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| Friday,
June 8, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Notice to 7 Editors in Khanpur land
case Kharar, June 7 The case has been filed against The Chief Editor and Printer and Publisher of The Tribune Group, Editor and Printer and Publisher of Indian Express Group of newspapers, Chief Editor and Printer and Publisher of The Times of India, Chief Editor and Printer and Publisher of The Hindustan Times, Chief Editor and Printer and Publisher of Desh Sewak, Chief Editor and Printer and Publisher of Punjab Kesari, Chief Editor and Printer and Publisher of Ajit and a Correspondent. The plaintiffs have also moved an application for ad-interim injunction during the pendency of the suit also. They have pleaded that they and others were the owners and in possession of land situated in Khanpur village and their ownership has been mentioned in the revenue record. They have written that some Khanpur villagers were trying to interfere in the peaceful possession and enjoyment of the land and so the plaintiff filed a suit for permanent injunction in Kharar court and they were granted the injunction on January 3, 2000 and the appeal against this was dismissed by the court of District Judge, Ropar. They have written that some villagers continued
interfering in peaceful possession. They have written that the matter was settled by a compromise on April 28, 2001, and the plaintiff put barbed wire and raised some construction and installed a tubewell also. On May 21 some persons of Khanpur village held a traffic jam and the police had to use force to disperse and some persons were arrested. They have pleaded that defendant newspapers published derogatory and defamatory news items in their papers and described the land of the plaintiffs as a disputed land and some defendants described the land as Gau Charan which was derogatory and misleading. They have
pleaded that after publication of news items the atmosphere was being surcharged against the plaintiffs and there was a general bias and in the mind of the public due to dubbing of the plaintiffs as land grabbers in the press releases. They have written that the publication of these news are likely to prejudice the mind of the learned Civil Judge where cases relating to the land of the plaintiff are pending. They have prayed that the defendants be restrained from publishing news item relating to the land of the plaintiffs described above situated in Khanpur village. |
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15 pc Assembly seats for
YC: Sonia Mandi Gobindgarh, June 7 Mr Maina said that Ms Sonia Gandhi had decided this on the basis of the assembly results of Madhya
Pardesh. Where the electorate had favoured leadership by youth in the forefront. Mr Maina who was the chief guest, added the central leadership has formed a team of Youth Congress workers at national level, which would be sent in Punjab to contact the block level workers. The exercise is about completion in Uttar Pradesh (UP) state. Mr Maina added, that a memorandum on the “misdeeds” of the present government in the state has been prepared and presented to the Governor Punjab in the coming days. The State Youth Congress Committee which was disbanded, some time back, would be revived at the end of this month and dharnas would be organised at all district headquarters by the Youth Congress workers in the beginning of the next month. Mr Sadhu Singh
Dharamkot, former Minister Punjab criticised the Punjab government for organising sangat darshan programmes at the cost of government funds to influence the votes for the coming Vidhan Sabha elections. He blamed that the Akali-BJP government in the state had been silent on the development works during its 4 year tenure. Mr Harinder Singh
Bhambri, district president Youth Congress, Mr Sandeep Singh Ball, senior Vice-President district youth Congress, Dr Joginder Singh Makni Senior Vice President district Congress and Mr Shahbaj Singh Dhillon also addressed the gathering. |
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PPCC chief forms media committee Chandigarh, June 7 Capt Amarinder Singh has also constituted a separate committee under his chairmanship for the economic reconstruction of the state with Mr Surinder Singh Singla, an AICC member and former MP as Vice-Chairman and Ch Jagjit Singh, CLP leader, Mrs Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, a former Union Minister, Dr Kewal Krishan, a former Finance Minister, Mr H.S. Hanspal, a former MP, Mr Lal Singh, a former minister, Mr Ajit Singh Chatha, a former Chief Secretary, Mr N.S. a Vasant, former Chairman of the PSEB, Dr Sardara Singh Johal, a former Vice-Chancellor and Mr Bhagat Singh Sandhu as its members. Mr R.R. Bhardwaj, a former Financial Commissioner, will be member secretary of this committee.
