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| Monday, November 27, 2000, Chandigarh, India    |
Dhindsa: subsidy on
fertilisers to stay Paddy procurement, milling not end of story
Ceasefire offer ‘Get ready for GATT challenges’ ‘Vest RPF with police powers’ Cess to fund Lehra Mohabbat
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Bibi confident of
renomination Power engineers flay privatisation move
51 Cong men quit, join
NCP
India trying for oil on credit:
minister Mann asks Badal to visit Banihal victims Siphon damaged, farmers fear
famine Arrest killers, demands MP Kin of martyrs
oppose Sonia as trust chief Badal inaugurates ‘statue of peace’ Promoting
skills in painting Army role in J&K sole solution:
Bitta
Two more held in Mukhija case Graft case against SI Temple keeper murdered
Results of zonal youth
festival Ludhiana school wins shabad
competition Assurance to dental students
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Dhindsa: subsidy on
fertilisers to stay BATHINDA, Nov 26 — Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, today said the government would not remove subsidy on fertilisers and added that news reports in this regard were baseless. Mr Dhindsa, who was here in connection with the annual prize distribution function of DAV College, admitted that the economic condition of farmers in the country was weak and in this “critical situation” the government could not take such a decision. He pointed out that the government had sufficient stock of DAP and other fertilisers. Asked to comment on cooperative societies selling fertilisers on higher rates, he said he had also received complaints in this regard and added that an inquiry would be conducted. Addressing the gathering of students, staff members of the college and other officials, Mr Dhindsa appreciated the role played by the Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) movement in reducing the impact of the British culture on the Indians. He said the aim of education was not just to become doctors, engineers, bureaucrats, etc, but the development of the all-round personality of the students. Mr Dhindsa honoured the outstanding students of the college in various fields. He announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh for the college. Mr Chiranji Lal Garg, Minister for Science and Technology, Punjab, Mr Jaspal Singh, Deputy Commissioner, and Mr Jatinder Kumar Jain, SSP, were also present on the occasion. Mr S.
Marriya, Principal, DAV College, Mr G.P. Chopra, President, DAV College managing committee, also spoke. |
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Paddy procurement, milling not end of story CHANDIGARH, Nov 26 — The story of paddy does not end with procurement. There is more to it. Punjab has, so far, procured 110 lakh tonnes. The rice mills’ share is 23 lakh tonnes. These mills, 2,200-odd, will sell 75 per cent as levy rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The milling capacity is around 2,700 tonnes per day. Milling will continue till June 30. This necessitates the creation of storage space for new rice, expected to be close to 70 lakh tonnes. The FCI’s existing rice stock is 45 lakh tonnes. In less than six months wheat will be in the market. This will create more space problems. Is Punjab prepared? The procurement of paddy and its subsequent milling is not the end. It is the beginning. Rice milling sustains a chain of industries that depend upon rice bran and paddy husk. While rice goes to the common man, rice bran is used for poultry and by the cattle feed and solvent extraction industries. Paddy husk goes to the chemical, pharmaceutical, paper and pulp and oil and fat processing industries. Solvent extraction plants, 80-odd in Punjab, engage in non-edible, edible oil and de-oiled bran production. The product chain is long, encompassing an array of units and uses. This ranges from waxes and gums, soap and detergents and rubber to refined oil, vanaspati, and milk and milk products. Any muddle in paddy procurement and rice milling, thus, creates an adverse effect, a chain reaction. A small break in the chain has a cascading economic effect. It throws the processing operations out of gear. For the past few years, rice mill operations have not been consistent and affected solvent extraction units. These have the capacity to process about 9,000 tonnes of rice bran/oilcakes per day. Several of these units are either closed or are on the verge of putting up the shutters. There are a variety of reasons. Their working days do not exceed 74 in a year. Reason? Excess capacity, created due to government incentives and liberal financial backing, now disproportionate to the availability of raw material. Rice mills are the mother source of solvent units. Their erratic working and large-scale import of edible oil, in the past two years, have depressed the local market and created processing disparities, says the Solvent Extractors Association of Punjab president, Mr A R Sharma. There is also the high rate of taxation in the vegetable oil sector in Punjab as compared to Haryana. Besides 4 per cent sales tax on oilseeds, 8-9 per cent other levies and statutory mandi charges, there is also 4 per cent sales tax on oil cakes and de-oiledcakes. These items are exempt in Haryana. Punjab’s 6 –8 per cent sales tax on vegetable oils are is highest in the country. To resuscitate solvent extraction units and make operational ones viable, Mr Sharma suggests making the functioning of rice mills smooth and efficient. These hold the key to the success of the solvent units that solely depend on paddy. The availability of “physical refining technology” now enables solvent plants to produce edible grade oil even from raw rice bran. For this, the smooth supply of rice bran is essential so that it is used within 24 hours of its production. For solvent extraction plants, building a rice bran stock inventory is not viable. Certain enzymes in the bran have a tendency to convert oil into fatty acids at a very fast speed. The storage of rice bran beyond 24 hours of its production will, thus, increase the fatty acid component beyond the prescribed limit. It will make the oil produced therefrom “unfit” for refining into the edible grade. It is for the government to balance the import of edible oil and its market price because it is an