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| Friday,
March 2, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
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Punjab plans Internet-based executive Chandigarh, March 1 Having tested the EIS in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the state government has proposed to deploy an upgraded version of the EIS for its different offices. The authorised persons will be provided with passwords and they can access the application from any place. Giving details of the proposed application, Mr R.K. Verma, Additional Secretary to the Chief Minister, said, “The EIS has different modules to monitor projects, schemes and other pending issues”. He added that the monitoring system would also have a facility for monitoring and organising meetings, appointments and schedules. “The hallmark of the EIS is a strong and secure messaging system”, claimed Mr Verma. An upgraded and enlarged version of the EIS “is poised to emerge as an Internet office portal” for various state government offices. The proposed portal can keep information and access information related to various office needs. The EIS will have workflow application such as a reference monitoring system, announcements, files monitoring, “Sangat Darshan” and constituency development agenda. The messaging system in the application allows officers and departments to add their comments or send messages on pending references, announcements, files, “Sangat Darshan” demands and constituency development agenda or project activity. The officer concerned can reply to the message and comments and the sequence can carry on eliminating the need for written letters, which float around merely seeking petty clarifications from one department to another. In addition, the EIS is also a citizen interface module which allows citizens to send their suggestions, complaints and representations to the Chief Minister through www and the same are recorded and forwarded to the office concerned. The reference can track the status of a person’s application at any time. Originally, the EIS was installed at the CMO to cater to various needs of the office. Mr Verma said that it was realised that the needs of any government department were essentially the same and, therefore, the system built for the CMO was upgraded to meet the requirements of any other office. Mr Verma said the application was also opened to other state governments and their departments on nominal charges. All those interested in testing the release of the EIS should get themselves registered before April 15 at
www.punjab.gov.in/online. |
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Another tubectomy death comes to light Patiala, March 1 Joginder Kaur, mother of six and resident of Siel village, near Bahadurgarh, allegedly died following administration of local anaesthesia just before a tubectomy was to be done on her on February 19. Following complications in the case, the family planning camp was disrupted and operations scheduled on six other women were not performed that day due to a fear psychosis among the relatives of the women. While the Rajpura police has registered a case of criminal negligence in the matter, the Civil Surgeon claims that Joginder Kaur died due to a drug reaction and that no doctor had committed negligence during the family planning camp. The Civil Surgeon, Mr Rameshwar Chander, claimed that Joginder Kaur started shivering when she was administered local anaesthesia by a qualified anaesthetist. Attempts were made to revive her by putting her on artificial oxygen and life-saving drugs were also given to her. She was immediately taken to a private hospital in Rajpura when her condition deteriorated and she expired after reaching the hospital. While Mr Chander claimed that the victim died due to a drug reaction, he said this was a ‘clinical presumption’ being made by him as the chemical report following a post-mortem examination of the deceased was yet to be received. He said the department Deputy Director had already conducted an inquiry into the case and submitted his report to the government. He said tubectomies on the remaining women were conducted the next day at Ghanaur. He also denied allegations that proper pre-operational procedures had not been followed in the case, claiming that a complete medical check-up of the patients had been done and required laboratory tests had also been conducted. However, Ram Jassa, husband of the deceased, and other relatives, while talking to The Tribune at Siel village, alleged that Joginder was a victim of negligence on the part of doctors conducting the camp.’’ The injection (anaesthesia) did her in’’, says Ram Jassa, who claimed that his wife was not suffering from any infirmity and was completely fit. Labh Kaur and Binder, two relatives of the deceased, said she became unwell after local anaesthesia was administered to her. They said following this the doctors took Joginder Kaur to another room and put her on artificial oxygen. They said they had been asked by the doctors whether Joginder Kaur had ever suffered from fits, to which they had replied in the negative. The relatives claim that the doctors attending on Joginder Kaur started behaving in a suspicious manner immediately after she became unwell and did not allow them come close to her. They said they suspected that Joginder Kaur had died at the Primary Health Centre itself and was only taken to the private hospital in Rajpura as eyewash. Ram Jassa and some other villagers of Siel claimed that two doctors had visited the village and met the Sarpanch and Lambardar. Ram Jassa further claimed that he was told that the doctors, who had come with two patwaris, wanted to reach a compromise with him to ensure that he did not make a complaint or pursue the matter with higher authorities. |
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Reduce area under paddy: VC Ludhiana, March 1 He said the state would face grave consequences, especially with regard to the water table, if the area under this crop was not reduced by 10 lakh hectares in the near future. He said this while speaking to farmers at a kisan mela organised at the Kandi Regional Reserach Station, Ballowal Saunkhari, near here, today. It is
