 |
| Wednesday, December 20, 2000, Chandigarh, India    |
Dosanjh felicitated by DSGMC Govt has made us scapegoat: FCI Congress objects to Bangaru’s statement |
|
|
Cong: Thackeray’s remark on
Muslims shocking Centre for declaring NE areas ‘disturbed’
Situation tense over leader’s murder |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
North India in Parliament SC ruling favours tenants CWC poll on
January 7 Janshakti: sack Sheila Dikshit Jail for Chief Fire Officer Greek minister’s
visit on Dec 21 Assurance on quota policy anomalies
|
|
Dosanjh felicitated by DSGMC NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — It was a nostalgic moment for the India-born Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia Mr Ujjal Dosanjh today as he was felicitated by the principals, teachers and administrative staff of the Sikh Education Society of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) at Guru Harkishan Public School (GHPS), Vasant Vihar, here. “I am delighted to be here amid you all. My presence here reminds me of my primary school in Punjab and also my father, who himself was a teacher,” a visibly overwhelmed Mr Dosanjh said while addressing a large gathering at a simple felicitation ceremony. While terming his becoming the Prime Minister of British Columbia as “no big deal”, he owed whatever success he had in life to education. “Education is very important and it is a great equaliser,” he said, adding that “through education people learn where to go and what to do.” “You have to make sure you have strong roots, so that you can be at home in both the places (in India and Canada),” Mr Dosanjh, who has helped to unite the Indian-Canadian community in his province and worked tirelessly to wean away those inclined to support the Khalistan cause, said, painting towards students. He wanted that the Sikh community across the world should continue to play a crucial role in uniting the people and strongly fight for the rights of one and all. Earlier, Mr Dosanjh was accorded a warm welcome at the ceremony by DSGMC president Avtar Singh Hit and DSGMC general secretary Kulmohan Singh amid the playing of bands by young troupe of GHPS students and standing ovation by principals, teachers and others gathered there. Speaker after speaker hailed the tall achievements of Mr Dosanjh and urged upon the younger generation to make him their role model. “He (Mr Dosanjh) has made not only the Sikh community proud, but the entire Indian community by becoming the first Indian to be the Premier of British Columbia. He should be emulated as a role model by the younger generation,” Mr Hit said during the felicitation ceremony. Among those who were present at the ceremony included, Mr Manjit Singh, chairman of GHPS, Mr Tarlochan Singh, vice-chairman of GHPS, Mr Samsher Singh Sandhu, Junior vice-president of DSGMC, Mr Jasbir Singh Kaka, joint secretary DSGMC and Principal of GHPS, S.S. Minhas. The Canadian Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Robert F Andrigo, who was also present at the function, had to strain to understand what the speakers were saying in their address, as almost all of them spoke in Punjabi. He overcame his predicament by taking the help of those sitting beside him. Born in India in 1947, Mr Dosanjh, a staunch protagonist of communal harmony, emigrated to England at the age of 17 and moved to Canada four years later. When a serious back injury left him unable to continue working at a Vancouver saw mill, he enrolled at Langar College and subsequently completed a degree in political science and earned a law degree at University of British Columbia. |
|
Govt has
made us scapegoat: FCI HYDERABAD, Dec 19— The officials of the Food Corporation of India(FCI), which is at present in the eye of a political storm both in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh,are accusing both the Centre and the state governments of making them unnecessary scapegoats in their political games. The missive sent by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr Chandrababu Naidu to the Prime Minister,
Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on Sunday, accusing the FCI of non- cooperation in procurement of rice is, according to them, is “misleading” and that it was the state government agencies which have not fulfilled their quota of procurement. The senior FCI officials here told The Tribune that they were under instructions by the Centre to use maximum restraint despite false accusations levelled against them by the Chief Minister. The pressures being mounted by the states to procure inferior quality of grain have already taken their toll and it is understood that the Chairman of the FCI,Mr Bhurelal, has submitted his resignation and pending its acceptance is not functioning. It was only a week ago that the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Food, Mr Shanta Kumar, was here at the behest of the Prime Minister, to explain to the Chief Minister the real position with regard to procurement and take necessary steps to see that the farmers were not put to hardship by the low prices prevailing in the market. It is pointed out that the Centre has fulfilled all its commitments and it was only the state government that has lagged far behind in opening the procurement centres. One of the fallouts of the present Centre-state tussle in the procurement of rice was the reversal of the policy of free movement of grain. As per the commitment given by Mr Shanta Kumar, the ban in the movement of rice from north to south has been implemented even though it has affected the Punjab farmers adversely. The movement of rice from Andhra Pradesh to other southern states has picked up. On the other hand, the state government agencies who were to procure 7 lakh tonnes of rice and paddy have to date procured 1681 tonnes only. They have opened only 34 centres for procurement, including those by NAFED. Against that, the FCI since the visit by Mr Shanta Kumar has opened 163 centres for paddy and 42 for maize and has this year procured already 13.1 lakh tonnes of rice against last year’s procurement of 8.7 lakh