item of mass consumption and protect the interests of the solvent industry. While oilseed growers must get a remunerative price even the solvent industry should find it economical to pay that price. “There is an urgent need to regulate the excess import of edible oils in conformity with the domestic price, production and demand through a variable tariff mechanism, the duty on edible oils, both crude and refined, being raised substantially to protect the domestic industry and the farmers”, says Mr Sharma. The solvent industry has proposed to the government how much duty it should levy on imported edible oils. It has compared it with World Trade Organisation rates and referred to the current duties. Suggesting a shift from foodgrain to oilseed production, the association seeks for the industry value addition through the upgradation of non-conventional oils, which will demand a reasonable minimum level of prices for edible oils. In its memorandum to the Punjab Chief Minister it has urged the government to take up with New Delhi the question of the excessive import of edible oils and the rationalisation of the local tax structure: sales tax on edible and non-edible oils reduced to 4 per cent and multiple taxation scrapped. Both oil and de-oiled cakes should be exempt from any sales tax, as in Haryana. Mr Sharma says: “All refined oils in Punjab are taxed at 6.6 per cent, which discourages the production of refined rice bran oil in the state”. Punjab is the largest producer of paddy and the third largest state in the processing of rice bran, next only to Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It processes over 7 lakh tonnes of rice bran and produces over 1 lakh tonnes of rice bran oil, annually. Yet that oil is not used as a direct cooking material in the state. Research has revealed that rice bran oil is good for health. It is called “heart oil” in Japan. The oil is nutritionally rich and a good medium for cooking. It lowers the bad cholesterol content and raises HDL cholesterol. The association says India’s dependence on the import of edible oils, to the extent of 40 per cent, poses a threat to the country’s food security. As a result, the domestic production of oilseeds and processing suffers. The oilseed sectors domestic turnover is over Rs 60,000 crore and the import turnover Rs 11,350 crore. “The excessive import of edible oils, stagnant oil seed production, un-remunerative price realisation by farmers and a depressed domestic market seriously affect the working of the solvent and allied industries”, says Mr Sharma. He suggests the constitution of a “task force” of representatives of farmers, industry, the government and agricultural scientists to study the issues involved. “Merely lifting paddy and populist policies is not the be all and end all. It is much more.”
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Ceasefire offer WAGAH, Nov 26 — Home Minister L.K. Advani today asked Pakistan to respond positively to the ceasefire offer by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, in Kashmir. The Home Minister pointed out that this was the second major peace initiative by India after the Lahore agreement. But the present opportunity must not be allowed to go waste for the sake of peace in Jammu and Kashmir. India stood for the prosperity of the region. Mr Advani said it was time that Pakistan shunned violence and stopped cross-border terrorism so that peace could be restored. Emphasising the need for a dialogue to resolve all pending issues, Mr Advani said India was prepared to hold talks with Pakistan provided it give up the path of confrontation. It should stop sending arms, trained militants, and wind up the militants’ training camps in its territory. Once India had sincere proof of Pakistan’s action, our country would reciprocate and engage Pakistan in talks at any level. Regretting that the Lahore bus initiative taken by our Prime Minister was lost and Pakistan responded with Kargil conflict, he said the world today recognised the sincerity of India and felt that unless Pakistan give up cross-border terrorism in Kashmir all peace initiatives would come to a naught. He expressed his hope that the current offer of ceaseful would be accepted. The Home Minister explained that how the earlier unilateral offer of ceasefire by the Hizbul Mujahideen four months ago was accepted by India without any pre-condition but nothing came out of it. Hundreds of innocent persons were gunned down within a week and once again the peace suffered a big setback. The Pakistan masters who call the shot in Kashmir do not want the peace process to succeed in, he added. The killing, arson and violence must end, remarked the Home Minister while addressing a large gathering at the checkpost sending a clear message across the border to the Pakistan Government that people of India want goodwill and peace on its borders. Referring to the demands of various militant groups operating in Kashmir for involving Pakistan in the talks, Mr Advani categorically stated that Pakistan cannot be party to the talks at the present juncture and could be involved providing a congenial atmosphere was created which required no killings and violence. Reiterating India’s resolve that during the current ceasefire offer, the Government of India had directed its security forces not to initiate any combat operation against the militants but could fire in self defence and for the protection of the innocent people. He pointed out that the Army and the security forces would prevent any militants crossing over into India. The Home Minister said although the militants had yet to respond to the offer but he was quite hopeful that the armed groups would reciprocate which was in the interest of all the parties concerned. Answering questions about holding tripartite talks by involving Pakistan in the meeting. Mr Advani did not favour the suggestion as it would not serve the purpose as Pakistan was sponsoring and abetting terrorism from across the border. It was truth that hatred never pay and for the sake of its people and for their welfare, Pakistan must give up anti-India tirade and help solve the Kashmir issue peaceful through dialogue. Earlier, Mr Advani formally inaugurated the viewers’ gallery and swaran jyanti gate near the checkpost built at the cost of Rs 1 crore with police BSF bands playing music. Thousands of people from the nearby villages have gathered to cheer up the Home Minister. |