significant to mention here that the marketing of paddy in the state has become a serious problem. Not only the state government but also the agriculture scientists and others concerned are trying hard to resolve the problem. Earlier, the Director of Punjab Agriculture Department, Mr Mewa Singh Sonar, stated that the department had planned to cut area under paddy by 2 lakh hectares next year. He referred the Dr S.S. Johal committee’s report, which had recommended that the area under paddy should not cross 12 lakh hectares. Because of the transplantation of paddy in the vast area in the past one decade or so, the condition of the soil is deteriorating. He said the area spared from the paddy crop should be diverted to fruit crops, vegetables, green fodder, forestry, oil seeds and pulses. Dr Kalkat also urged the PAU scientists to develop efficient production technologies involving minimum use of poisonous chemicals so that our farm produce meets the standards of international market in terms of quality, particularly with regard to toxic residues and nutritive value. Farmers can meet the challenges posed by the WTO only by adopting such technologies. He urged farmers to stick to PAU’s recommendations with regard to the transplantation of paddy and avoid its early transplantation. He warned that if the practice of early
transplantation of paddy continued, underground water in upper layers of the soil would disappear and huge investments would be required to replace the present centrifugal pumps by the submersible pumps which would consume more electricity. Dr Kalkat said the shift to the new crops would not be possible without the development of marketing infrastructure for scientific grading, packaging value addition, processing and storage of these alternative crops. These measures require the immediate attention of the government which should involve the public, private and cooperative sectors. He also advocated the shifting emphasis from quantity to quality in agriculture. He also expressed concern over the deteriorating standard of education in rural areas and the increasing drug addiction and idleness among rural youth. He called upon the educationists to give top priority to these problems. Dr M.S. Bajwa, Director of Research, stated that the Centre had developed Lucknow-49 and Allahabad safeda varieties of guava, sanaur-2 variety of ber, chakyia of amla, K-I and Gs-6 of galgal. He added that the PAU had so far evolved more than 455 varieties of various feed, fodder and horticultural crops. Dr Roshan Sunkaria, Deputy Commissioner of Nawanshahr, said all schemes for the welfare of the farmers would be implemented in the district. Dr Jaspinder Singh
Kolar, Director of Extension Education, said fragmentation of land holdings, exploitation of resources, adoption of non-recommended practices by the farmers and excessive use of inputs were the major problems. |
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Sarson in bloom in Punjab fields Chandigarh, March 1 Instead, the farmers have gone for oilseeds in general and sarson in particular. Statistics corroborate this deviation. Though oilseeds like sarson and toria did not figure in the recommendations of the proposed shift or the “Mission for a second push in the agriculture and allied sectors in Punjab and Haryana”, the farmers in Punjab are gradually reverting to traditional cultivation of sarson and toria. Against 56,000 hectares under sarson and toria the during 1999-2000 rabi crop, the area under these cash crops this time has gone up by 17 per cent to 66,000 hectares. Incidentally, in 1998-99, it was 73,000 hectares which had dropped by more than 33 per cent in the subsequent year. The committee under the chairmanship of Dr S.K. Sinha, National Professor, IARI, held that the root cause of the crisis in the agriculture sector was the non-sustainability of the traditional monoculture of wheat and paddy which has caused havoc to the agricultural economy of the state and pushed out several traditional crops like sarson, toria, gram, tara mira and others. Based on the recommendations of the expert committee, the Punjab Government proposed to make a shift towards value-added, water-light crops, including fruit and vegetable, floricuture, maize, summe moong and sugarcane. The Director of Agriculture, Punjab, Mr Mewa Singh Sonar, says that though the area under sarson and toria has increased it is not “much”. “All,” he says, “will depend on both the procurement and minimum support price. In case farmers get good remunerative price, the cultivation of sarson and toria will get a boost again.” The minimum support price for sarson in 1998-99 was Rs 1,060 per quintal which was marginally raised to Rs 1,100 last year. This year, the MSP for sarson and toria is yet to be announced by the Union Government. The farmers maintain that though the Union Government announces the MSP the rate is never given to farmers. They sell their produce at prices much lower than the MSP as not many state agencies procure oilseeds and the private traders do not come anywhere near the MSP. A Tribune team undertook a survey of Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana and Patiala districts a few days ago to find a good crop of sarson in beautiful bloom everywhere. The farmers told The Tribune that a few years ago when they took to sunflower cultivation, they had to incur huge losses besides undergoing harassment as no agency came forward to procure their produce. “That is why, we have discontinued with sunflower cultivation. In some areas, farmers are still doing it with the hope that market will stabilise and some agencies, including private traders, will procure their produce. All will depend on the government whether it was able to enforce the MSP or not,” they added. |
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Is Punjab ready for
natural disasters? Ludhiana, March 1 He has just returned from Gujarat after spending about 25 days as a member of the UN disaster management team, which played a significant role in coordinating the efforts of international aid agencies with the district administration and local NGOs. The team was also involved in making need-assessment surveys for better coordination of relief measures and built up a data bank for the preparation of a long-term plan for the revival of the economy of the area and guidelines to deal with such natural disasters in other areas in future. An electric engineering graduate from Thapar Engineering College, Patiala, Mr Gupta joined the civil services in 1985. Since 1994, he is involved in the drought relief measures in Rajasthan. Planning to write a book on disaster-management plans, he claims to have suggested the release of earthquake relief bonds by Gujarat, which Mr Yashwant Sinha announced in the budget speech. He said disaster-management plans should be prepared at the district and block-levels, especially in the risk zone areas. He