tonnes.The daily procurement of rice by the FCI has at one stage touched 50,000 tonnes. According to knowledgeable circles, the real reason for the state government falling behind in procurement was that they have no experienced machinery for procurement. The understanding reached during the visit of Mr Shanta Kumar was that the state would procure 7 lakh tonnes of rice while the FCI would procure 3 lakh tonnes in this kharif season. The Chief Minister having failed to fulfill their target is trying to divert the blame on to the FCI. |
|
Congress objects to Bangaru’s statement NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — The Congress today expressed reservations over Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s reply to a debate in Rajya Sabha over Opposition sponsored motion. Talking to mediapersons, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee said though Mr Vajpayee had assured the House that the government would abide by the court verdict on the Ayodhya issue, a similar commitment had been made by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh before December 6, 1992 when the disputed structure was demolished. Mr Mukherjee said the Prime Minister did not comment on the recent statements of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. “The Prime Minister must restrain his alliance partners,” he said. He also objected to statements by BJP chief Bangaru Laxman in which he had said the party would launch an agitation if the ministers were held guilty. The Congress chief Whip in Rajya Sabha said though the Cabinet was accountable to the Lok Sabha, the fact remains that one House had disagreed with certain remarks of the Prime Minister on the question of propriety |
|
Cong: Thackeray’s remark on
Muslims shocking NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — Describing Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s demand for disenfranchising the Muslims in the country as “shocking,” the Congress has called upon Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and NDA convener George Fernandes to spell out their stand on the issue. The party also took exception to the reported statement of BJP Chief Bangaru Laxman that they would not accept the court verdict on the Ayodhya issue and would launch a national campaign even if Home Minister L.K. Advani was found guilty. The party objected a reaction to Mr Advani’s reported statement on the functioning of the CBI. Party spokesperson, Mrs Margaret Alva said though Mr Advani had clarified his statement on the CBI, the party would like to know what exactly was the truth of the matter. Asked about the possibility of President’s rule being imposed in Manipur, he said there were certain procedures to be adopted before imposing President’s rule. He said the Congress could not give its views till the government formulated its own views on the matter. Parliament’s approval, he said, was required only in case President’s rule had to be imposed for more than two months. |
|
|
Centre for declaring NE areas ‘disturbed’ CALCUTTA, Dec 19 — The Centre is in favour of declaring the militant-infested areas of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland and other adjoining states as ‘disturbed’ for some time now. The proposal, which the Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, himself suggested, was conveyed to the respective chief ministers whose concurrence is necessary for application of the special provision of the Disturbed Area Act, 1987, disclosed Union Cabinet sources. The two Central ministers, Mr Tapan Sikdar and Mr Satyabrata Mukherjee (both BJP) from West Bengal were present when the state’s law and order situation was discussed by Mr Advani at a meeting held recently in Delhi, at which the insurgency problems in the region vis-a-vis introduction of Disturbed Area Act also figured prominently. In Tripura, nine police stations in the militants-infested districts had been brought under Central force for over six months during 1993-94 under the Disturbed Area Act with the approval of the CPI led state government when the underground tribal militants went on a rampage in the civilian lives by mass killing and other subversive activities. But in Assam at the same time, the Disturbed Area Act could not implemented following objection from the state government. |
|
|
All set for Hrithik’s marriage BANGALORE, Dec 19 (PTI) — The stage is set for high-profile marriage of Bollywood sensation Hrithik Roshan with his childhood friend Suzanne Khan, daughter of actor-producer Sanjay Khan, at a heavily guarded resort in city’s outskirts tomorrow. As the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) kept a vigil to keep intruders at bay, preparations for one of the most-talked about marriage were in top gear at the resort owned by Sanjay Khan, about 30 km from here. Stars like Rishi Kapoor, Jitendra and Dimple Kapadia have already arrived, while Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan are expected to come. Sources said security by private commandos, who have been brought specially from Mumbai, were strengthened with the addition of some more of them. The police said instructions had been issued to make the security foolproof in view of the threat perceptions to Hrithik’s father Rakesh Roshan, on whose life an attempt was made in the past, as also to
Hrithik’s. |
|
|
