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| Monday,
October 23, 2000, Chandigarh, India    |
10 pilgrims of UP die in Sirhind
mishap Ranjit Sagar Dam=II Punjab Govt hikes hospital
charges Govt obtains paddy procurement
records BJP to
ask SAD to reduce power tariff |
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| Sikhs urged to fight drug
abuse TALWANDI SABO, Oct 22 — On the concluding day of a two-day International Conference on Sikh Educational Institutions at Diwan Hall of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, a galaxy of eminent educationists and religious figures passed a resolution on removal of illiteracy and making the Punjabi language a prime mode of communication.
Lovely urges CM to remove Aliwal Panel formed to assist
Mayor
Passengers: upgrade Bathinda
junction Consumers fined for power
thefts Poor civic amenities in Pathankot Maharaja’s battle site
identified GM’s train
gheraoed ‘Camera eyes’ for
railway stations Mass marriages solemnised Grant for Jassa Singh
memorial announced 12.33 pc bonus for JCT workers Bhog ceremony
of Bhattal’s brother held Communal harmony at kar
seva Plea to hike aid
for PoK displaced Residents resent
STD link failure Divali mela
Human trafficking racket busted Nishan is with
Bibi: DGP Migrant murdered
SLIET holds
convocation AIFUCTO to hold protest march Stop confrontationist attitude : PUTA
Extortion in the
name of Divali
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10 pilgrims of UP die in Sirhind
mishap FATEHGARH SAHIB, Oct 22 — Nine persons died on the spot and one succumbed to his injuries later in a Tata Sumo-trailer accident at Madhopur Chowk on the GT Road in Sirhind late last night. Three families of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, were going to the Vaishno Devi temple when their Tata Sumo collided with a trailer loaded with poles coming from Mohali on way to Patiala. Nine persons, including three women and two children, died on the spot. The injured three were taken to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, where one of them died. He was identified as Dr Arun Gupta. Mr B.S. Sudan, Deputy Commissioner, rushed to the spot and oversaw the postmortem and the dispatch of the injured to Patiala. Social workers of Sirhind led by Mr R.N. Sharma also extended help. Meanwhile, relatives and friends of the deceased reached Civil Hospital, Fatehgarh Sahib, where the postmortem was conducted. The families were identified as those of Mr Nand Kishore Nehru, Dr Arun Gupta of Muzaffarnagar and Mr R.P. Sngle of Bareilly. The police has registered a case under Sections 304-A, 279, 337, 338 and 427, IPC. According to police sources, a few minutes before this incident, a cyclist was crushed to death by a bus on the same spot. He was identified as a resident of the adjoining Nabipur village. Social organisations have demanded that steps be taken by the administration to make this chowk less accident-prone. |
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Ranjit Sagar Dam=II SHAHPUR KANDI, Oct 22 — Due to the high cost of construction being projected by private parties, the Punjab Government may not invite global tenders for a dam required for power generation from the Ravi. Instead, the Irrigation Department engineers who built the Ranjit Sagar Dam are likely to be asked to do the job. The details of the dam, located downstream of the Ranjit Sagar dam near Shahpur Kandi village on the Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir border will be known when the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, formally commissions the Ranjit Sagar. Sources say that adding that a meeting of officers has observed that the construction was getting delayed as the terms being offered by private parties were unreasonable. The option of using irrigation engineers is to be exercised. Lack of funds has derailed the progress of the work on the dam which started in May, 1999, but was later held up. The 54.5 metre high and 725 metre long concrete dam is expected to help in the full utilisation of the Ranjit Sagar, in generating more than 300 MW of power, irrigating 32,000 hectares in J&K and augmenting irrigation in 3.46 lakh hectares in Punjab. Mr J.S. Randhawa, General Manager of the Ranjit Sagar Dam project, says "The dam at Shahpur Kandi will help utilise water released from Ranjit Sagar which has been designed as a peaking station for power generation in the morning or evening hours." When the turbines at Ranjit Sagar Dam run full steam 24,000 cusec of water is discharged. The Madhopur headworks or the existing canal systems do not have the capacity to hold so much of water. The water is intended to be stored in the Shahpur Kandi reservoir, the GM added. The project will cost around Rs 1450 crore according to the April 1999 costing. The machines of Ranjit Sagar Dam and the experience of engineers working on the project can be utilised, saving additional expenditure of the government, said Mr Randhawa. Already, engineers