said, “It is not sufficient to depend on the donations of the people and international aid agencies. The building rules needs to be strictly followed in these areas. The communities and administration should be prepared through training and orientation programmes to deal with the situation.” Regarding the threat perceptions of floods in Punjab, he said, “Punjabis, no doubt are in the front line while helping other people in emergency whether in Orissa, Kargil or Gujarat, but the large-scale constructions in the urban areas should be prepared for the emergencies also.’’ Do we have any plans to deal with the situation if there is breach in the Bhakra dam due to an earthquake or some man-made mistake? he asked. Cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar must be prepared to deal with such man-made or natural disasters. Drills to handle the situation can be conducted in schools, colleges and government departments. We could learn a lot from Japan or California, where such disasters frequently occur, he added. He pointed out that the UN disaster-management team is under the process of releasing a plan under the UN Development Programme. The state government could follow its suggestions keeping in view the needs of the state. |
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15 prisoners repatriated Wagah (Amritsar), March 1 This has not happened for the first time. On September 8, 1999, when 14 Pakistani prisoners were released, Pakistan withheld the release of Indian prisoners. Recent repatriations have seen less of Indians being released from Pakistan in comparison to their Pakistani counterparts. Indian officials, when approached, refused to comment on it, saying that it concerned the Ministry of Home Affairs. Among those repatriated was a dumb and deaf man who could not be identified. The others were Mohammed Hussain, Abdul Sattar, Waris Ali, Iftekar Ahmed, Mohammed Nasir, Zulfikaar Ali (all from Sialkot), Mohammed Sarbar, Mohammed Navid (from Gujranwala), Mohammed Arif, Mohammed Nawad Ali, (Sargodha), Mohammed Usaf, Abdul Alim (Karachi), Muni Shah (Gujranwala) and Mohammed Din Narawala. The repatriation which was scheduled for 11 am took place at 2 pm due to “diplomatic hassles” by the Pakistani authorities. A “presence call” was undertaken by the BSF as the prisoners stood in a single file before being received by the Pakistani Rangers who showered rose petals on them. The process was completed in 25 minutes. The Indian side was represented by Mr S.K. Wadhwa, Commanding Officer, BSF, while Mr Changez Wali Khan of the Pakistani Rangers represented the other side. A majority of the released prisoners revealed that they had crossed the border by mistake. Some of them had languished in Indian jails even after their terms of imprisonment due to the inability of the authorities to establish their credentials. Zulfikaar Ali said he had crossed the border to see whether stories about the atrocities against Kashmiris were true. It prompted him to illegally cross the border. Thirtythree-year-old Zulfikaar, who is crazy about Hindi films, said he wanted to see the Indians as depicted in the movies. He never thought he could land in jail. Iftekar, another prisoner, said he had crossed the border by mistake while he was chasing rabbits near the border fence. |
Panjoli rules out patch-up with SAD Bathinda, March 1 He was talking to mediapersons here today at the residence of a senior SHSAD leader. He said Mr Badal should go to Akal Takht for forgiveness for the “wrong” he had done. He said reports in the media about the patch-up were false. He said the ruling party was spreading these rumours for political mileage. Mr Panjoli said the Majitha byelection was won by the ruling party by “altering” the voting machines. He said liquor and narcotics were distributed among the voters to get votes. He said his party did not field a candidate in Majitha as it apprehended that the ruling party would play foul game to win the elections. He alleged his party had brought to the notice of the Election Commission various malpractices by the SAD candidate, but the latter did not take any action. He said the ruling party had “misused” government machinery to win the election. Mr Panjoli said the decision of the SGPC to send Sikh jathas to Pakistan was right. He said the condition on the number of persons that could be sent should be lifted. He alleged the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat was a wing of the RSS and its activities could harm the Sikh Panth. He said the claim of the RSS that Sikhs were a part of the Hindu religion was not correct. The Sikhs had their own identity and should be looked upon as separate community, he added. |
Punjabi poll commissioner in UK Nawashahr Mr Karamjit Singh is the son of the late Tara Singh Heer, who was among the first few Asians who settled in the UK in 1938. Earlier, in 1936, his father had gone to East Africa. His father settled in Coventry town in the UK and was a founder-member of the Hindustani Mazdoor Sabha. He had campaigned in the UK for India’s freedom. Mr Karamjit Singh’s mother, Mrs Chanan Kaur, went to the UK in 1948. Mr Karamjit Singh had visited India for the first time when he was 11 years old. Before being selected as Election Commissioner in an open competition, Mr Karamjit Singh had held various posts in different departments. He had worked as Chief Executive in the NGO sector from 1975 to 1978 to probe discrimination in industrial relations. In 1978 the Race Relations Act was passed and he was appointed Regional Manager of a statutory body constituted to go into the employment policies of big companies to check racial discrimination in job opportunities. From 1984 to 1987 he served as Assistant Chief Executive in a county council. In 1987 he was selected to a 10-member board, the Police Complaints Authority. In 1991 the UK Government sent him to the USA to study the police system there to know how the police could be made more accountable. From 1994 to 1997 he served on the UK Parole Board and in 1997 was appointed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the first of its kind in the world. It is a Royal Commission, independent of the government and the judiciary. Mr