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‘Get ready for GATT challenges’ Patiala, Nov 26 — The signing of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) has led to an explosive situation and the people of the state should brace themselves up to the challenges posed by the signing of the treaty. This was stated by Capt Kanwaljit Singh,
Finance and Planning minister, while delivering a speech during a seminar on “The impact of GATT on the economy of Punjab” here today. The seminar, in which various economists and intellectuals put forth their view points, was organised by the Malwa Sports, Arts, Cultural and Educational Trust. Capt Kanwaljit Singh said that the Congress had done a blunder by signing the GATT agreement in 1994 and the treay needed a rethink. He said that though India was a signatory to the ‘explosive’ agreement, the government would force the developed nations, on whose behest the treaty had been negotiated, to add certain clauses and
safeguard measures, when the second round of talks are held in the near future. Blaming the Congress for the present position, he said that while enacting even a small and insignificant Act, there was always a discussion and then the draft Bill was sent to both Houses of Parliament for ratification before the Bill finally went to the
President for his consent. In this case, Capt Kanwaljit Singh said that the agreement was signed by the Congress government without looking at its long-term implications. Elaborating on the issue, he said, while on the one hand the godowns in the state were overflowing with stocks of paddy and wheat, on the other hand the GATT agreement
envisaged for importers to flood the grain markets which would severely demoralise the farming community. The treaty was full of glaring contradictions and there should be a monitoring system. Prof Sucha Singh Gill, Professor of Economics, Punjabi University, while presenting his paper said that when initial talks on the agreement were being held the impression that was given was that underdeveloped countries like India would benefit
immensely. However, when the reality is becoming more and more transparent, there are hysteric responses from various state governments. Under the agreement, Prof Sucha Singh said that the highly subsidised services provided by the government would be highly affected and the use of subsidies for promotion of economic activities and the protection of domestic production are not permitted beyond a specified limit. Mr Gill said that a majority of producers in industry, agriculture and services are small and medium in size. They will not be able to compete with giant multi national corporations
(MNCs) of advanced nations. Under the agreement, the economies are expected to choose through market mechanism their areas of economic specialisation and give up less efficient producers in the world. A former Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Mr J.S. Puar, also spoke. |
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‘Vest RPF with police powers’ PHILLAUR, Nov 26 — The Union Minister of State for Railways sought executive powers for the Railway Protection Force
(RPF) to curb crime on the Railways. Talking to mediapersons at the Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, after presiding over the prize distribution function of 44th national shooting championship this afternoon, the minister said the alphabet “R” in the Government Railway Police
(GRP) was a misnomer because for all practical purposes, the GRP comprised state police personnel from respective states. He said either the state police should take full responsibility of law and order on the Railways or let the RPF get the power to register and investigate cases. The minister said a high-level committee of Chief Secretaries of eight states headed by West Bengal Chief Secretary had submitted its report and now he had requested Union Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani to convene a meeting of state Chief Ministers next month to persuade them to give executive powers to the RPF through an enabling legislation so that the RPF could be entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order. Mr Digvijay Singh said his ministry had launched an anti-encroachment drive to evict encroachers on Railways land and make commercial use of the land by roping in the private sector to generate resources for funding and maintaining the network of the Railways. The minister admitted that resource crisis was hampering work on new Railway lines in the country as only Rs 2000 crore per year was available against the required Rs 30,000 crores for the new projects. He said the shortage of funds was causing delay in starting work on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh and the Udhampur-Baramula railway lines. He disclosed that the Punjab Government could not initiate work for the Ludhiana-Chandigarh railway line and the Punjab Government could not offer even a single paisa for this project. He said according to present financial crisis about 30 years’ time could be spent to complete pending all Railway projects. The minister said the Railways would soon establish rail service in and around 30 km area of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. He said a special drive against corruption in the Railways was started from today for a fortnight. Moreover, he admitted that corruption more or less had become a part of society and it was not an easy job to curb it in a few days. Academy Director A.A. Siddiqui, Additional Director-General Police, D.R. Bhatti, Mr G.S. Aujla I.G. Chander Shekher, Deputy Director Dr D.J. Singh, Mr T.S. Dhillon and SDM Prem Chand were also present. |
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Cess to fund Lehra Mohabbat