have carried out surveys and done the initial work like digging canals on the project which should have ideally been completed along with the Ranjit Sagar Dam. On the other hand, the Punjab Government has already spent Rs 74 crore in acquiring acres of land in J&K and Punjab. The land is lying waste. The project has been cleared by the Union Environment Ministry and the Planning Commission of India. Also, the Government of India has promised funds under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) . In 12 years, the project would have recovered its costs, say official estimates. Besides Punjab, J&K is also interested in the project as one of he hydel canals from the reservoir will be in its area. The J&K Government has written to the Punjab Government, seeking compensation for having to run a lift irrigation scheme from the Ravi as per its share from the dam. With all these factors , the sooner the dam starts the better, Mr Randhawa says while adding that his department can complete it within five years if proper fund supply is maintained. |
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Punjab Govt hikes hospital
charges BATHINDA, Oct 22 — The cash-strapped Punjab Government seems to have started filling its coffers by making the sick to pay through their nose for getting treatment in government hospitals. Recently, the government had withdrawn the facility of providing medical care at subsidised rates to the people earning less than Rs 2,000 a month. The government has increased the charges of various radiological lab and clinical tests in the government hospitals being managed by the Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC). Besides, a doctor’s visiting fee, Rs 5 for general ward and Rs 25 for private ward, would be charged from the patients. The blood banks being run by the government have been asked to charge Rs 250 for testing blood for issuing it to patients of government hospitals and Rs 500 for issuing it to patients of private hospitals or nursing homes (registered with blood bank on replacement basis). However, the patients suffering from thalassaemia and haemophilia, diagnosed cases of cancers, leukemia, aplastic anaemia, roadside cases of accidents and burn cases where the percentage of burns exceeds 37 per cent will be exempted for such charges. Sources said that a number of facilities in the hospitals being managed by the PHSC existed only on paper. The charges of various clinical, radiological and lab tests were very low. A senior doctor at the local Civil Hospital said the new charges would drastically reduce the number of patients visiting the government hospitals and these would be relevant only for the economically well off. Mr Kewal Krishan Aggarwal, General Secretary, DCC (I), alleged that the SAD-BJP combine government in Punjab was now backtracking on its promises made to the people of providing medical care at subsidised rates. He demanded that the poor should be provided medical facilities free of cost. Mr Harminder Singh, convener, Medical Service Centre, Bathinda, criticised the hike in hospital charges. |
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Govt obtains paddy procurement
records FARIDKOT, Oct 22 — The Punjab Government has obtained the entire records of the paddy procured below the minimum support price from September 21 to October 14 to pay
adequate compensation to farmers in the state. A comprehensive formula in this regard will be worked out after the completion of the purchase of the produce to finalise the exact loss, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, Minister for Food and Supplies, said while talking to mediapersons at the local Circuit House today. He said after the assessment, the graph would be sent to the Union Government to get the final approval. An amount of Rs 100 crore would be disbursed among the farmers, he said. Out of the total amount, 50 per cent would be given by the Centre. Mr Mittal and Mr Tota Singh, Minister for Education, were on a tour of different mandis and purchasing centres in Moga, Faridkot and Muktsar districts. MOGA: The government has purchased 90 per cent of paddy stocks, out of the total arrivals in this district
until now. The remaining 10 per cent will be purchased within the next 10 days, state Education Minister Tota Singh said on Sunday. The general secretary of the state unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, Mr Bhupinder Singh, however, said huge quantities of paddy was still rotting in this district for want of purchasers. Meanwhile, the price of wheat in the local market has come down. It was selling at Rs 500-Rs 540 per quintal against the Rs 580 fixed by the government. KHANNA: Two farmers here have started a fast unto death against the attitude of the government towards the purchase of paddy. The SDM, Mr Sukhwinder Singh Gill, has, however, denied the charge. Baldev Singh, Bahomajra, district general secretary, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Azad Singh Azad of the MCPI sat on a fast unto death near the main gate of the grain market. Farmers from Manki, and Goh villages have been sitting in the grain market for two weeks to sell their produce. |