Karamjit Singh , who was here to organise a free eye camp at his native village to observe the death anniversary of his father, says that in November last year the UK Government passed the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act and constituted a six-member Electoral Commission to monitor donations to political parties, set a limit on poll expenditure, reconstitute parliamentary constituencies, report on all types of elections, monitor referendums, generate confidence among the masses regarding democracy and launch a Voters Education Programme with the active involvement of NGOs, etc. The poll commission consists of five men and one woman as members. All were selected through open competition in which there were 500 candidates. The Election Commission came into existence on January 19 this year and is an independent body, says Mr Karamjit Singh. A nine-member Speaker’s Committee has been constituted to ensure its independence. The commission launched its website (www.electioncommission.uk) on February 16, says Mr Karamjit Singh adding that he would meet Mr M.S. Gill, Chief Election Commissioner of India, to know more about the functioning of the Indian Election Commission. |
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Land feud: sarpanch being ‘shielded’ Ferozepore, March 1 The residents, including a former village sarpanch, Banta Singh, have categorically charged the authorities of turning a blind eye to the excesses being perpetuated by Channa Singh on them. In a complaint addressed to the Deputy Commissioner they have categorically charged the sarpanch’s brother of conspiring to dispossess them from a piece of Central Government land by using his influence. Channa Singh and his accomplice Om Parkash were booked under Section 489 of the IPC and counterfeit currency worth Rs 12 lakh was allegedly seized from them in March, 1999. While both are on bail, the authorities are being accused of not taking action against Channa Singh to prevent him from misusing his position. Seeking his suspension, the residents allege that certain revenue officials were helping Channa Singh’s brother in grabbing the land reportedly under their possession for the past 40 years. They also charged him of taking the help of BSF men in preventing them from using this land for storing cattle fodder and cow dung. Likewise, the Panchayat Department has allegedly delayed necessary action against Channa Singh even after being booked for possessing fake currency notes. On being contacted for comment, Channa Singh denied having misused his authority. He claimed that a few residents were staking false claim on the land that was under his brother’s possession. He also said taking advantage of the conflicting claims, the BSF had cordoned off the area and was not allowing him to use the land. The Block Development and Panchayat Officer, Mr H.S. Sran, revealed that although he had sent a report recommending necessary action against Channa Singh to the Director, Panchayats, sometime in May, 1999, the department has yet to acknowledge it. Capt Sran said Channa Singh’s suspension was possible only after his conviction. Denying any political pressure behind the delay in action, he said if at all there were complaints against him let the villagers bring them to his notice officially. On being contacted for comment, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Kulbir Singh Sidhu, said he had directed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate to verify the merits of the case. While the SDM, Mr D.P.S. Kharbanda said he would have to pursue the case before offering his comment, the District Revenue Officer, Mr D.R. Varmani, said neither the complainants nor Channa Singh’s brother had a rightful possession on the land. He said the land actually belonged to the Central government and was under the rightful possession of the BSF, which had built bunkers in the area. The area was gradually encroached upon by the complainants, he said. Although he admitted that the alteration in revenue records in favour of Channa Singh’s brother was incorrect he said it was for his seniors to take action against the erring officials. Presently, the land is fenced from all sides by the BSF, which has also deployed its soldiers to guard the area. Vehemently denying the charge of helping Channa Singh, the BSF Commandant, Mr Darbara Singh Dosanjh, said the land was a part of an old post and they have only reclaimed it. He added that the area was earlier encroached upon by the complainants and the BSF was now trying to keep them away. |
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No firearms at Hola Mohalla Ropar, March 1 Earlier, while addressing a press conference he told that the sites for holding the political conferences had being allotted to the political parties by the SGPC. Shiromani Akali Dal would hold its conference at the traditional ground in front of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, the SHSAD in front of the old police station adjoining Guru Teg Bahadur Niwas, SAD (A), SAD (Mann) adjoining the sarovar and the Congress in front of the Khalsa College. When asked about the places allotted to the BSP and Mr Paswan’s party as they have also announced to hold their conferences, the Deputy Commissioner said no official request has been
received as yet from these parties. The SGPC, however, said these parties would be making their own land arrangements for holding the conferences. Giving details of other arrangements made for the mela, Mr Grewal stated that the trucks would be banned on the Anandpur Sahib-Kiratpur Sahib road from March 5 to 10. Buses would be banned from March 8 to 10. During these days traffic to Manali would be diverted through Nalagarh and to Nangal via Nurpur Bedi. Parking within a radius of 10 m from the main road has also been prohibited. Local bus stands have been constructed near Kiratpur and Agampur. Ten mobile medical vans will operate during the mela. Besides this, the Civil Hospital, Anandpur Sahib, will cater to patients round-the-clock. The SSP, Ropar, Mr Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said the mela area had been divided into nine blocks. Each block would be controlled by a gazetted police officer from a control room set up for the purpose. More than 4,000 policemen would be deployed, which included 48 members of the mounted police for maintaining law and order. The civil control room for the mela has been created in the office of the SDM, Anandpur Sahib, and the contract telephone No. is 01887-32015 for enquiry. |