plant PATIALA, Nov 26 — Strapped for funds and unable to generate equity for its share in the project envisaging doubling of the capacity of the Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Plant in Bathinda district, the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB ) is proposing to levy a ‘Power Development Cess’ on electricity consumers in the state to generate the amount needed. The Board has decided to propose to the Punjab government to levy the new cess on all categories of consumers in the State at the rate of five paisa per unit. Only agricultural consumers, who are not paying any charge to the Board will be exempt from it . Under the new proposal, the PSEB aims at generating Rs 80 crore per year. This will cover the majority of the Rs 125 crore needed by the Board every year for four years as its share in the project major share of which will be financed by the Power Finance Corporation . The Board aims to generate the shortfall of Rs 45 crore every year from other resources. The PSEB is formulating this scheme due to a severe financial crisis under which it does not have any liquid cash at its disposal. As the Punjab government is apparently not willing to help it out with the government adjusting Rs 250 crore which otherwise would have been given to it in lieu of supplying free power to the agricultural sector, it does not have any other way of meeting the obligation under the project. The project, which will be undertaken with the help of the Power Finance Corporation, needs an investment of Rs 1700 crore. Under the agreement with the PFC, 30 per cent of the project is to be funded by the PSEB and 70 per cent by the PFC. Board Chairman G. S. Sohal disclosed that the proposal would be submitted to the government shortly. He said under the project, the 420 mega watt capacity of the Lehra Mohabbat Plant would be doubled. He said once the proposal was passed by the government the Board would start civil work as it had got clearance from the Central Electricity Authority two months back and the final environment clearance recently. Mr Sohal said the project was likely to be started in January. He said attempts would be made to start it till then as this was the best time to conduct civil works. He said in a major concession, the Board had also reached an agreement with the BHEL which would be supplying the turbines and other heavy equipment to defer 30 per cent of their payments till the completion of the project. He said besides getting money from the proposed Development Cess the Board was also taking other measures to generate funds like selling off scrap in its possession which was estimated at Rs 50 crore. He said syndicated loans could also be taken from financial institutions on need basis to ensure the continuity of the project. The Chairman said the Board had fixed an internal target for completion of the project in 42 months and had kept an outside target of 44 months which was within the four year deadline. He said this should not pose a problem as a similar project in Ropar had been completed in 37 months. |
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Bibi confident of
renomination AMRITSAR, Nov 26 — The SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, told a TV news channel here today that she could be renominated to the post of the President of the SGPC election to which was scheduled for November 30. She said the SAD President Mr Parkash Singh Badal, continued to have confidence in her and could back her candidature. Not betraying any sign of tension over the CBI case against her, the Bibi said her political rivals were trying to derive mileage from the death of her daughter. The SGPC chief pointed out that she commanded respect of a majority of SGPC members as she had worked tireless for the SGPC. Meanwhile, SGPC member Giani Puran Singh Josh has asked the Bibi to tender her resignation on “moral” grounds as her name prominently figured in the FIR lodged by the CBI in the Harpreet case. Another SGPC member, Mr Jaswinder Singh Advocate, opposed to the Bibi said she should take action against the Secretary of the SGPC, Dr Gurbachan Singh Bachan for his alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Rs 2 lakh from a “golak” of the Golden Temple. |
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Power engineers flay privatisation move AMRITSAR, Nov 26 — The Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers Association yesterday lashed out at the Punjab Government for its “mindless” effort to privatise the operation of the board. The president of the PSEB Engineers Association, Mr M.S. Bajwa, told TNS here that it was completely illogical to follow the dictates of the World Bank or the IMF policies which could ruin the state like Punjab. Reacting strongly to the proposed Electricity Bill, 2000, which would take the right of the state government to run its boards and take away power from the concurrent list granted under the Constitution, he said this single retrograde step would spell doom for the consumer and would erode the role of the state government under the federal structure. Mr Bajwa warned the Punjab Government and said that it must learn from the failures in the power sector especially in the seven states like Andhra Pradesh, which had gone in for privatisation and faced massive agitation. The president, citing statistics to prove his point, said the PSEB was one of the best managed boards in the country with the lowest tariff and was still providing free power to the agriculture sector. He added that the power tariff in Andhra Pradesh was the highest at over Rs 7 per unit and in Haryana at about Rs 6 per unit while in Punjab it was averaging around Rs 3 per unit. He pointed out that the association had suggested to the government to at least bring the tariff on a par with that in Haryana which would give a surplus revenue of Rs 1700 crore to the Punjab Board, but their view did not find any favour. Mr Bajwa pointed out that the engineers had failed to understand the reluctance on the part of the government as far as increase in the tariff was concerned such a step would improve the condition of the board he said. He alleged that the government had other “hidden” agenda and wanted the board to be in the red which would make it easy for them to privatise it. Commenting on the free power to the agriculture sector, the Secretary-General of the Northern India Power Engineers Federation, (NIPEF), Mr Padamjit Singh, said in the majority of the states like Tamil Nadu the supply was totally free, while in other states the power was being provided at highly subsidised rates. He added that governments in these states compensated the cost of the free electricity unlike the Punjab Government which was