in the new state. Aware of the meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Shiromani Akali Dal( SAD) on August 6, Mr Rinwa said he was not aware what line of action would be adopted by Mr Badal and his party colleagues at that meeting. He said Mr Badal had made a lot of efforts with regard to Udham Singh Nagar but the result was not on the expected lines. He said the Punjab unit of the BJP was feeling concerned about the Udham Singh Nagar issue. "We want that the Punjabis settled in Udham Singh Nagar district should not be adversely affected in the proposed Uttaranchal in any manner. Their rights pertaining to agricultural land should be fully protected", said Mr Rinwa. Quizzed about whether this issue could lead to the severing of ties between the SAD and the BJP at the state and national levels, Mr Rinwa said there was no possibility of such a development. "There was deep understanding between the BJP and the SAD. The relationship between both parties was not only for political reasons but also for social and culture reasons. Both parties were committed to the strengthening of peace in the state", he added Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, senior BJP minister in the state government, said the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar district would have no adverse impact on the relations between his party and the SAD. Udham Singh Nagar was not an issue for Punjab. There were many other issues before the state. He said that because of the intervention of Mr Badal, the property rights of the farming community in Udham Singh Nagar district had been secured. He was sure that Mr Badal would continue his support to the BJP-led government at the Centre. Another senior leader of the BJP, preferring anonymity, said last time when a joint deputation of BJP and SAD leaders met Mr L.K. Advani, Union Home Minister, Mr Advani had given an assurance that the farming community in Udham Singh Nagar would not be affected in any manner because of Uttaranchal. The Union Government was seized of the latest developments and was looking into the matter seriously. He said the interests of Punjabis in that district should be protected. However, Akali circles feel otherwise. Senior Akali leaders say that as the SAD has decided to vote against the Uttaranchal Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, would have to resign from the Union Cabinet before doing so. He could not vote against the bill, being a part of the Cabinet. Mr Dhindsa is a member of the Rajya Sabha. Mr Balwinder Singh Bhunder, general secretary of the SAD, had stated in Delhi yesterday that the party had decided to vote against the bill in the Rajya Sabha. It has already been passed in the Lok Sabha. The resignation of Mr Dhindsa could set the stage for a parting of ways between the SAD and the BJP. The forthcoming meeting of the PAC of the SAD has become crucial because of Udham Singh Nagar district. The President of the Sarab Hind
Shiromani Akali Dal ,Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra,who has been sniping at
Mr Badal at every available opportunity, has offered his party’s
unconditional support to Mr Badal if he opts to withdraw support to
the BJP government at the Centre on the Udham Singh Nagar issue.
Political observers say that Mr Tohra is seeing the latest
developments as an opportunity for closing ranks between the Badal and
Tohra factions which had parted ways about a year ago. |
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Make
‘9 tehsils part of Uttaranchal too’ CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — Akalis are still hopeful of sorting out the imbroglio on the issue of Udham Singh Nagar district being part of the hill state of Uttaranchal. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has spoken to his "friends" in the BJP in Delhi, informed sources here said. Mr Badal has made just one plea. Nine tehsils that are contiguous to Udham Singh Nagar district should be made part of the new state along with Udham Singh Nagar. "We do not oppose the creation of the new state. We welcome it. But much of the fear and many misgivings will be removed if more areas are included. This will also help the demographic balance, besides making the new state economically more viable. This was the consensus among people from all walks of life in Udham Singh Nagar district", senior Akali leaders here said. These tehsils, which the Janpad Udham Singh Nagar Sangharsh Samiti today mentioned in its press release from Pantnagar are Nagina, Najeebabad, Thakurdwara, Sawar, Bilaspur, Baheri, Amria, Pilibhit, and Puranpur. These are in the districts of Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly and Pilibhit. This is the message which Mr Badal has delivered to his friends in the government in Delhi. In fact, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, the lone Akali representative in the Union Cabinet whose head is on the block, has met some BJP ministers in this regard. Since the Shiromani Akali Dal has announced that it will vote against the Bill when it is presented before the Rajya Sabha, Mr Dhindsa, as a member of the Upper House, has to vote against the Bill. As a Cabinet Minister, he cannot do so unless he quits. He is keen on some face-saving before the voting, sources here say. Also, since the Political Affairs Committee of the Akali Dal in its resolution in November, 1998, had very clearly stated that the party would withdraw support to the government headed by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, it has a very limited choice. It