Situation tense over leader’s murder SRIGANGANAGAR, Dec 19 — Even as workers of different trade unions have started an indefinite dharna at Gandhi Chowk here with the dead body of trade union leader Darshan Kaura, the district administration has imposed Section 144 of the Cr PC to avoid any untoward incident. The shopkeepers and other businessmen observed complete bandh and a large number of policemen were deployed to keep the law and order situation under control. Even the educational institutions were ordered to remain close in the town and nearby Gajsinghpura town. The workers were demanding that those responsible for Kaura’s murder should be immediately arrested. They also insisted that they would not cremate the dead body of Darshan Kaura till the accused were arrested. Police sources said in the FIR registered in connection with the murder of Darshan Kaura at Padampur police station, the name of a former minister, Mr Kundan Lal Miglani and other senior leaders were given. Darshan Kaura was reportedly beaten to death in a cotton factory yesterday evening when he was coming to the town after addressing a rally of workers at Gajsinghpura town. He was reportedly forcibly pulled out of bus and taken to the place of murder. Mrs Kiran Soni Gupta, District Collector, said four suspects involved in the crime had been arrested. Some vehicles had also been impounded in this connection, she said. She said talks were being held with the union leaders for urging them to lift the dharna and cremate the dead body of the deceased. Mr C.M. Meena, Commissioner, Bikaner Division, and DIG, Mr Laxman Meena, reached the town today morning. Meanwhile, leaders of various political parties joined the agitation launched by the workers. They urged the authorities to punish those involved in the killing. Police sources said efforts were being made to arrest the accused. The persons who have so far been arrested include Bhupinder Singh, Amrik Singh, Jagdish Singh and Banta Singh. A case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered at Padampur police station in this connection. |
|
PAU steps
to generate funds NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, has taken certain steps, including starting consultancy services to generate funds, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Debendra Pradhan, informed the Lok Sabha today. A proposal has also been submitted to the state government to create a research fund by imposing cess of Rs 1 per quintal on the sale of wheat and paddy. In this way, the university is likely to generate resources to the tune of Rs 25 crore for research activities, Mr Pradhan said in a written reply to a question from Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal. As regard CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, the state government have imposed a ban on filling of vacancies. In addition, the ICAR has sanctioned 69 NATP schemes for three years with a budget provision of Rs 15 crore, the minister said. These projects have no posts and only contingent provision exists to carry out research activities, Mr Pradhan said. Software technology park: Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, MP, has urged the Centre to set up a software technology park in Chandigarh. Making a special mention in the Lok Sabha yesterday, he‘said that the city had enormous pool of trained and talented manpower in the IT. He said the Chandigarh Administration was also taking interest in the development of information technology. Water project in HP: No approval has been made for the execution of the Bamsan-Lagwalti-Sarkaghat-Dharampur water supply project in Himachal Pradesh from some foreign agency, Minister of State for Water Resources, Mrs Bijoya Chakravarty informed the Rajya Sabha today. She stated this in a written reply to a question from Mrs Chandresh Kumari. Guidelines on carrying kirpans: Carrying of kirpan of the length 9 inches (22.86 cms) with blade not more than 6 inches (15.24 cms) by a Sikh passenger on his person is allowed on board the domestic passenger flights in India, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Sharad Yadav, informed the upper house. A circular in this regard was issued on December 7, 1983, and reiterated on April 28, 1999, the minister said in a reply to a question from Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Mr Sukhdev Singh Libra. Development of air-strip near Dehradun: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has got two airports in the state of Uttaranchal, one at Jolly Grant near Dehradun and another at Pant Nagar which are fully operational and suitable for operation of Dornier 228 type of aircraft, Mr Yadav said in reply to a question from Mr Manohar Kant Dhyani. Dehradun and Pant Nagar airports are not suitable for operation of bigger aircraft, he said. The Uttar Pradesh Government had been asked as early as in 1992 to confirm whether it can transfer 112.35 acres of land free of cost for further development of Jolly Grant airport to make it suitable for operation of B-737 class of aircraft, the Minister said adding that till date the land has not been made available to the Airports Authority of India. Appointments on compassionate grounds: Punjab National Bank (PNB) have intimated that they have revised their scheme for compassionate appointment keeping in view the observations of the Supreme Court in its judgement dated May 4, 1994, the Minister of State for Finance, Mr Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, informed the Rajya Sabha. The apex court in its judgement had observed that “compassionate appointment cannot be granted after a lapse of reasonable period which must be specified in the rules. The consideration for such employment is not a vested right which can be exercised at any time in future. The object being to enable the family to get over the financial crisis which it faces at the time of the death of the sole bread winner, the compassionate employment cannot be claimed and offered whatever the lapse of time and after the crisis is over.” Accordingly, PNB had made a provision in their revised scheme that the cases of the dependents of the deceased employees can be considered at the discretion of the bank within four years of the death of the employee, the minister said. The revised scheme has been made applicable from March 20, 1997, and all pending applications have been examined keeping in view the provisions of the new scheme, Mr Patil said in a reply to a question from Mr Sukhdev Singh Libra. The minister said the bank was being directed to re-examine the cases of those children who fulfil bank’s criteria applicable prior to March 20, 1997 to help such needy persons. |