not providing even a single penny. Mr Padamjit Singh added that power was a public utility service and the role of the government under these services was not only important but necessary to meet its obligation to the masses as a welfare state. He questioned the wisdom of the government to allow private generation with a clause for an overriding 16 per cent profit while the state electricity boards were given only 3 per cent return on its investment. This lopsided approach would cost the board very dearly, he said. He said today the cost of generation was above Rs 4 crore per Mega Watt and with limited or no resources at the disposal of the boards, one could not expect to invest in the power generation with 3 per cent returns while the recently signed agreement with GVK for Goindwal Thermal Power Project in the private sector with the guaranteed returns at 16 per cent would burden the common consumer. The secretary-general of the NIPEF said after 1991 amendment in the Electricity Act of 1945 for allowing the private sector both in the generation and in the distribution segments for meeting the shortfall of over 24,000 Mega Watt, not a single foreign company had come forward with the exception of Enron in Maharashtra. Even there the experiment was not that successful. He was also critical of the various state governments which had signed over 100 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with both foreign and private companies and added that none of these agreements could be sustained resulting in huge gap between the supply and demand. |
51 Cong men quit, join
NCP BATHINDA, Nov 26 — The Congress party faced a setback when Mr Balwinder Singh Rampura, former general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Youth Congress (PPYC) with his 50 supporters decided to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This was announced by Mr Swaran Singh Patiala, Pradesh President of the NCP, at a rally last evening in Badiala village of the district. Addressing the rally Mr Swaran Singh alleged that the Punjab Government had failed to solve unemployment and other problems of the state. He alleged that even the Congress party had failed to play the role of the Opposition effectively. He added that the Congress party had been a mute spectator for the past four years. He said the Congress in Punjab did not highlight the negative policies of the government. He added that the people of Punjab would give their verdict in the forthcoming Assembly elections and the NCP would emerge as a major party in Punjab. Mr Amritpal Singh Brar, member, National Council of the NCP, while addressing the rally alleged that Mr Amarinder Singh, PPCC President was not taking any action against those who were indicted for corruption by the Lok Pal. He further alleged that these persons were being given the high positions in the party. |
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India trying for oil on credit:
minister AMRITSAR, Nov 26 — The Petroleum Minister, Mr Ram Naik, today said the government had made a proposal for credit facilities and trade discount on bulk purchases of crude oil to OPEC. This would help the country save precious foreign exchange. India’s annual oil bill had shot up to Rs 80,000 crore with the latest hike in world crude oil prices. Mr Naik said the proposal was made to the Secretary-General of OPEC only yesterday with whom he had a discussion at the annual meeting of OPEC last month in Saudi Arabia. Mr Naik said he had mooted the “Venezuela pattern. The country offered oil to its neighbours on soft-term loans. He pointed out that at present the entire payment for crude was being made by India in cash. The Petroleum Minister was addressing a press conference at Jallianwala Bagh after formally lighting “amar jyoti” near the martyrs’ memorial. Mr Naik said Indian imports were more than 70 per cent of its consumption. It was important that efforts were made to explore indigenous resources to cut down the imports. He was hopeful that the country would soon get enough gas to meet its requirements. There was considerable scope for buying crude form Iraq. The current visit their Vice-President and a talk with him had given the hope that India could barter food for oil. India was in touch with the UN to allow export of food as a humanitarian gesture so that it could import oil against it. The minister said that agreement would be signed on Wednesday. Although the oil pool deficit was growing at the rate of Rs 250 crore per month, he assured that it was manageable. An accountant by profession, Mr Naik reeled off statistics with elan. He announced that Punjab would get top priority in LPG connections. The ministry would sanction 303 more agencies both in urban and rural areas. He was confident that the entire process would be over by March, 2001. He said that the request by the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, that the entire kerosene quota may be withdrawn in the state and the population be provided with LPG connections was acceptable to him. Earlier, the minister offered 300 cylinders free of cost to the SGPC for “langar”. He also offered flood-lighting of the Jallianwala Bagh complex by the Indian Oil as a tribute to the martyrs. |
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Mann asks Badal to visit Banihal victims PHAGWARA, Nov 26 — The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) President, Mr Simranjit Sigh Mann, who returned from Jammu today after visiting victims of the Banihal shooting of November 21 in which five Sikh truckers were killed, disclosed here that the Jammu and Kashmir Government had agreed to his plea to enhance ex gratia grant for the aggrieved families to Rs 2 lakh each. He called upon Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to give Rs 3 lakh each to the families of the killed since most of them belonged to Punjab, particularly Dhariwal in Gurdaspur district. Talking to mediapersons here this morning on his way to Delhi, Mr Mann claimed that the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary, Mr Jaitley, had agreed to give Rs 1 lakh more to each affected family. The Jammu and Kashmir Government had earlier announced Rs 1 lakh as relief. Blaming intelligence failure for the killings, the radical Akali leader said intelligence agencies should have anticipated such an action by the militants. Mr Mann hailed the unilateral ceasefire announced by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and pleaded that it should continue even in the face of provocation. He also hailed the proposal for talks with militants. He said the acceptance of the resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Government for the grant of pre-1953 status could be one way of winning the confidence of the people. He demanded either Mr Badal should himself visit the families of those killed or send the Chief Secretary. Mr Mann said Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir felt that Paksitan was not behind the killings of Sikhs in the valley. |