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Border farmers to get relief annually AMRITSAR, Oct 22 — The Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, has cleared the long-pending file pertaining to the grant of compensation at the rate of Rs 3,000 per annum per acre to farmers who have agricultural land across the border fencing. The compensation was announced by the Central government after the visit of Mr L.K. Advani, Union Home Minister, to the border belt. Mr Advani was convinced that farmers of the border area must be adequately compensated. |
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Paddy-payment
panel formed
PHAGWARA, Oct 22 — Mr Pritam Singh, SDM, has been appointed the chief of paddy-payment panel constituted to oversee and ensure full payments to paddy growers. |
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PPCC alleges slow
procurement NEW DELHI, Oct 22 — The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) today alleged that despite assurance of the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal over speedy procurement of paddy, hundreds of farmers were still waiting for the procurement of their grains. Accusing Mr Badal of trying to project himself as a saviour of Punjab farmers to gain “cheap popularity”, PPCC General Secretary Nahar Singh Gill, PPCC Secretary Krishan Kumar Bawa, PYC Chief Davinder Singh Babbu and Chairman of the IYC (Urban Development Cell) Pawan Deevan in a joint statement here alleged that slow paddy procurement had caused acute problems to hundreds of farmers. “As a result of slow paddy procurement, many farmers have not been able to pay back their bank loans and many others have been forced to postpone the marriage of their daughters,” they said. They demanded that the state government should immediately give compensation to farmers who had to resort to “distress selling” and, thus, could not get the minimum support price (MSP). |
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BJP
to ask SAD to reduce power tariff HOSHIARPUR, Oct 22 — The state unit of the BJP will
try to persuade SAD, its partner in the Punjab Government, to decrease
the recent power tariff hike to give relief to the common man, who is
badly affected by it. This was stated by Prof Brij Lal Rinwa,
president of the Punjab unit of the BJP while talking to mediapersons
at the local Rest House here today. Mr Rinwa had come here to attend the meeting of the state office-bearers, district presidents and general secretaries of the party at Bassi Kalan village, 10 km from here. Referring to the recent withdrawal of the proposed hike in the bus fares, Mr Rinwa said SAD leaders did not take BJP ministers into confidence before making the proposal. Replying to a question he said the state unit had not received any complaint regarding the indulgence of any BJP minister in corruption practices. Replying to another question he said the BJP would make its claim on at least 46 seats in the state Assembly elections. Mr Rinwa said the BJP would extend its cooperation to the RSS for its Rashtriya Jan Jagran campaign to be launched from November 5. |
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Sikhs urged to fight drug
abuse TALWANDI SABO, Oct 22 — On the concluding day of a two-day International Conference on Sikh Educational Institutions at Diwan Hall of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, a galaxy of eminent educationists and religious figures passed a resolution on removal of illiteracy and making the Punjabi language a prime mode of communication. An announcement for setting up of an open Sikh university with centres throughout the world was also made. The assembly also passed a resolution to introduce religious education in all schools and colleges. A seven-member advisory committee has been set up under the Jathedar Akal Takht, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti to prepare a blueprint for structure, plan and development of Sikh educational institutions. Discussions
with eminent educationists and religious figures will be held by Giani Vedanti and a central Sikh education board be set up to raise the standard of education in Sikh institutions. In another resolution passed in the conference, the Sikh community had been urged to launch a planned campaign to eradicate the evil of drug addiction. Another