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Notice to CBI in DIG case Patiala, March 1 Mr Aggarwal issued notice to the CBI following a bail application filed by the DIG yesterday under Section 493 CrPC. Earlier, CBI Special Magistrate Jaspinder Singh Heyer had rejected the bail application of the accused and directed him to appear in his court on March 16. The court of the Additional Sessions Judge had however, earlier given him time till March 4 to apply for regular bail. The DIG and three other police officers, including a Superintendent of Police and two Deputy Superintendents of the Police have been accused by the CBI of illegally detaining BKI activist Sukha for a month in the CIA interrogation centre at Ropar and causing his disappearance in July 1993. Mr Gupta was SSP Ropar at that time. |
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Minister lauds Punjabis’ help to quake-hit Jalandhar, March 1 Dr Kathiriya said though help poured in from all quarters in one form or the other, yet Punjabis made all-out efforts to help the victims in more than one way “salute the Punjabi spirit, which in other terms was a flow of humanity. Hordes of Punjabis are organising langars in remote areas, offering medicines and have even jumped in the ongoing rehabilitation operations in a big way. I have no words to thank them,” said Dr Kathiriya, who also attended a meeting of local industrialists here. He said after the catastrophe, the state was coming back to normal with the government and the NGOs joining hands to resurrect the damaged villages. He said according to a four-package system evolved by the state government, an amount of Rs 3 crore would be spent on the development of each of the village, with more than 70 per cent damage. Half of the amount would be mobilised by the NGOs, which had adopted the villages for construction of pucca homes. “We are planning to provide atleast one room and toilet to each of the family in these villages before monsoons,” said Dr Kathiriya. He said the Punjab MP, Venod Khanna, and the former Delhi Chief Minister, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, had been camping in the state and were offering aid to people. He said: “Aid is pouring in abundance and people have stored foodgrains, enough for the next four months, and it will help them overcome the draught like situation in the state. We just need tents for shortage of accommodation”. |
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‘All parties must back anti-terrorism Bill’ Bareta (Mansa), March 1 Mr Bitta, who was here last night in connection with a social function, while talking exclusively to The Tribune, said that the Punjab Government should not allow the Jammu and Kashmir Hurriyat leaders to visit Punjab. He alleged that talks held by former SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, and a former Jathedar of Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh, with Hurriyat leaders recently could revive terrorism in Punjab. Mr Bitta added that only those jathas, which were arranged by the SGPC, should be allowed to visit Pakistan. A ban should be imposed on the visit of those jathas to Pakistan which were being sponsored by other factions of Sikh religious institutions. Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, president, SGPC, should meet the High Commissioner of Pakistan and urge him to make arrangements for the forced conversion of Hindus in that country apart from removing former ISI chairman, Mr Javed Nassar, who was heading the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Mr Bitta pointed out that Mr Nassar was the same person who promoted cross-border terrorism in Punjab, which claimed the lives of thousands of innocent persons. The former president of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), while condemning the leadership for endorsing the Central Government’s extension of ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, alleged that the party had gone away from the principles of late Indira Gandhi and late Rajiv Gandhi, who had laid down their lives for the ‘sake of unity and integrity of the country.’ The Central Government should review its decision of extension of ceasefire as from February 26 till today, 242 persons, including 54 belonging to military and paramilitary forces, had been killed by the militants and 401 had been injured. He alleged that the Centre had been promoting Hurriyat leaders by making them heroes and it would boost terrorism in the valley. Hurriyat leaders should not be allowed to visit Pakistan and a CBI probe should be conducted to establish their links with the ISI, he demanded. He added that these Hurriyat leaders should also be asked as to why innocent Sikhs and Pandits in the valley were being killed. He said that the visit of Hurriyat leaders would ‘revive’ terrorism in Punjab also. Mr Bitta alleged that by endorsing the extension of ceasefire, the Congress leadership had insulted the sentiments of those families who had lost their kith and kin to militants’ bullets in Punjab. He said that the Centre should make a law for awarding death penalty to militants if it was serious about fighting against anti-national elements. The President of India and Election Commission should also make arrangements for banning criminals from contesting elections, he demanded. He claimed that the Anti-Terrorist Front honoured 10 widows of militants’ victims in Fazilka and Abohar areas last evening and gave them sewing machines. |
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Govt waives interest on plot dues Bathinda, March 1 Mr Mohan Lal, Chairman, Improvement Trust, today said that due to enhancement in the compensation paid to the owners of land from whom it was acquired by the Improvement Trust, every plot-holder had become liable to pay Rs 300 per square yard to the authorities. He added that plot-holders who were charged only Rs 60 per square yard when they were allotted the plots had been urging the Improvement Trust to reduce their liabilities. The plot-holders had also moved an application in this connection before the Punjab Local Bodies Minister, Mr Balramji Dass Tandon, in 1998. He added that on September 22, 2000, the local Improvement Trust authorities passed a resolution in connection with waiving of the interest on the amount which they had become liable to pay. He added that resolution had been approved by the Punjab Government. He pointed that every plot-holder had been given the option to pay Rs 54 per square yard up to March 20 and if anybody failed to make such payment, he would be liable to pay the full amount due before the waiver of the interest. He added that the Improvement Trust authorities had decided to arrange money to compensate the owners of land acquired for the Veer Colony by developing other residential and commercial schemes. |