has also declared that it will withdraw its nominee from the Central Government. Issue-based support was the only thing the Dal offered. Thus, if the Akali Dal is compelled to take such action, it would have a serious impact on the Akali-BJP coalition in Punjab. BJP ministers will have little choice but to resign. Mr Badal would like to avoid a situation that could lead to the weakening of his government. To survive, he has go in for rapprochement with the rivals led by Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. The former SGPC President has already offered unconditional support if Mr Badal severed his relations with the NDA. But Mr Badal understands the political game well and is not going to bite this bait. The general secretary of the samiti which has been spearheading the struggle for the past three years, Mr A.P. Rastogi, today thanked Mr Badal and various parties, including the Samajwadi Party, the CPM, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Congress Lok Sabha members from Punjab, who had stood by them in the hour of crisis. He once again appealed to the Union Government to expand the area of the proposed state for social, political and economic reasons and instil confidence among the people. It is to be seen how the people
in these tehsils react to this demand which was voiced on July 29 at
Pantnagar in a big way. |
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Massacre
widely condemned BATHINDA, Aug 3 — Various business, social and professional organisations today urged the central government to dismiss Dr Farooq Abdullah’s government in Jammu and Kashmir as it was prejudiced against a minority community. In a press note issued here today, Mr R.D. Gupta, a senior functionary of the Punjab Pardesh Beopar Mandal, said that organisations had also demanded that central government should immediately compensate the aggrieved families and arrange a government job for one member of such families. He added that meeting also felt that National Conference government was in league with the Pakistan-backed militants in the valley and it was the main reason that the government could not ensure the safety of pilgrims of Amar Nath. The organisations also demanded that registration of Amar Nath pilgrims should be done at district headquarter of each state of the country and every pilgrim should be insured for at least Rs 10 lakh. Earlier, activists of these organisations took out a march in the city in protest against the killing of members of a particular community in Jammu and Kashmir and submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee through Deputy Commissioner, Mr Jaspal Singh. GURDASPUR: Shopkeepers of Gurdaspur, Dinanagar, Behrampur, Kahnuwan, Kalanaur, Dera Baba Nanak, Fatehgarh Churian and Dhariwal observed total bandh today. At Gurdaspur educational institutions also remained closed and lawyers struck work to protest against the killings in Jammu and Kashmir. A procession was taken out at Dhariwal where processionists condemned the killings and demanded the resignation of the Farooq government. Strike by and large was peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the district. KAPURTHALA: The town observed a complete bandh to protest against the killing of innocent persons by Pakistan based militants in Kashmir valley. The shops, other commercial establishments and schools remained closed. The workers of the Akali Dal (Badal) the BJP, the Shiv Sena, the Bajrang Dal, the Janata Dal and shopkeepers took out a procession in the town and held a "siapa". Later they held a rally in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner which has addressed by Mr Surjit Singh, Mr Hira Lal Dhir, Mr Dalip Pathania, Mr Yash Mahajan all BJP leaders, Mr Mohan Singh and city president Akali Jatha, Mr Jagdish Kataria president, Shiv Sena and Mr Surinder Maria, Congress leader, and Master Gurdev Singh CPI (ML) leader. The banks, govt offices functioned normally and buses plied as usual. ABOHAR: All members of the Shri Amarnath Langar Seva Samiti, Abohar who had organised a free kitchen at Pahalgam were safe, according to telephonic message received from Mr Sohan Lal Kataria, president of the society. He said the camp would be packed up in next four-five days keeping in view the developments of last night. The militants had struck just 50 metres away from this camp, he said. Mr Sajjan Kumar Jakhar, president, Ferozepore District Congress Committee and Mr Virendra Kataria, former Member, Rajya Sabha condemned today the killing of pilgrims at Pahalgam and Bihari labourers in Anantnag district. In identical statement Congress leaders regretted that security had not been beefed up after Tuesday noon’s incidents of violence in Jammu. The incidents had disappointed all those who prayed for the restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir. Both the Union and Farooq Abdullah government should review their strategies to check loss of innocent lives in the trouble-torn state. JALANDHAR: Kapurthala and Jalandhar today observed hartal in protest against the killings in Jammu and Kashmir in the past two days. While the hartal in the city was partial, it was effective in Kapurthala with most commercial establishments, schools and colleges remained closed. A group of Shiv Sena and Youth Akali Dal (YAD) activists went around the city in protest. All educational institutions, banks and government offices, however, functioned normally and bus and train services plied without any hindrance. Activists of the BJP, the Akali Dal (Badal), the Hindu Shiv Sena, and the Bajrang