resolution advocates to impart moral and principle education to students apart from recitation of ‘shabad’ from gurbani. In another resolution, the conference urged the Sikh educational bodies to open institutions in areas inhabited by the ‘sikligars’ and ‘vanjaras’ to raise their standard of living. Mr Gurbachan Singh Bachan, secretary, SGPC, said from the coming academic session all educational institutions managed by SGPC would arrange for imparting religious education to the students of BA-Part-I onwards. Meritorious students will be sent abroad for spreading Sikhism. Mr Khushal Singh, eminent educationist from Ujjain, said that Sikh medical and engineering colleges should be opened in large number and Punjabi according due status in other states of the country. Dr Surinder Singh, representative of Gurmat Parchar Trust, Himachal Pardesh, said that camps should be organised to make the orientations of Sikh students and parents according to the Sikh traditions. |
Lovely urges CM to remove Aliwal PATIALA , Oct 22 — Mr Kuldwinder Singh Lovely, President of the district unit of the youth wing of the SAD, urged the Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to immediately remove Mr A.S. Aliwal from the post of President of the state unit of the youth wing of the SAD.At a meeting held here yesterday, Mr Kuldwinder Singh Lovely said that it was transparent that Mr Aliwal was working against the interests of the party which was clear from the fact that he had yet to remove those youth party leaders who were driving a wedge in the Youth Akali Dal. Mr Kulwinder Singh alleged that Mr Aliwal and his lieutenants had worked against the interest of the SAD during the Sunam byelection. Mr Lovely said that the actions of Mr Aliwal were damaging the party’s credibility. He urged the Chief Minister, who is also the President of the SAD, to take immediate action against erring party men like Mr Aliwal to ensure that indiscipline did not surface in the party rank and file.  |
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Panel formed to assist
Mayor AMRITSAR, Oct 22 — A highly-confidential core committee of the municipal corporation comprising BJP members has been formed to assist the newly elected Mayor, Mr Brij Mohan Kapoor, aged 70 plus, who according to sources, keeps ill health. The committee has four members, including a former senior councillor and the Improvement Trust chairman. The committee members are Mr Bakshi Ram Arora (Chairman, Improvement Trust and councillor), Mr Panna Lal Mahajan (former councillor BJP), Mr Naresh Sharma and Mr Rajesh Khandhari. The main job of the committee is to attend, assist and set priorities in development projects in the municipal corporation while verifying the genuine needs of wards as put forward by respective councillors surprisingly, no representation has been given to any women councillor or Akali councillor. Mr Naresh Sharma, denied entrusting of any specific agenda for the committee members. On the non-inclusion of a woman councillor, or its coalition partner, the Akali Dal, he said Mrs Raj Sharma and Mr Lakha Singh Gumtala of the Akali Dal were already holding the posts of Deputy Mayors and hence they were not included. On the health problems of the new Mayor he said, other than the age factor, Mr Kapoor was fit. However, Mrs Jaishree Gulati, a councillor, said she knew nothing about the formation of the committee. She said all BJP councillors had not been taken into confidence regarding its formation. Mr Gumtala, Deputy Mayor and Akali councillor, however, said the BJP hand extended no invitation to the Akalis for a joint meeting nor were they intimated about any core committee’s existence. He said the Akalis had been ignored by the BJP and the SAD councillors would take a stand on the issue at a meeting
scheduled for tomorrow. |
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Passengers: upgrade Bathinda
junction BATHINDA, Oct 22 — Mr S.P. Mehta, General Manager, Northern Railways, who was here today for inspection, assured members of Railway Passengers Association (Northern Zone) that the problems regarding the Bathinda railway station, which is the biggest junction of the North India, would be looked into. A deputation of the association urged Mr Mehta to upgrade the railway station keeping in mind the large number of passengers who board trains for different destinations from this junction. It submitted a charter of demands to Mr Mehta listing the problems faced by the
passengers. Mr Pawan Kumar Tayal, President, RPA, said the two booking windows at the station were too few for the number of passengers who had to reserve their tickets. At least four windows should be opened on regular and full time basis, he felt. He also demanded that self-printing ticket machines
(SPTM) be installed so that thousands of passengers could get the tickets immediately. Another problem was the non-availability of direct trains to the southern part of the country. There is no direct train link to Chennai from here. |