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Medical camps for slum areas Faridkot, March 1 Under the scheme, six medical check-up camps will be organised in different areas in this connection. Two such camps will be held at Karirwala and Dhimawali villages on March 5 and March 12, respectively. This was disclosed by Dr Varinder Singh Mohi, Civil Surgeon here today. Mr Mohi said particular attention would be paid towards eye disease, gynae problems and orthopadics by specialists on the occasion. He said those requiring immediate attention would be referred to the Civil Hospital here for further treatment. Others would be given medicines on the spot. The corporation had already granted Rs 36,000 to mobilise the plan. The date of the other camps and areas would be announced soon. The Civil Surgeon further said one such type of camps was held at local Bazigar Basti on February 27 last in which 469 persons were examined and given medicines. |
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Traffic lights causing jams Pathankot, March 1 Traffic lights have also been installed at the Dalhousie road, which have heavy traffic. As a result, there is a perpetual traffic jam, sometimes even for over three hours. Traffic on the Dhangu road and Gandhi Chowk is less, making the traffic lights there quite pointless. It is ironical that when there is a power failure or the traffic lights are off, there is no jam and traffic flows smoothly. The moment the lights become operational, a traffic jam is created. |
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PSEB told to pay compensation Pathankot, March 1 Mr Roop Singh of Sangore village, Gurdaspur district, filed the complaint under Section 12 of the Consumer Protection Act against the PSEB alleging that Mr Hansa Singh of Chak Raj village was owner of certain piece of land. In 1986 he had applied to the opposite party (PSEB) for the release of a two HP electricity connections for his tubewell and deposited the necessary security. However, after that the complainant purchased the said land along with all rights appurtenant thereto from Hansa Singh. The complainant further alleged that in 1997 the opposite party issued a demand notice to Hansa Singh. In response to the notice the complainant submitted a test report, which was duly passed. The complainant also deposited the transfer fee and fresh test report, which was accepted by the PSEB. He was assured that he would get tubewell connection within two months and he also obtained a loan of Rs 35000. |
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A menace called blue bull Bathinda, February 28 The employees of the park at Bir Talab have been forced to organise “thikri pehra” even during the day as the blue bulls disturb other animals in the park. They also break cages of the animals and eat the food meant for them. The employees are unable to stop them from entering the park as half of the boundary wall is not complete. The blue bulls can easily cross the fencing. The farmers of Bir Talab and Multania have to make extra arrangements to protect their crops from the blue bulls. More than 200 blue bulls move in groups and destroy crops. The farmers are finding it difficult to solve the problem due to the “indifferent” attitude of the authorities concerned. The blue bulls also have become the main cause of accidents on the Bir Talab-Multania road. According to the farmers of Multania, two persons had died during the past year. In road accidents that took place near the park due to the blue bulls. The blue bulls which were in small numbers about 12 years ago, have tripled now. They cannot be hunted as they are protected by law. Mr Jarnail Singh, a guard at the park, said the blue bulls had become a problem for them and they had to keep vigil round the clock. He said the park did not have a cemented wall and the fencing could be easily crossed by the blue bulls. Mr Bhola Singh, a farmer of Multania, who owns about 14 acres near the park, said the blue bulls would often destroy their crops. He said the authorities concerned had done nothing even after repeated pleas. The wildlife inspector could not be contacted for comments. |
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Olympian Balbir retires as DIG Chandigarh, March 1 Yesterday, the Punjab Government had ordered the promotion of Mr C. Sita Rami Reddy, Mr Rajpal Meena, Mr Gurinderpal Singh and Mr Balbir Singh. Of these, two — Mr Reddy and Mr Rajpal Meena — already hold the rank of DIG under the own-rank-and-pay scheme. The fresh posting orders of Mr Gurinderpal Singh are yet to be issued. The Departmental Promotion Committee at its February 27 meeting had recommended all 1987 batch officers for promotion as DIGs. The remaining two officers are Mr Dinkar Gupta, who is on study leave and is abroad, and Mr V.K. Bhawra, who is on deputation with the Union Government. |
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Lok adalats on March 3 Bathinda,
March 1 In a press note issued here today, Mr B.C. Rajput, District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman, DLSA, said bank cases would also be taken up at the lok adalats. He said a state-level lok adalat would be organised in the town in which cases regarding accident claims, marriage, bank recoveries, civil suit would be solved. He said for getting more information regarding lok adalats the District Judge, the Civil Judge (senior division) or the Assistant District Attorney could be contacted. |
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BJP opposes shifting
of hospital Bathinda, March 1 Mr Krishan Kumar Garg, Municipal Councillor and former general secretary of the district unit of the BJP, said it was the duty of the state government to provide medical facilities to the poor. He added that the shifting of General and Children Hospital from the heart of city to Civil Hospital would deprive a major section of residents of medical care. He said to construct modern offices for the officials of the Punjab Government at the cost of general medical care of people was not a wise step and it should not be allowed to happen. |