Dal, accompanied by shopkeepers, held a procession in Kapurthala town, burnt an effigy of Dr Farooq Abdullah, demanded dismissal of his government and imposition of the Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir. The protestors demanded that J and K be handed over to the Army and adequate compensation paid to bereaved families whose one member each should be provided employment. BATALA: Industrial town of Batala observed complete bandh today in protest against the killing of innocent pilgrims of Amarnath yatra at different places in Srinagar. This is first time in the history of Batala that all shops and business establishments and units closed their premises. Even tea shops did not open. Political parties and religious organisations held a joint public meeting at Kila Mandi, Batala and several leaders addressed the meeting. They were — Mr J.N. Sharma joint secretary, Vishv Hindu Parishad, Punjab; Mr Kasturi Lal Seth, president, City Congress Committee (I) Batala, Mr Tilak Raj Aggarwal RSS chief Batala, Mr Ashok Modgil, Mr Varinder Verma, Mr Harbans Lal Mahajan all Municipal Councillors, Batala and others. All condemned killing of innocent persons in Srinagar. PATHANKOT: Total bandh was observed by the shopkeepers and other business establishments in response to the call given by the all party conference held yesterday at Arya Samaj Mandir, Pathankot. The meeting was organised in front of Post Office chowk. Leaders of the various parties condemned, the fatal attack on the Amar Nath yatries by militants at Pahalgam and other places in which more than 100 yatries and other were massacred by Pakistan-backed terrorists on Tuesday night. A large group of angry protesters moved about in various bazaars to over see the bandh. The Bar Association, Pathankot at an emergency meeting under the chairmanship of Mr Ashok Prashar also condemned the killing in Kashmir and work in the courts was hit due to strike by the lawyers. Reports condemning the massacre of innocent Amarnath pilgrims by Pakistan-backed militants have also been received from Malerkotla, Moga, Fatehgarh Sahib and Fazilka. Reports of bandh have also been received from Amritsar and Nawanshahr. The BJP district unit of Udhampur has meanwhile called for the dismissal of the Farooq government. The VHP and the Bajrang Dal
have called for a bandh in Sirsa tomorrow. |
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CPI,
Cong condemn massacres CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — Dr Joginder Dayal, secretary of the Punjab State Council of the CPI, today condemned the cowardly act of massacre by terrorists in Kashmir in which more than 100 innocent persons were killed. He said while the CPI welcomed the decision of the ceasefire and the opening of negotiations with the extremist outfit, it was of the opinion that the massacres were the outcome of the complacency of the Central Government and the paramilitary forces. He said despite repeated demands by India, the USA had not declared Pakistan a terrorist state. On the contrary, it was extending full support to it. The Haryana Congress president,
Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, also condemned the massacres. He described
these as most inhuman. |
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Bandh against
killings PATIALA, Aug 3 — The Tripri township today remained completely closed in Patiala and markets remained partially closed in Rajpura, 25 km from here, in protest against the massacre of Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir. Markets in both the towns remained closed on a call given by the Bajrang Dal. In Tripri township here the call was supported by the Shopkeepers Association. Its President, Mr B.D. Chawla, disclosed that not a single shop was opened in the market for the whole day. At Rajpura, Bajrang Dal activists enforced a partial bandh. While a large number of the shops were closed till the afternoon, many shopkeepers pulled up their shutters afterwards. The Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray), the Hindu Suraksha Samiti and the Bajrang Dal also organised a press conference today to condemn the massacres and said it would stop traffic on The Mall in the city for two hours to register their protest against the ghastly act. The leaders of the organisations, including Mr Pawan Gupta, Mr Sanjeev Bhardwaj, Mr Harish Singla and Mr Kishore Madan, said they would also hand over a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner after their protest dharna. All the three organisations demanded immediate sacking of the Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference government, saying he had failed miserably in maintaining law and order in the state. They said if the Prime Minister did not have the courage to stop the carnage against the Amarnath yatris, he should resign from his post. Meanwhile, Patiala Lok Sabha member Praneet Kaur also condemned the killing in Kashmir. In a statement here, she said the administration should take all steps to protect the lives in the valley. She said the government should have expected such a desperate reaction and provided better security to the pilgrims. She said the army ought to be deployed in full strength to protect the pilgrims, adding the attack reflected on the failure of the intelligence agencies. An emergency meeting of the executive committee of the Sanatan Dharam Sabha, Patiala, was held which was presided over by the president of the sabha, Mr Lal Chand Jindal, who expressed concern and grief over the acts of the killings of innocent people in the Kashmir valley. |