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Siphon damaged, farmers fear
famine PERCH (ROPAR), Nov 26 — The siphon on Perch dam is lying damaged for want of maintenance and this damage has jeopardised the hopes of farmers of four villages. It being the wheat sowing season, as many as 1400 acres of land of four villages are badly in need of irrigation water that is supplied by the dam through a four kilometre long pipeline. If the situation remains unchanged, the villages including Badi Perch, Choti Perch, Naddi and Soonk, which are dependent on dam water for irrigation, will have to bear the brunt of the situation. The villagers of these four villages fear that if something is not done immediately they will have to face a famine in the villages. They said at this point of time they required water for sowing of wheat and there was no water. Moreover, the absence of rain has added to their problems. A part of the siphon near Choti Perch village got damaged a few days ago thereby disrupting the water supply to all the four villages. The villagers got the supply line repaired themselves but it could not stand the pressure of water and the situation reverted to the original. The villagers say that most of the land was ready for sowing, which was being delayed due to the lack of water. Moreover, the fields that were already sown would require irrigation after some days, in the absence of which the farmers’ hard work would go waste. “We went to complain to the irrigation department of the state. But nothing has been done. In the morning itself we had talked to the overseer on the phone. He said that the team would be visiting the site tomorrow to take an account of the situation. We wonder if something will be done immediately,” says Mr Harket Singh, brother of the Sarpanch of Badi Perch village. “We have been repairing the joints of the pipeline time and again and have spent thousands of rupees on it. We got the siphon repaired also but all in vain. Now the situation is out of our control. We can only ask the department to help us.” Says Mr Inderjit Singh, a villager. The villagers allege that the siphon has never been repaired since the dam was completed in 1995. They further say that no maintenance work has been carried since then. Due to the presence of a dam the four villages are not allowed by the irrigation department to install their own tubewells. “This adds to our problems. We cannot install a tubewell and no water is available from the dam. If the situation remains the same we will have to buy wheat for our own consumption and fodder for our cattle. Where we have been supplying food for others, now we will have to buy it for ourselves,” rued a farmer. |
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Arrest killers,
demands MP PATIALA, Nov 26 — Mrs Parneet Kaur, MP, condemned the indifferent attitude of the Police Department in failing to nab the culprits involved in the killing of Balwant Singh, a former sarpanch of Bhedpura village, yesterday. Addressing a press conference here today, Mrs Parneet Kaur said as the former sarpanch was allegedly killed by the brother of a Punjab minister, the police was deliberately trying to hush up the case. She said that if Faujinder Singh, brother of Punjab Cabinet Minister Ajain Singh
Mukhmailpur, who is said to be behind the killing of Balwant Singh, was not immediately arrested, the Congress would put forth the demand that the sensitive case should be handed over to the CBI. She demanded the immediate dismissal of Mr Mukhmailpur from the Cabinet on moral grounds. |
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Kin of martyrs oppose Sonia as trust chief AMRITSAR, Nov 26 (UNI) — Relatives of martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 1919, have demanded the removal of Congress President Sonia Gandhi as Chairperson of the Nation Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust. In a memorandum submitted to Union Petroleum Minister Ram Naik here yesterday, the relatives of martyrs said as per the rules, the Prime Minister was the chairperson of the trust while the Congress President was member of this trust. However, Mrs Gandhi was made the chairperson of the trust last year, the memorandum said. The memorandum was submitted on behalf of the Jallianwala Bagh Shaheed Samarak Bachao Samiti, which consists of relatives of those who fell to the bullets of the British on Baisakhi Day in 1919. It was signed by Mr Avinash Bhatia, President of the samiti. Speaking to newspersons, Mr Bhatia claimed that no meeting of the trust was held, in which a unanimous decision was taken to appoint Mrs Gandhi as the chairperson as was being claimed by the trust secretary, Mr
M.L. Mukherjee. He said the Punjab Governor and the state Chief Minister, who were also members of this trust could not have agreed to appoint Mrs Gandhi as the chairperson in place of the Prime Minister. The memorandum alleged that a few rooms attached to the memorial had been rented out by the trust secretary. He had made no arrangement for installing lights in the Jallianwala Bagh complex, as a result, visitors faced problems at night, the memorandum claimed. |