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Cops’ screening demanded Amritsar, March 1 He said the government should carry out such screening so as to weed out those who were indulging in harassment to the public. The federation appealed to the Chief Minister to include various SHOs in the sangat darshan held by the government. |
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Jassi’s claims false: NCP leader Bathinda, March 1 In a press note issued here today, Mr Brar said Mr Jassi’s claims that the refinery project and land-levelling project were passed due to his efforts were false and baseless. He pointed out that these projects were passed due to the efforts made by Mr Anurag Aggarwal, former Additional Deputy Commissioner (D), and Mr Harcharan Singh Brar, former Chief Minister of Punjab. Mr Brar said the land-levelling project was passed for the whole district and in the first phase some parts of Talwandi Sabo were taken up. Other parts of the district were to be covered after Talwandi Sabo. He alleged that the people of Pakka Kallan constituency were not happy with Mr Jassi as he was opposing the levelling work in the remaining villages of the district. |
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UCPI: Budget pro-rich Faridkot, March 1 In a press note issued here today, both leaders alleged that the Finance Minister, in the Budget proposals, had given most of the benefits to the upper class. They said the benefit given to companies with less than 1000 workers as against 100 earlier under the Industrial Dispute Act to lay off or retrench workers would not only create frustration among the labour class but would also generate more unemployment in the country. The proposed freezing of leave travelling allowance of Central Government employees for two years and 2 per cent cut in recruitment for government jobs every year would cause more problems to the middle class. |
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Mandir
society demands action Amritsar, March 1 In a complaint to the SSP, Mr Parampal Singh Sandhu, a delegation of the society under its president, Mr Harish Mohan Sharma, drew the attention of the SSP to the slack attitude of the SP, Headquarters, Mr Nageshwar Rao, in whose presence the incident took place. The ugly incident occurred when the SP had summoned members of the society to conduct an inquiry into the priest Ram Sharan’s complaint to the Human Rights Commission. Mr Sarpal had accompanied the priest for the inquiry. In a verbal duel with devotees, Mr Sarpal abused the deity in the presence of members of the society, the SP, Headquarters, and members of the public. On the assurance of action against the guilty by the SP, an altercation between devotees and the accused was averted. The members of the society have taken an objection to the false assurances of the SP who took little notice of the incident and has not even registered an FIR in this connection. |
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Accident victims cremated Tarn Taran, March 1 The deceased have been identified as Mr Jaspal Singh, Ruhi (17), Ms Prem Lata, wife of Mr Ashwani Kumar, owner of the truck, Ms Janakrani, Ms Kiran Bala and Ms
Kamlesh. |
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Canal closure Chandigarh, March 1 |
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Adhere to quality, Kalkat tells farmers Nawanshahr, March 1 He said the farmers could meet the challenge of the WTO agreement only by adopting the latest farm technology and adhering to quality. He advised them to abandon the practice of transplanting paddy a month earlier than the recommended time. He said if this practice continued, underground water in the upper layers of the soil would disappear. In spite of the recommendations of the Johal Committee to restrict the area under paddy cultivation to 12 lakh hectares, this crop was being sown in 26 lakh hectares, he added. Highlighting the research findings of the Kandi research station, Dr M.S. Bajwa, Director (Research), said the centre had developed Lucknow 49 and Allahabad safeda varieties of guava, Sanaur 2 variety of ber, chakya of Amla, K 1 and GS 6 of galgal. He said the PAU had so far evolved more than 455 varieties of various fodder and horticulture crops. Dr Jaspinder Singh Kolar, Director, Extension Education, PAU, said fragmentation of land holdings, exploitation of resources and excessive use of inputs were the major problems of Punjab farmers. The kisan mela was attended by a large number of farmers. Agro-industrial exhibitions and question-answer session were also organised. |
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Farmers’ stir called off Amritsar, March 1 The gherao by the Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab Kisan Sabha and other farmer organisations were protesting against the non-acceptance of their demands. Following assurances by Mr Bhupinder Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner, in the presence of Mr Amit Prasad, SP, City, and GA to the DC, Mr Randeep Singh, the farmers were promised that the matter of refund of inspector fee obtained by commission agents (arhtiyas) from farmers in distress would be resolved. Other matters regarding free availability of ‘J’ forms would also be undertaken. The four-member committee formed under the DC would approach the Punjab Government in this regard. A meeting of the committee members would take place on March 5. Meanwhile, the farmers’ organisation threatened to continue their gherao till their demands were not met by March 11. |