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Demolition
of govt buildings opposed SANGRUR, Aug 3 — The district unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by its president, Mr Jeet Singh Alloarkh, today took out a protest march in the town against the proposed demolition of local old government buildings by the state government and massacres of Amarnath pilgrims. A large number of SAD (A) workers and leaders, including Mr Rajdev Singh, general secretary of the Dalit Front of the SAD(A), Punjab, Mr Surinder Babbi, press secretary of the SAD(A), Mr Mohammad Bashir, a member of the advisory committee, and principal Karamjit Singh, a member the executive committee of the SAD(A) took part in the march. The protesters raised slogans demanding the arrest of murderers of innocent Amarnath yatris and opposed the proposed demolition of local old government buildings, including the historical fort, Baghikhana and Government Girls Senior Secondary School’s building. Mr Surinder Babbi said the SAD(A) strongly opposed the killings of innocent Amarnath yatris. He said even the national president of the SAD(A), Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, had asked the party units to oppose these killings at all levels. Mr Babbi also said that on the
issue of Udham Singh Nagar, the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash
Singh Badal, had miserably failed and could not save the interests of
the Punjabis living there. |
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Talks
amid violence won’t do: Amarinder CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — The President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Capt Amarinder Singh, criticising the policy pursued by the Union Government with regard to Jammu and Kashmir, today urged the Centre to bring the "situation" under control in the state and then start a dialogue for restoring peace. He said violence had escalated in the Jammu and Kashmir and it was not a conducive time for starting negotiations with terrorist groups. As the law and order situation was deteriorating in the valley, he said in a "war-like" situation peace talks would be a futile exercise. He urged compensation for families of Amarnath yatris killed in terrorist violence in the past few days. He said the law and order situation was deteriorating in Punjab. Punjab should not be allowed to again become a centre of militant activity. He said the arrests made by the police in the recent weeks in Punjab had indicated that Pakistan-backed militants were becoming active in the state. Talking about Udham Singh Nagar district, Capt Amarinder Singh said the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, was shedding crocodile tears on the issue now. He had not got his dissent registered with the Centre and had only expressed reservations on Udham Singh Nagar district during the visit of the three-member committee on the status of the district. Mr George Fernandes had already exposed Mr Badal on the floor of Parliament, he added. Earlier, Capt Amarinder Singh
submitted a memorandum to the Punjab Governor at his official
residence here this morning. Alleging misuse of the Punjab Police to
cater to his political interests by Mr Surinder Singh Kairon in Patti
area,Capt Amarinder Singh urged the Governor to take steps to restore
the rule of the law in the state. Capt Amarinder Singh said Congress
workers were being targeted by the police at the behest of Mr Kairon
in the Amritsar belt. He cited several instances of police excesses on
Congress activists in various parts of the country. |
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Rs
54 cr pension scam unearthed AMRITSAR, Aug 3 — A scam in fake old-age pension worth Rs 54 crore has been unearthed by the state government. Talking to TNS here today, Mr Gobind Singh Kanjla, Minister, Social Security and Women and Child Development, said the amount recovered by the department was being distributed among the ‘actual beneficiaries’. He informed that the total annual budget allocation for this department was Rs 166.67 crore. Mr Kanjla said that the state government had recommended exemplary punishment for those involved in the scam. He said officials had been directed to scrutinise the files so that genuine persons could benefit from the scheme. Mr Kanjla said the state government had issued directions to all officials concerned to ensure 3 per cent job reservations for handicapped persons. Giving details, Mr Kanjla said his department had spent Rs 270 crore on various welfare schemes after the formation of the Badal government. The Punjab Government had
planned to open 10 model ‘anganwari kendras’ in each block of the
state. Apart from this the state government would set up factories of
artificial limbs at Jalandhar, Ferozepore and Patiala. The Punjab
Government had also decided to establish a centre for the treatment of
back-bones at Mohali. This would be a first hospital of its kind in
the country and the Central Government had already allocated Rs 5
crore for the purpose. |
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Who