|
SC ruling favours tenants NEW DELHI, Dec 19 (PTI) — In a ruling favouring tenants, the Supreme Court has held that a rent controller should grant tenants, facing eviction notice, a chance to contest the case if they prima facie showed that the landlord did not require the premises for his own use. “We are of the considered view that at a stage when the tenant seeks leave to defend, it is enough if he prima facie makes out a case by disclosing facts as would disentitle the landlord from obtaining an order of eviction,” said a Bench comprising Mr Justice D. P. Mohapatra and Mr Justice Shivaraj V. Patil. The Bench said it would not be a right approach to say that unless the tenant, at that stage itself, establishes a strong case as would non-suit the landlord, leave to defend should not be granted. “Leave to defend cannot be refused where an eviction petition is filed on a mere design or desire of a landlord to recover the possession of the premises from a tenant under Section 14 (1) (e) of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958, when as a matter of fact the requirement may not be bona fide,” Mr Justice Patil said writing the judgement for the Bench. This ruling came on a petition by a tenant who challenged a Delhi High Court judgement upholding the rent controller’s order refusing him leave to defend an eviction case filed by his UK-based landlord on the ground that he and his family were coming back to India to settle permanently. The Rent Controller, by an elaborate order, had rejected the tenant’s application seeking leave to defend and passed an order of eviction against him. The apex court said the Rent Controller and the high court both were in error in refusing to grant leave to the tenant to contest the eviction petition. Mr Justice Patil said Section 14(1) (e) enables a landlord to recover the
possession of the tenanted premises on the ground of his bona fide requirement. “Essentially the burden is on the landlord to establish his case affirmatively,” he said. |
|
|
CWC poll on
January 7
CHENNAI, Dec 19 (PTI) — Elections to the Congress
Working Committee will be held in New Delhi on January 7, Chairman of
the Congress Election Authority Ram Niwas Mirdha announced today. The nominations would be accepted on January 6 and withdrawal and scrutiny would take place the same day, he told reporters here. Though the list of AICC members, who form the electoral college for the CWC elections, was not yet ready, state returning officers had promised him to make available the complete list within a couple of days, he said. Mr
Mirdha said elections to the post of TNCC President would be held
soon. |
|
Janshakti: sack Sheila Dikshit NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — The newly floated Lok Janshakti Party of Mr Ram Vilas Paswan today demanded the dismissal of the Sheila Dikshitled Delhi Government saying it was responsible for sounding the death knell for about 130,000 owners of small and medium industrial units. The national vice-president of the party, Mr Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, said more than 15 lakh workers and their dependents would suffer as a result of the decision to throw away the industrial units from Delhi. |
|
Jail for Chief Fire Officer NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) today sentenced Chief Fire Officer S.K. Dheri to one-month imprisonment as he was held guilty of contempt of the Tribunal’s order delivered on October 6 last year, CAT’s order said. The CAT delivered the order on the basis of a petition filed by Mukesh Prakash, a representative of Radio Telephone Operators in the Delhi Fire Service. The petitioner had sought hire pay scales at par with Radio Operators. The CAT directed that the order should be complied within a period of three months from the date of receipt. |
Greek minister’s
visit on Dec 21 NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — The Foreign Minister of Greece, Mr George A. Papandreou, is expected to arrive here on a two-day official visit on December 21. Mr Papandreou, accompanied by his wife, the Secretary General for Foreign Affairs and other senior officials, will hold talks with the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh on bilateral, regional and international issues. |
|
Assurance on quota policy anomalies NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — The government today assured the Lok Sabha that it would remove the anomalies arising out of the issuance of five official memoranda in 1997, that had created hurdles in the implementation of the job reservation policy for SC and ST persons. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan, gave the assurance after members of the Congress and the BJP clashed during zero hour on who would raise the issue first. |
|||||
Pilot killed in MiG crash SRPF jawan fires at mob, 5 shot CITU leader beaten to death Curfew lifted in UP areas Order on compulsory retirement HT compendium copy presented Extra coaches for Shatabdi, Rajdhani 16 juveniles escape, 11 nabbed |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 120 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