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Badal inaugurates ‘statue of peace’ BATHINDA, Nov 26 — “We need to preserve our great history so that the future generation can learn from it,” said Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, while inaugurating the “statue of peace” dedicated to the memory of Bhai Kanhiya here today. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Badal said the example set by Bhai Kanhiya was unique in the history of the world. The exemplary service rendered by him has no equal in the world, he said, adding that he provided aid to the injured in the battlefield, even to soldiers of the enemy, 160 years before the Red Cross was set up. The statue, built at a cost of Rs 15 lakh by the Bhai Kanhiya Charitable Trust, is 13 ft high and is made of fibre glass, which offers a spectacular night-lit view to the passers-by. Bhai Kanhiya Chowk will be developed into a nodal point and services like ambulance, drinking water, first-aid and a telephone booth will be provided here. The well at which Bhai Kanhiya served water to the injured soldiers at Anandpur Sahib should be developed into a Sikh heritage site by the trust, Mr Badal appealed to Mahant Tirath Das, chief organiser of the mission. He said the government would also provide financial aid for the purpose. Mahant Tirath Das said the chowk would spread the message of universal brotherhood, love and peace. The mission is constantly working for the upliftment of the masses and emphasis would be laid on education. The mission is managing about 100 educational institutions, he added. Mr Balwinder Singh Bhunder, MP, Mr Chiranji Lal Garg, Minister for Science and Technology, Punjab, and other prominent members of the mission were also present on the occasion. |
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Promoting
skills in painting BATHINDA: The local S. Sobha Singh Memorial Chittarkar Society has been making efforts to promote skills in painting and sculpture among the masses by organising workshops and exhibitions here. The management of the society has also been holding painting competitions and seminars. Besides, its members tour various art galleries in the country to see the works of famous painters and sculptors. Established in 1989, the main aim of the society is to bring all lovers of art on one platform so that they can share their experiences and improve their techniques. The society has also been striving hard to encourage painting among school children so that they can
utilise their spare time in a creative way. In the recent past, the society held its seventh painting and sculpture workshop at the Teachers Home here at which will-known painter Ashok Kumar Singh of Agra was also present. More than 1,000 art lovers and others visited the venue of the two-day workshop to see the works of artists. The workshop also attracted a large number of school children. Art lovers demanded that an art college should be opened here and a Chair in the name of Sobha Singh set up at one of the universities in Punjab They also sought the establishment of an art gallery and museum in Bathinda and the issuance of a commemorative postage stamp on Sobha Singh. |
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Army role in J&K sole solution:
Bitta LUDHIANA Nov 26 — Chairman of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front Maninderjit
Bitta has asked Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to call an all-party meeting to take a collective decision on handing over the administration of Kashmir to the Army. “Army rule in Kashmir, sans any political interference is the only way to keep Kashmir as an integral part of India”, he maintained, while talking to TNS here today. Demanding the dismissal of the Farooq Abdullah government in Kashmir for its failure to curb terrorism, Mr Bitta said the unilateral announcement of a ceasefire during Ramzan by the Prime Minister had fanned terrorism in the state. He appealed to Mr Vajpayee to withdraw the ceasefire. “Only a replication of the Punjab model of fighting militancy can rid Kashmir of terrorism. In the interest of the nation, all political parties should sink their differences and come together on a common platform to save Kashmir from disintegration”, he opined. He said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan had sent its agents in all states of the country. The Indian intelligence agencies must immediately take up the task of locating them. “Many Pakistani visitors have come to Punjab on valid travel documents, but have gone into hiding”, he claimed. Mr Bitta said the nation had to adopt a “bullet-for-bullet” policy to counter Pakistan’s designs. He levelled serious charges of bungling in the secret funds that were being sent to Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. Raising the issue of neglect of Indian soldiers and the lack of a concrete policy for the families of missing soldiers, the AIATF chief said hundreds of Indian soldiers were languishing in Pakistan jails since the 1971 war. “Families of such soldiers meet me and express their plight. Despite my having taken up this issue with the government, none is interested in bringing these soldiers back”. “The nation should appeal to the United Nations to seek the release of these prisoners of war before the next Republic Day”. He advocated a law to take care of various rights of persons who got into difficult situations while performing their duty towards the nation. Mr Bitta, a former Indian Youth Congress President and Punjab minister, said the political system in the country had collapsed. He accused politicians of indulging in “immoral and criminal” activities. He appealed to the President to set up a commission of inquiry headed by a Supreme Court judge for comprehensive investigations into the role of politicians in aiding and shielding criminals like Veerappan. |
Two more held in Mukhija case MOGA, Nov 26 — Two more suspects in the murder of Congress leader Harmesh Kumar Mukhija in
Dharamkot, near here, on November 13 were arrested today by the police. Identifying the two as Kuldeep Singh, alias Deepa and Sahib Singh, alias
Sahba, police sources said the Tata Sumo used in the crime was also seized from them. Today’s arrest has taken the number of suspects arrested in the case so far to four. Earlier Surjit Singh and Happy had surrendered before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Ferozepore. However, the main suspect, Gurbux Singh
Kukku, is still at large. Sources revealed that both Deepa and Sahba were engaged by Kukku to look after his farm and rice mill in
Dharamkot. The two had accompanied Kukku, Surjit and Happy to the spot of the crime. Preliminary investigation had revealed that the Tata Sumo used by the suspects belonged to a resident of Nakodar, who was close to