will be Chief Engineer? CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — Will the next Chief Engineer of the Punjab Mandi Board be a deputationist from the PWD (B and R), as is the past, or someone from within? Since the return of Mr Subash Malhotra to his parent department on March 31, temporary charge of the post is being held by the board’s own Superintending Engineer, Mr Sucha Nand. He has already represented that he should be appointed Chief Engineer. Even the board engineers’ coordination committee has given a representation that the Chief Engineer should be from within the board. Informed sources told TNS that Mr Malhotra was initially appointed for a one-year term on March 20, 1998. Subsequently, he was given an extension. That term expired on March 31. Since he is due to retire on August 31, the board decided that he should be sent back. The board’s secretary wrote on March 29 to the Financial Commissioner, Development, that a panel of three names of senior superintending engineers should be sought from the PWD (B and R) for selecting the Chief Engineer in place of Mr Malhotra. A panel of names was received only to get lost in the labyrinth of politics and files. The Chief Minister had favoured the continuation of Mr Malhotra till August 31. This was even conveyed to the board by the then Financial Commissioner, Development, saying that Mr Malhotra should not be relieved. The board chairman, Mr Mal Singh Ghuman, reportedly threatened to "resign" if Mr Malhotra was not sent back. Following this intervention by Mr Ghuman, the Chief Engineer was asked to return on March 31. Meanwhile, a move has been initiated by the minister, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, seeking an amendment to the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board (Class 1) Service Rules, 1988. Accordingly, the Chief Engineer could then be appointed "by either transfer on deputation from among the regular superintending engineers (civil) in the department concerned of the Punjab Government or from among the superintending engineers in the Punjab Mandi Board who have worked as such for at least three years. As per the 1988 service rules, there are now three posts of superintending engineer against only one earlier. The amendment is yet to be made though a draft notification is ready. Those who have been lobbying for this amendment are waiting for the return from abroad of the Financial Commissioner Development, Mr C.L. Bains. A particular lobby is working overtime in favour of Mr Sucha Nand and for blocking the appointment of an "outsider" (deputationist) as the Chief Engineer. Unfortunately "caste politics" is being played, says an insider. Sources say Mr Sucha Nand is only a
diploma holder in civil engineering from Government Polytechnic,
Batala. Degree holders are also up in arms. |
‘Provide
more security to yatris’ DERA BASSI, Aug 3 — Residents of the subdivision have strongly criticised the massacre in the Kashmir valley and held the central and the state governments responsible for carelessness in avoiding the act of the militants which claimed hundreds of lives. The victims included pilgrims, members of a minority community, labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh and local shopkeepers. An atmosphere of gloom prevailed in the area though the traders kept their shops open throughout the day. Political leaders, including Mr Ravinder Sohi, a former Chairman of the Zila Parishad, Mr Deepinder Singh Dhillon, Treasurer of the DCC (Legal Cell), Mr Krishan Pal Sharma, Secretary, DCC, and Mr Rajbir Singh, a social worker, opined that the incident could have been avoided had the government made elaborated security arrangements. Besides the residents of this area, Mr Kewal Garg, President of the Dera Bassi Industrial Association, and Mr Jagjit Singh Dalli, President of the Dera Bassi Municipal Council, demanded that more security personnel should be deployed to escort the Amarnath
Yatris. |
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Series
of Lok Adalats CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — The Punjab Legal Services Authority has decided to organise a series of Lok Adalats at the district and subdivisional headquarters from August 5. According to Mr D.K. Monga, Additional District and Sessions Judge and member-secretary of the authority, Lok Adalats would be held on August 5 at Sangrur, Samana, Khanna, Phul, Sultanpur Sodhi and Tarn Taran for cases pending before judicial courts at these places. On August 12, Lok Adalats would be held at Fatehgarh Sahib, Malerkotla, Jagraon, Garhshankar, Ajnala and Fazilka. Lok adalats will be held at Ropar, Mansa, Muktsar, Nabha, Sunam, Dasuya and Baba Bakala on August 19. Similar adalats would be held at Ludhiana, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Moga, Abohar, Barnala, Anandpur Sahib and Batala on August 26. Mr Monga said adalats for labour cases would be held at Ludhiana and Patiala on August 25, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur on September 8 and Amritsar and Bathinda on September 22. Special adalats would be held at Jalandhar on September 16 and at Amritsar on October 21 for amicable settlement of bank loan cases. Until March 31 this year, he
said a total of 1368 sittings of Lok Adalats were held in Punjab. Of
the 1,12,356 cases taken up at these adalats, 77,515 had been disposed
of with the consent of the parties and awards aggregating Rs 105.84
crore were passed, Mr Monga added. |
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Army