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Consumers fined for power thefts KAPURTHALA, Oct 22 (UNI) — The Punjab State Electricity Board has imposed a fine of Rs 98 lakh on consumers in checks conducted during the ‘Chetna march’ launched by the board on October 18. Engineer-in-chief (north zone) K.S. Gill told mediapersons at Dhilwan last evening that a fine of Rs 50 lakh had been imposed on 1,350 consumers found guilty of power theft. The Jalandhar Municipal Corporation was fined Rs 2 lakh for unauthorised load on the streetlights. He said Rs 9 crore had been recovered from 54,000 consumers as penalty on power thefts from April to September this year in the north zone of the board. He said the daily power cuts of one-and-a-half hours was likely to be withdrawn the next week. He said 550 villages in the north zone had been covered under the uninterrupted power supply scheme and the remaining would be covered under the “Tatkal Scheme” of the board. The board would install electronic meters at all consuming points during the next three years in a phased manner to check power thefts. The ‘march’ which started from the Shambu border, later left for Amritsar and will conclude at the Wagah border on October 24. |
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Poor civic amenities in Pathankot PATHANKOT, Oct 22 — Pathankot has a population of over two lakhs and two municipal councils, one here and the other at Sujanpur. There are over 10 educational institutions and a 100-bedded Civil Hospital, besides many factories. However, civic amenities remain inadequate on account of poor water supply, poor sewerage, encroachments, insanitary conditions, undeclared power cuts and dilapidated roads. The apathy of the municipal councils is visible in every aspect of life. Long back, a rain shelter was constructed at Shimla Park here but because of the “failure” of the authorities to provide toilet and water facilities in the park, it has virtually been converted into a public toilet. Nearly half of the streetlights in the town are not functioning. The worst-affected areas are Lamini, Model Town, St Thomas Street and other adjoining streets. Residents of many colonies have formed societies to ensure cleanliness, proper water supply and other civic amenities which is otherwise the primary duty of the municipal council. Recently, residents of the Mission Road area formed the Mission Road Residents Association which cleaned roads and other places. Increasing traffic is another big problem, especially in the Gandhi Chowk area which is occupied by vegetable and fruit vendors. The menace of stray animals is also on the rise and the authorities have done nothing to contain it. According to Mr Prem Bhatia, a local resident, people have to depend on ground water for their daily use, which, he says, is unfit for drinking. Social organisations have urged the administration to take steps for the improvement of civic amenities. |
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Maharaja’s battle site identified AMRITSAR, Oct 22 (UNI) — The Punjab Environment and Heritage Society, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the restoration of historic sites, claims to have identified a hillock on the banks of the Sutlej near Ropar as the site from where Maharaja Ranjit Singh led his military against the British. The President of the society, and former Chairman of the Punjab School Education Board, Dr Gurbax Singh Shergill, told UNI here today that the hillock facing the bridge over the Sutlej near Ropar was situated between the Swaraj Mazda factory and the Nurpur Bedi road. It was on this hill that Maharaja Ranjit Singh had hoisted his flag and posted guns to demonstrate the freedom of Punjab to the British, who held the territory on the other side of the Sutlej, he added. According to Mr Shergill’s claims, it was this bold display of the might of the Maharaja that discouraged the Britishers from crossing the Sutlej and invading Punjab during his reign. It was after the Maharaja’s death in 1846 that the Britishers invaded Punjab and pulled down the flag of the “Sarkar-e-Khalsa” and took the guns deployed on the hill in their possession, he said. Dr Shergill claimed that it was on close scrutiny of this historic hillock that a few broken flag posts pertaining to the Maharaja’s period were discovered. A couplet in Urdu, dedicated to the Maharaja, was found written on one of these flag posts, he added. Dr Shergill said the matter was taken up with the Ropar district authorities recently and the Deputy Commissioner of that district had constituted a panel of experts for finding out more historical facts about this hill. He said the society had also asked the Punjab Cultural Affairs Department to take steps to conserve this hill and declare it as Maharaja Ranjit Singh hill park. Dr Shergill claimed that members of the society had also discovered two 18th century wells within 3 km of this historic hill. As per historical records, these wells were used by the army of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur during his struggle against the Moghuls, he added. He said the society, had also identified and taken up for conservation the fort and haveli of General Sham Singh at Attari village close to the Wagah border. Sham Singh, a General in Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army, had fought a valiant battle at Sabhraon in Ferozepore district against the British. |