Abolish two posts, says MC chief Bathinda, March 1 He has also demanded that a superintendent engineer be posted here as proposed by the Punjab Government. Official sources say Mr Bhuller has suggested that the money saved after abolishing the posts be spent on city development. He has pointed out that more than Rs 1 lakh will be saved after abolishing the posts. On the other hand, the Municipal Council authorities have urged the Deputy Director to sanction 137 more posts which are required immediately for carrying out development works effectively and to check the evasion of octroi. The authorities have decided to review its resolution passed two years ago, urging the state government to post a SE here. Informations gathered by TNS reveals that the authorities have taken this step as its financial liabilities have increased manifold on account of its contribution towards the railway overbridge project. Despite an unprecedented jump in its financial liabilities, the state government has been appointing surplus staff of the provincial cadre here. The Punjab Government has been doing so despite the fact that the local Municipal Council in a resolution passed on November 30, 2000, had urged the state government to shift all those employees for whom no provision had been made in its budget. Sources say the state government first posted an Officer on Special Duty (OSD), then an Additional Municipal Engineer and then an Additional Executive Officer. Apart from this, over the years, the strength of the employees falling in the provincial cadre has increased considerably. On the other hand, no recruitment has been done against posts falling in the non-provincial cadre due to transfer or retirement. Mr Bhuller said though the expenses on the establishment was about 31 per cent of the budget, the Municipal Council authorities did not want surplus staff here. He said he had protested when an Additional Executive Officer was posted here in the recent past. |
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Srivastava new Secy (Agriculture) Chandigarh, March 1 He has wide experience in the fields of industry, cooperation and agriculture both in Punjab and at the Centre. |
Four truck thieves arrested Bathinda, March 1 Dr Jatinder Jain, SSP, said today while addressing a press conference that the gang was operational for the past five years and was involved in cases of truck stealing from various parts of the state and country. The gang members were equipped with mobile phones and had opened a dhabha on the Bathinda-Malout road, where they used to plan their activities. Dr Jain added that the gang members used to change the colour of the vehicles. The number plates were also replaced with fake number plates with numbers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Four members of the gang had been arrested. They were: Manjit Singh (Amritsar), Kuldip Singh (Bathinda), Sukhmandar Singh (Bathinda) and Paramjit Singh Tarn Taran). The kingpin of the gang, Sukhdev Singh, had been arrested by various police stations in the past but has now absconded. Dr Jain said the suspects used to sell off the trucks in various parts of the country and even sold their spare parts. The fake registration certificates of the trucks were prepared by Sukhdev Singh and most of the fake RCs were of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. A pistol of .12 bore caliber and two live cartridges had been recovered from their possession. Mr Rajinder Kumar, SI, who is the in-charge of the civil lines chowki, had played a key role in busting the gang, added Dr Jain. The district police had unearthed an inter-state gang of thieves a couple of months ago. The total value of the impounded cars was about Rs 1.5 crore. |
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Three houses burgled Jalandhar, March 1 They were reportedly wearing red clothes at the time of robberies. The robberies were committed at Sangowal and Lohgarh village. |
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Three arrested, pistol seized Phagwara, March 1 They were riding an unnumbered scooter. A police naka, headed by SHO Harbhajan Swaroop, was laid near New Sabzi Mandi. A pistol, three live cartridges and an iron bar were recovered from them. They confessed to have burgled the house of Mr Jagdish Lal of the local Mehli Gate area on August 18 last year and having stolen valuables, cash and jewellery worth Rs 9,75,000, claimed the DSP. |
Varsity set to conduct entrance test Faridkot, March 1 He said six centres had been set up to ensure the smooth working of the test. Centres would be at the local Dashmesh Public School, Baba Farid Public School and another at Kendriya Vidyalaya. As many as 1709 candidates would appear in the test and their roll numbers had already been sent to them, said the Vice-Chancellor. However, if any candidate had not received his or her roll number he or she should immediately contact the university office here. He said Principals of the respective schools would work as centre coordinator. However, a team of senior officers of the university headed by him would visit all centres on March 3. |
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PTU to honour Swaraj Paul Jalandhar, March 1 It is for the first time that Lord Paul of Marylebone, as the labour peer hailing from Jalandhar is known in the UK, is being honoured by a university for his contribution to the society as a philanthropist and as an industrialist. Lord Paul is the recipient of Padama Bhushan, one of the highest awards of India. Dr H.S. Gurm, Vice-Chancellor, said the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, has already okayed the proposal of the university to confer the degree on Lord Paul, who was born in Jalandhar in 1931 and whose sheer hard work fetched him high offices like that of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Thames Valley University and later graduated as member of the British House of Lords in 1996. Lord Paul had already given his consent to ensure his presence in the convocation, said Dr Gurm. Though the PTU had decided to confer the honourous causa degree in principal but the title of the degree would be decided by the academic council of the university. “It could be Doctorate of Technology,” said Dr Gurm. The management of the fund-starved university, which is functioning from the make-shift accommodation in the Regional Engineering College premises, was likely to organise the convocation on its proposed campus on the Jalandhar-Kapurthala road to highlight the need for more funds for early creation of the construction of the campus infrastructure at the site, sources said. Lord Paul, according to the Vice-Chancellor, might agree to help the university by lending some financial-aid for construction of a block in the university’s new campus. Lord Paul, who is the head of UK-based Caparo group, the “largest” family-owned business in Britian, has unflinching ties with Jalandhar, where he was educated at Doaba college and used to help his father in running a small foundry making steel buckets and farming equipment before going to the USA for doing his Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
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