clears Harike lake HARIKE (Ferozepore): The Army operation to clear the wetland lake here off hyacinth is in full swing. Even as the operation, that is part of the pilot project, is to be officially flagged off on August 6, have plunged into the Sutlej waters at the wetland to pull out hyacinth, a weed that is threatening to clog waterways in the region. Fifty odd soldiers have already pulled out about 1,000 tonnes of the estimated 3,700 tonnes of hyacinth from the lake with the help of mechanised boats, a truck and dynamic booming. It is estimated that a 6-km stretch in the lake has been cleared. The wind direction at the lake is also said to be favourable. From the pace of the operation it appears that the lake would be cleared off hyacinth before the migratory season of the birds sets in. The soldiers are also in the process of planting saplings on "sarkanda" islands. Besides, the exercise for the proposed social fencing is likely to start any time. Help is being sought from people residing in the vicinity of the lake for the protection of wildlife and environment in the wetland. In order to stop hyacinth from
floating into Rajasthan and Sirhind canals, clogging of irrigation
pumps static booming is likely to be done near the Harike headworks’
gates. |
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Bus
fares amended BATHINDA, Aug 3 — The Government of Punjab has made a new amendment in the bus fare charges. According to the new amendment the fraction of less than 50 paisa would not be charged from the passengers and if the fraction is more than 50 paise fare, it would be in round figure. In a press note issued here today, Mr Ruldu Singh Mansa, senior vice-president, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta), Punjab, said the amendment was made after the notification of the BKU. He added that earlier the bus owners used to charge Rs 6 if the total fare of one route was Rs 5 and 3 paise. According to the new amendment
only Rs 5 would be charged from the passengers if the total fare of
one route was more than Rs 5 but less than Rs 5.50 paise, he added. |
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Specialists
for rural hospitals MUKTSAR, Aug 3 — The Punjab government has made a comprehensive plan to appoint specialists in the rural hospitals. Stating this at Theowali village of this district here today, the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said that under this plan, the appointments of medical specialists had been done in community health centres of Aalamwala, Lambi, Doda and Chak Sherewala of this district. Mr Badal who was here to flag off the mobile dental care dispensary, said last year the Punjab government had increased the capacity of beds to 1105 from 766 in 26 hospitals with the help of loans given by the World Bank. He added that for the first time in the State, supply of standard medicines had been ensured in each hospital. He added further improvement of government hospitals had been continuing by the Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC). Mr Badal said for widening of link roads, repair of roads and constructing of new roads in Muktsar, Amritsar, Ferozepore, Mansa and Gurdaspur districts, the government had sent a project worth Rs 300 crore to the Central government for necessary approval. He added that with this money 85 km new road would be constructed in this district alone while the 248-km link road would be widened. Apart from it the 130-km road which had been damaged by the waterlogging would also be repaired in this district. The Chief Minister appealed the activists of rural youth clubs to plant saplings. He added that the Central government had given special grant to carry out afforestation in this district as most of trees had died due to waterlogging. About 500 acres would also be brought under the forest cover in this district. The Chief
Minister said a five-member team of scientists has been touring the
district to find out the solution to eradicate waterlogging to
increase the quantity of water for irrigation in the existing
channels. He added that the Punjab government would implement the
report given by this team without any delay. |
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4
crore for building sainik rest houses CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — The Punjab Government today decided to spend Rs 4 crore on the construction of sainik rest houses at the district headquarters of Fatehgarh Sahib, Muktsar, Moga, Mansa and Nawanshahr with a view to providing suitable residential accommodation to ex-servicemen and widows visiting various offices in connection with their problems. Brig K.S. Kahlon, Director,
Sainik Welfare, said Punjab Sainik Bhavan had been constructed in
Chandigarh. He added that Maharaja Ranjit Singh War Museum had been
constructed on four acres on the Ludhiana-Amritsar National Highway at
a cost of Rs 2 crore. |
Rally outside PSEB
head office PATIALA The rallyists were demanding the implementation of various agreements made by the management, stopping of victimisation of employees, to take back politically motivated transfers and to stop the board from being
privatised. The union leaders alleged that the board had not implemented the agreement reached with the board management on June 19 and 20 regarding victimisation of employees and instead, the board was ordering large-scale transfers of leaders of various trade
unions. |
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MC
shops on sale for tenants KHARAR, Aug 3 — The Punjab Government has decided to allow the tenants of municipal shops and other municipal property to buy these. The Department of Local Bodies, Punjab, has formed a policy and letters regarding this have been sent to all municipal committees in the state. According to the policy, shops can be bought by the occupants at 40 per cent of their market value, which will be determined by the district-level committee, chaired by the Deputy Commissioner. The government has also decided that the shops, inclusive of roof rights, will be sold at 50 per cent of their market value and sub-tenants will be eligible for acquiring proprietary rights provided they deposit 10 years’ rent in one go. The government said the offer will be