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GM’s train
gheraoed MUKTSAR, Oct 22 — Resentment prevails among residents of the town over the indifferent attitude of the railway authorities towards their problems. The residents raised slogans yesterday against the railway authorities when the General Railways Manager (GRM), Northern Railway, Mr S.P. Mehta, visited the town. Mr Sham Lal Goyal, president of the local unit of the National Consumer Awareness Group, alleged that Mr Mehta had failed to give the residents a patient hearing despite their repeated pleas. The train of Mr Mehta was reportedly gheraoed by activists of the Daily Passengers’ Union at Kotkapura. They also staged a dharna to press the authorities to accept their demands. Mr Goyal said the main demands of the residents included the introduction of Fazilka-Delhi and Fazilka-Chandigarh trains and increase in the number of platforms. |
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‘Camera eyes’ for
railway stations PHILLAUR, Oct 22 — The Northern Railway will soon install “camera eyes” (close circuit TVs) at some sensitive railway stations, including Attari, Ajnala, Ferozepore and Khemkaran to keep a watch on anti-social elements. This was stated by Northern Railway General Manager Subhash Kumar Mehta, while talking to newsmen after inaugurating the computerised railway ticket reservation centre at the Jalandhar cantonment railway station last evening. He said a campaign to remove encroachments on railway lands had begun. He admitted that an acute resource crunch had delayed work on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh and Udhampur-Baramula lines. However, doubling work of Jalandhar-Jammu Tawi rail section would begin soon. He said that five railway stations of Jammu Tawi, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Ferozepore would be made as “model railway stations” with a cost of Rs 1 crore. |
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Mass marriages solemnised FARIDKOT, Oct 22 — The local Gurmit Ragi Granthi Sabha solemnised mass marriages of 55 couples belonging to the weaker sections of society at Khalsa Senior Secondary School here today to commemorate the birth anniversary of Baba Budha ji, the first Head Granthi of Harminder Sahib. The Sabha spent more than Rs 9 lakh to provide household items to the couples, who had come from Muktsar, Moga and Bathinda districts. Ragi Harinder Singh donated Rs 51,000 to organisers in this regard. More than 5,000 persons from different sections of society attended the function. Blessing the couples, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, Minister for Food and Supplies, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, Agriculture Minister, and Mr Tota Singh, State Education Minister, called upon other social and religious organisations to hold such functions. Talking to newspersons, Mr Jaswant Singh and Mr Balwinder Singh, president and adviser, respectively, of the sabha, said a decision to organise such functions every year had been taken. |
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Grant for Jassa Singh
memorial announced JALANDHAR, Oct 22 — The Public Relations Minister, Punjab, Mr Natha Singh Dalam, today said the state government would provide land in the city for setting up a memorial to the Sikh General Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. He announced a grant of Rs 50,000 from his discretionary fund for the purpose. Mr Dalam was speaking at a function held here to mark the 217th death anniversary of the Sikh General. |
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12.33 pc bonus for JCT workers PHAGWARA, Oct 22 — JCT Ltd has announced a bonus of 12.33 per cent and Rs 26 ad hoc rise in the monthly salary of 5,000 workers. The wage hike would come into force with effect from October 1, according to Mr Harish Thapar, Vice-President, JCT. The decision was taken at a meeting of the management and representatives of INTUC and the BMS. |
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Bhog ceremony
of Bhattal’s brother held BHATTLAN, (Dhanaula), Oct 22 — Besides, hundreds of persons from all walks of life, leaders belonging to the Congress, SAD, SAD (A) and the CPI here today attended the “bhog” ceremony of Manjit Singh Bhattal (former MLA and brother of Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal), who allegedly committed suicide on October 17. Mrs Sonia Gandhi, President of the AICC, also sent a condolence message to Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. Condolence message were also received from Capt Amarinder Singh, President of the PPCC, Mrs Ambika Soni, a senior Congress leader, Mr Moti Lal Vora, general secretary of the AICC and Mr Subodh Kant Sahai, a former Union Minister, among others. |
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Divali mela RAJPURA,