Kukku. Kukku borrowed the vehicle on the pretext of attending a wedding. Meanwhile, the police has mounted pressure on the relatives and friends of Kukku to make him surrender. |
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Graft case against SI JALANDHAR Nov 26 — The Jalandhar police has booked an additional Station House Officer (SHO) posted at Nurmahal police station for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 70,000 from a resident of Langroa village. Mr Gaurav Yadav, SSP, said complainant Surinder Pal had stated that he had been named co-accused in an NDPS Act case on April 24, along with Surinder Pal. He was picked up by the police about three months ago from the house of his in-laws in Thabalke village. When his mother Krishna and brother-in-law Gopi Chand went to the police station in this context, Sub Inspector Manjit Singh told them that his name could be dropped from the case if they paid him a bribe of Rs 70,000. The money was paid accordingly. But he suspected foul play when raids continued at his house and contacted DSP Charanjit Singh, who in turn registered a case against Manjit Singh. |
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Temple keeper murdered JALANDHAR, Nov 26 (UNI) — A keeper of a temple was murdered in one of the two robberies in which criminals looted cash and valuables, the police said today. Amir Chand, in his forties, was found murdered today in the Bibi Malavi Devi temple at Buta Mandi in the city. Robbery seemed to be the objective as the cash box meant for the collection of offerings was found upturned when devotees saw the body bearing multiple cut wounds this morning and informed, the police. In another incident a gang of eight dacoits struck at the “dera” of Mahant Ramdass at Haripur Khalsa village near Phillaur in the wee hours yesterday and decamped with cash and valuables worth thousands of rupees. |
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4 held for illegal
fishing TARN TARAN Nov 26 — Anoop Singh of Harike village along with three others have been arrested for illegal fish catching and disturbing the peace of Harike bird sanctuary. Sources said here on Saturday that three nets, three boats and other materials had been seized from their possession. The accused were produced before Mr Amarjit Singh Virk, Judicial Magistrate, Patti. They have been remanded in judicial custody till December 4. |
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Results of zonal youth
festival FEROZEPORE, Nov 26 — The three-day Panjab University zonal youth festival hosted by the local Dev Samaj College of Education concluded yesterday evening amid great fanfare. Around 1,000 students from 15 colleges all over Punjab participated. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.Kulbir Singh Sidhu, presided over the valedictory session.
Results: Shabad bhajan: Government College for Education, Chandigarh (1), DAV College of Education, Abohar (2) and Dev Samaj College of Education, Chandigarh (3) Dimple, Rajni and Monica won in the individual category. Ghazal:
Nimit Rajan, Dev Samaj, Chandigarh (1) Ritu, Sidwan Khurd (2) and Harpreet of Abohar (3). Giddha:
The host college (1), DAV, Hoshiarpur (2) and Malwa Central Ludhiana (3) Jaspreet, Dimple and Satinder were declared best performers. Bhangra: DM College, Moga (1), DAV, Abohar (2) and Khalsa College, Muktsar (3) Rajiv Kumar, Kulwinder and Simranjit were selected as best bhangra performers. Classical music (vocal):
Dimple, DAV, Hoshiarpur (1) Sahib Singh, DAV College of Education, Abohar (2) and Rajbinder, Dev Samaj Education, Ferozepore (3). Group song:
DAV, Abohar (1) Dev Damaj, Ferozepore (2) and Dev Samaj Chandigarh (3). Sumit, Ritu and Vandana shared honours in the individual category. Creative writing:
DAV, Abohar, DAV Hoshiarpur and DD Jain College of Education, Ludhiana, were declared winners. Poetry recitation:
Jaspal Kaur, Government College, Sidhawa Khurd (1), Simrandeep (2) and Kapil (3) both from Dev Samaj Chandigarh. Essay writing:
Deepali, Government College, Chandigarh, Reema, DAV, Abohar and Cheena, BCM, Ludhiana were the winners. |
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Ludhiana school wins shabad
competition KAPURTHALA, Nov 26 — Guru Gobind Singh Public School, Ludhiana, bagged the first position in the 14th all-India public schools shabad gayan competition organised by M.G.N. Public School here today. Twentyone teams from various public schools participated in the competition . Guru Nanak Public School and Guru Harkishan Public School,
Ludhiana were placed second and third, respectively. Students presented shabads from the Guru Granth Sahib composed in various ragas. Punjab Transport Minister Raghbir Singh gave away the prizes to the
winners. |
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Assurance to dental students MANSA, Nov 26 — Even after getting results from Baba Farid University of Health Science, Faridkot, with the help of a court verdict, students of Khalsa Dental College and Hospital for Women, Nangal Kalan, in this district are running from pillar to post to get themselves enrolled with the Dental Council of India. An association which was formed by parents of these students held a meeting here today on the premises of the college. The executive body of the association met the Managing Director, Mr Naginder Singh Harika, and Principal of the college, Mr Sodhi, and apprised them of the situation. The managing committee of the college said the college would get recognition from the Dental Council of India before December 8. Mr Mohinder Singh of Jammu, founder of the association, addressing the meeting said the situation was volatile. The college came into being in 1995 and had admitted 60 students for the first professional year. The college, after being approved by the Punjab Government was affiliated to Punjabi University, Patiala. The Punjab Government admitted students to this college through the PMT conducted in 1998-99. It may be mentioned that the prospectus of the college lured the students by advertising that the college was recognised by the Dental Council of India. Among the students of this college are relatives of the Vice-Chancellor of the University and other top government officials. |
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