open for six months only. |
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DC
suspends patwari ROPAR, Aug 3 — The Deputy Commissioner, Mr G.S. Grewal, has suspended Mr Gurnam Singh, Patwari of Lambargarh in Kharar tehsil, on the charge of dereliction of duty. Giving this information, the District
Revenue Officer of Ropar said the patwari had been accused of not
attending the sangat darshan organised on February 28 this year
despite getting directions from the district administration. He has
also been accused of not providing the missing records of the Naib
Tehsildar, Majari, despite repeated requests by the officer concerned. |
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Seminar
on child health organised FATEHGARH SAHIB, Aug 3 — A district-level seminar on ‘Reproductive Child Health’ (RCH) was organised by the District Literacy Society in collaboration with the District Health and Family Welfare Department here yesterday. District officials, social organisations, departments concerned and representatives of women organisations participated in the seminar. Addressing the seminar, Mr B.S. Sudan, Deputy Commissioner stressed the need to plan, implement and monitor information, education and communication activities in the district under RCH programme. He said joint teams of various departments would be formed at village level to visit remote rural areas, slums in urban areas and huts to educate them to adopt population control measures and to ensure that population rate was brought down. He said women should be enlightened about their role in the society. He said seminars specially of women only would be arranged at block level, so that women could discuss and solve their problems. The DC said that drinking water was a basic necessity and directed the officials concerned to take samples of drinking water in all towns of the district. He added a comprehensive plan would be prepared to provide better drinking water to the people and social organisations would be involved in it. He said at present birth rate in the district was 19.6 per 1000, the death rate 7.2 per 1000 the infant mortality rate is 54.2 per 1000 and the maternal mother rate (MMR) is 190, the couple production rate is 69.8 per 1000. He stressed the need for women’s education. Dr Harpal Singh, Civil Surgeon, highlighted various projects initiated by the Health Department in the district for the women and the children health care. He said nurses, trained midwives had been deputed to look after the pregnant women. Dr Manjit Kaur gave information on the women’s health and the effects on women during pregnancy in teenage. Dr Goel, District Health Officer, said the sampling of water and eatables was being done in the district. Mr D.P.S. Walia, ADS (D) Mr P.S.
Kalra, DPRO A.K. Singla ADC(G) also addressed the seminar. |
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Martyrs’
statues surface in DC’s office FEROZEPORE, Aug 3 — The sudden emergence of the statues of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev which were taken away by the Pakistan Army from Hussainiwala Martyrs’ Memorial during the 1971 Indo-Pak war from the DC Office here has sparked a controversy. These statues were found dumped in the store. There was no official word on this all these years, even as the public at large presumed that the authorities on the other side of the border were yet to return these. Surprisingly, the Administration now says that these were reclaimed from Pakistan through diplomatic channels after the war, by the then Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.S. Boparai. Mr Kulbir Singh Sidhu, Deputy Commissioner, told this correspondent that the statues were found by his staff only recently from a box under a heap of files. However, tempers are running high in the city, where a section of the freedom fighters is pressing for nailing the bureaucrats, who concealed the fact from the public all these years. Since residents of the border district presumed that the statues were still in Pakistan, they had been mounting pressure to get these back to the Hussainiwala Martyrs’ Memorial. The Pakistani army had advanced into the Indian territory and taken away these statues. These original statues were replaced by their replicas. Mr Sidhu who now plans to install these statues at one of the roundabouts in the city is unable to explain the silence maintained by his predecessors. He, however, said the fact remained unknown as there was no official document to suggest that these were ever returned to the Indian Government. It is believed that
the authorities kept the matter under wraps, as the replicas of the
original statues were already installed. Mr Sidhu is non committal on
whether there is any move to fix responsibility to pacify the agitated
residents. |
Gangs of chain
snatchers busted PATIALA,
Leading the team Mr Gursharan Singh
Bedi, SP and Inspector Piara Singh SHO arrested five members of two separate chain snatchers gangs who were operating near YPS Chowk and Rajbaha Road. The accused have been identified as Ravinder Singh, Ankur
Kalra, Hardeep Khosla, Naveen Sharma and Mohit Sagar. Gold ornaments weighing about 14 tolas and Rs 700 have been recovered from them. In another breakthrough four members of a gang involved in vehicle theft were arrested by the same police team. The team also have recovered two scooters and one Maruti car. The accused were identified as Simranjit Singh, Laxdeep Sharma, Ankur Kalra and Harminder Singh. Cases under relevant sections have been registered against them. |