Oct 22 — A Divali mela has been organised by Alaap Club at the Jhanda Ground here. The attractions, as usual, are joy rides, swings, stalls, offering eatables, games, discount purchases, singers, dancers, competitions like antakshari etc. Almost every year such fairs and fetes offer the same entertainment plans to attract the public. Though Rajpurians are attending this Divali mela with high spirits, the organisers have landed in problems. Some citizens alleged that the game stalls were supporting gambling. Following this, the police arrested Arun Kumar, Kalu, Raj Kishan, Deepak Sharma and Sanjay Chaudhary, all running games stalls in the mela and fined them. But the organisers are incurring losses due to the shutting down of most of the game stalls. |
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Communal harmony at kar
seva AMRITSAR, Oct 22 — After independence, the first ‘kar seva’ of holy tank, Baba Budha Bir was started amid a unique scene of communal harmony with Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christian leaders performed desilting work. Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar Akal Takht, Baba Darshan Singh ‘Kar Seva Wale’, religious leaders of the Ahmedia sect (Muslims) and Nirmala sants were among those who participated in the kar seva. According to a rough estimate more than 50,000 devotees participated in the ‘kar seva’ today. The kar seva was launched after a gap of 52 years. |
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Plea to hike aid
for PoK displaced JALANDHAR, Oct 22 — The Jammu and Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee has demanded that the Central government review the rehabilitation package for those displaced from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) after Partition. Mr Harjit Singh Panchi, president of the committee, addressing a press conference here today, urged the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to review the package because it had provision for a grant of mere Rs 25,000 per family. Those given lands had not been given proprietary rights, he added. |
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Residents resent
STD link failure NABHA, Oct 22 — Resentment prevails among residents of the town, especially the STD/PCO owners, as the STD link between the other towns and cities has snapped. According to Mr Alok Kumar, a PCO owner, the problem started four days back. Residents here are unable to contact even in the cities which are just 20-25 km away. When contacted, an official of the Telecommunication Department expressed his helplessness as he was also not able to contact the telecommunication office in Patiala. He added that there was a technical snag on the Patiala and Nabha line. |
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Human trafficking racket busted GURDASPUR, Oct 22 (UNI) — The police yesterday claimed to have busted a racket in human trafficking with the arrest of a member of the gang, which had allegedly duped 88 persons of Rs 88 lakh after promising to send them to Israel. Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, said Sarwan Singh, who along with his brother Harjinder Singh and others had been operating the racket, was arrested yesterday from Tung village, near here, the others have absconded. The breakthrough but in the case was provided by Kabul Singh of Mann Khera who lodged a report that he had been cheated by the two brothers on October 19.
The SSP said Sarwan Singh disclosed during an interrogation that along with Jacob, manager of a company in Israel, their gang had already sent 50 persons to the West Asian country in two groups of 25 persons each. |
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Nishan is with Bibi: DGP LUDHIANA, Oct 22 — Mr Sarbjit Singh, DGP, today said that the police was neither detaining nor shielding Nishan Singh from the CBI. He said Nishan Singh was deputed as security guard in the personal security team of Bibi Jagir Kaur. “He is with her. The CBI can arrest him anytime,” he said. Talking to The Tribune, the DGP expressed surprise at the reports that Nishan Singh was seeking a visa to leave the country. He said as per information Nishan Singh was still in the country and being a government employee, he had to seek permission of the police department
before seeking visa. He, however, added that unless Nishan Singh concealed his identity, only then he could manage to slip out of the country. On the issue of the surrender of a listed terrorist, Jaswant Singh, before the Ludhiana police yesterday, the DGP said the police was ready to be lenient with such persons who were striving to live a normal life. |
Migrant murdered TARN TARAN, Oct 22 — A migrant from Uttar Pradesh, who was known as Sai Baba, was allegedly murdered by Kartar Singh, alias Kari, with the help of a spade yesterday at Rasulpur village. A case under Section 302, IPC, has been