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MP
denies helping murder accused FEROZEPORE, Aug 3 — Denying his hand in protecting the alleged killers of Kapil Saluja — a Congress activist inside a police station on July 12, the Lok Sabha member, Mr Zora Singh Mann, has charged the opposition parties with indulging in character assassination. Rebutting the allegation that the police was not arresting the assailants at his behest, Mr Mann said that his name was being dragged into the controversy by the Congress for political benefits. He admitted having used his good offices to get bail for his supporter Ashwini Mehta alias "Tiddi", a BJP leader and an accused in the killing, he denied providing him safe custody to evade arrest: "They did not stay at my residence even for a single day after the incident", he said ridiculing the allegations of the opposition Congress. He clarified that he was not aware of the whereabouts of Tiddi and his accomplices as is being perceived by his detractors. He however pleaded that Tiddi and his accomplices were innocent and being targeted under a "deep-rooted conspiracy". Although he expressed ignorance at the reported move to drop Tiddi’s name from the FIR under political pressure, he said that an inquiry would establish the facts — whether his supporters were actually involved in the murder. Asked if he will press upon Tiddi to surrender, Mr Mann said, "He may eventually give up. Let us not jump into hasty conclusions". He also denied the charge that he was
aiming to use Tiddi’s influence to field his son as a candidate for
Ferozepore city Assembly seat in the next Vidhan Sabha election,
"These are all rumours", he said. |
Punjabi
University to
fill vacant seats PATIALA,
Issuing a press release, Dr Dhir said that candidates seeking admission to these courses were required to apply afresh to the respective heads of the departments on the prescribed form along with supporting documents. Dr Dhir added that some seats were still lying vacant for postgraduate courses in the Departments of Applied Physics, Astronomy and Space Science, Statistics, Hindi, Sanskrit, History, Religious Studies, Sociology, Philosophy, Dramatic Art, Music, Master of Finance and Control, Master of Business Economics, Political Science, Linguistics, English (Bathinda), Punjabi (Bathinda), M.Com (Damdama Sahib), Economics (Bathinda) and English (Patiala). Seats are also available for NRI candidates in the Departments of Geography, Physics, Mathematics, Human Biology, Forensic Science, Microbial and Food Technology, M.Tech., M.Com. MBA., MBA (IB), Social Work, B. Pharmacy, PGDCA (Mohali), DCA (Jaito), and PGDCA (Damdama Sahib). Seats are also available in honours schools and certificate and diploma courses. The University has invited applications for admission and for walk-in-interview-cum-admission for general categories on August 8 and for reserved, NRI, NRI-sponsored and industry sponsored candidates on August
11. |
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SC
welfare schemes a hoax: Cong GARHSHANKAR, Aug 3 — The Punjab government’s Kanya Jagrit Joti scheme aimed at providing social security to the girl child and ensure that she studies up to the matriculation level has failed to take off even after four years of its launch. Talking to media persons Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi said this well -intentioned scheme was launched by the Congress government under the scheme the government was to invest Rs 5000 with the Life Insurance Corporation for every girl child born in the family holding yellow card. The girl child was to get Rs 100 per month between the age of six and 12 and Rs 200 between the age of 13 and 21. On the completion of the scheme the girl would get Rs 5000 plus bonus. During this period it was must for the girl to pass the matriculation examination. Mr Channi alleged that when the Akali-BJP combine came to power in 1997-98 they made a provision of Rs 3 crore for the scheme which was reduced to half later and finally only Rs 50 lakhs were released. In 1998-99 again budget provision for Rs 3 crore was made but nothing was released. In 1999-2000 of the budgeted Rs 7.95 crore only 1.50 crore were released for the scheme. Mr Channi said though the government has made a massive provision of Rs 19.30 crore during the current year yet no money had been released during the first quarter ending June, 2000. He alleged that all social welfare
schemes such as the Shagun Scheme "the Scheduled Caste Housing
Scheme" and the "Scheduled Caste Girls Attendance
Scheme" were hoax. The SAD-BJP government of Punjab had launched
the above schemes with great fanfare but they had remained on papers
only. |
Privatisation
of octroi condemned DERA BASSI In separate representations to the President of the Dera Bassi Municipal Council and the Director Local Bodies, Punjab, the associations have stated that the decision will hinder smooth functioning of the industrial units in the jurisdiction of the civic body. They have alleged that the contractor’s staff misbehave with the traders and the industrialists. Moreover, they charge exorbitantly due to which their business suffers. The associations are of the opinion that the Municipal Council should itself collect octroi. Signboards and neon lamps, indicating octroi posts should be installed along the road for the drivers at
night. |
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