registered. According to the complaint lodged by Mr Jaswant Singh of the Rasulpur village, Sai Baba was working as a sevadar at a religious place of some Muslim saint at the village and Kartar Singh was his assistant. Kartar Singh wanted Sai Baba to leave the place. On Sai Baba’s refusal, he hit him with a spade, killing him on the spot. |
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Three booked JALANDHAR, Oct 22 — The Nakodar police booked three persons for allegedly by making an attempt on the life of a farmer today. According to the police, the victim, Manmohan Singh, was seriously injured when Jit Singh, his son Paramjit Singh and Manpreet Singh attacked with sharp-edged weapons over a land dispute at Khalewal village, Lohian. |
SLIET holds
convocation SANGRUR, Oct 22 — Students were awarded degrees, diplomas and certificates along with medals, while some were given award of excellence for outstanding academic performance, at the third convocation of Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET) at Longowal yesterday. Mr M.K. Kaw, Secretary, Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD), Government of India, said the upgradation of the entire technical education in the country would be boosted through a World Bank project worth Rs 6000 crore. Mr Kaw said a national-level entrance test was going to be planned for all engineering colleges in the country, starting from 2002. Prof H.S. Gurm, Vice-Chancellor of the Punjab Technical University presided. Dr R.C. Chauhan, Director of SLIET, also spoke on the occasion. Dr D.S. Hira, Dean, Academic Affairs of SLIET, proposed a vote of thanks. A cultural programme was also held on the occasion. |
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AIFUCTO to hold protest march PHAGWARA, Oct 22 — The All-India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation (AIFUCTO) will soon hold a protest march to Parliament. Stating this here today, Prof K.B.S. Sodhi, President, Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union, said the decision in this regard had been taken by the general council of the AIFUCTO at an academic session held at Chennai. Prof Sodhi, who represented Punjab teachers in the session, said the council expressed concern that education was not on the priority list of Central and state governments. The conference, attended by about 400 delegates from all over the country, demanded that the agreement between the HRD Minister and the AIFUCTO on September 5, 1998, should be honoured. The agreement included the introduction of career advancement scheme with effect from January 1, ‘96, parity between DPEs librarians with lecturers, and payment of arrears, he said. |
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Stop confrontationist attitude : PUTA PATIALA In a statement here, PUTA Secretary Balwinder Singh said the UGC decision to appoint its own observers in the selection committees for promotion from reader to professor under the career advancement scheme (CAS) and withdrawal of the promotion scheme from reader to professor in colleges were uncalled for and would hurt the academic fraternity. Dr Balwinder Singh said non-implementation of the CAS from January, 1996, and forgoing the total length of service from professor under the CAS were provocative acts which left teachers with no option but to agitate to get the decisions reversed. He said the UGC was also trying to weaken the agitation of the teachers by creating a rift between university and college teachers. Dr Balwinder said PUTA wanted to make it clear that it had already rejected the provision for an UGC observer during selections and demanded implementation of the CAS. He said PUTA strongly supported the ongoing agitation of central unions of teachers on demands of the university and college teachers. |
Extortion in the
name of Divali FATEHGARH SAHIB, Oct 22 — The District Bobbin Case Manufacturers Association today threatened to close their units against the alleged highhandedness of an ETO of the local Sales Tax Department, who is demanding Rs 10,000 per unit forcibly on the pretext of Divali.
Sirhind, the district headquarters town, which has a number of Bobbin case and truck and bus body building units is allegedly facing extortion from officials of some departments. Mr Janak Raj, president of the association, in a press note has alleged an ST official allegedly asked the General Secretary of the association to collect the amount and warned that if they did not oblige, they would face dire consequences. The association has sent fax messages to the Chief Minister and Mr Y.S. Ratra, Commissioner, Excise and Taxation, in this regard. They said that they are small manufacturers and their industry is passing through recession. They demanded immediate action against such a “corrupt” official, who is demanding money on the name of higher officials. The ETO was not available in his office for comments. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner has banned forcible collection of “Divali Gifts” and money. |
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