Bhattal loyalists put up poor show Bathinda, June 7 Most of the office-bearers of the District Congress Committee (DCC), including district president Bhagat Singh Dhaliwal, general secretaries Kewal Krishan Aggarwal and K.K. Sharma and City Congress president Anil Bhola did not attend the rally which was organised under the banner of the Rajiv Gandhi Lok Bhalai Manch, Punjab, and the Mahila wing of the District Congress Committee. Mr Bhattal’s loyalists could not burnt the effigy of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as it got damaged due to adverse climatic conditions when a march was taken out by Mr Sat Pal Bhateja, Chairman of the Rajiv Gandhi Lok Bhalai Manch, in protest against the registration of a criminal case against her. The rain played spoilsports and dashed the hopes of the organisers of holding a massive procession in the city and a rally near Gole Diggi Market. The gathering at the residence of Dr Bhateja from where the procession was to start was so thin that most of the vehicles which were brought for carrying the supporters remained unoccupied. Those who had come to be a part of the procession were seen running for shelter when it started raining. The programme to burn the effigy of the Punjab Chief Minister had to be cancelled because it got damaged in the rain. The enthusiasm of the supporters of Mr Bhattal was shattered as they had to change the programme. The rally held near Gole Diggi Market was attended among others by Mr Gulzar Singh, Mr Sher Singh Gangowal, Mr Harbans Singh Sidhu, all former Punjab ministers, Dr Satpal Bhateja and Mr Parkash Chand Badal, senior Congress leader of Mansa. Mr Gulzar Singh said there was no need for registration of a case against Mrs Bhattal. He said the registration of the case was politically motivated. He said if there was anything wrong in the drawing of money by the former Chief Minister then why had the government not done anything so far. Mr Gulzar Singh said the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund was used by the Chief Ministers at their own will and there was nothing wrong if Mrs Bhattal used her powers. Mr Gagowal said the SAD-BJP alliance was neck-deep in corruption. He said if the Punjab Chief Minister wanted to give a clean government he should first of all ask the members of his party to stop collecting money through unfair means. He said members of the ruling alliance had amassed wealth. Mr Gagowal further said corruption was at its peak in the past four years of the governance of Mr Badal. He said how could members of such a party blame Mrs Bhattal. Mr Sidhu said the case against Mrs Bhattal was to prevent her from coming to power in the state after the assembly elections which were due next year. He said the ruling alliance feared that if Mrs Bhattal remained in the forefront the Congress party would come to power. Mr Surinder Kapoor queries why no case was registered against those who were involved in the revelations made by the Tehelka people. He said if the ruling alliance was sincere towards wiping out corruption from the country it should also book its ministers. Mr Kapoor said when the Akali Dal could not curb the popularity of Congress leaders they adopted this way of registering false cases against opposition leaders. Dr Bhateja said Mrs Bhattal who belonged to a family of freedom fighters could not indulge in anything which could malign the image of her family. He said the registration of a case against her would be opposed by members of the manch. Dr Bhateja further said they would not end their agitation until the case against Mrs Bhattal was withdrawn. He said all efforts would be made to make the agitation a mass movement and involvement of all sections of society would be ensured. The workers present at the rally also passed a resolution that they would fight to get the registration of the case against Mrs Bhattal withdrawn.
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Work on refinery starts at last Bathinda, June 7 The foundation stone of the refinery was laid by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, about two years back amid much fanfare and high claims by the members of the ruling party. The project was to be completed in about four years but the past two years had seen only the construction of the boundary wall of the refinery. As a result of work not starting on the dream project of millions it created much difficulty for the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and members of his party. When the Centre had sanctioned the project to the state high hopes were generated among the people of Punjab that they would get employment after the completion of the project. The members of the ruling party projected it as the major achievement of Mr Badal and were saying that the project would change the economy of the state as it would not only create employment opportunities but also make way for many industries. The claims of the politicians and the hopes of the people were dashed when work did not start on the project for about two years. The ruling alliance had to find excuses when they were asked about the project. Earlier, there were speculations that work for the construction of the refinery would be given to some private company but later a subsidiary of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) was incorporated with the name Guru Gobind Singh Refineries Ltd
(GGSRL) which undertook the construction work. The latest work of levelling of the land would involve about 3,35,000 cubic metres of earth work and laying of around 30 km of road. Work on the canal for continuous water supply and 18 km of approaching road to the refinery which was undertaken by the Punjab Government are already in progress. Mr M.A.
Tankiwala, Chief General Manager of the project, while addressing mediapersons here today, said the project would be completed in about four years. He said there would be no delay in the completion of the project. Mr Tankiwala said after the completion of levelling and construction of the roads work on the refinery tankage would be started for which all formalities would be completed soon. He said the work on the project was progressing as per schedule. The General Manager said the present work would involve an amount of about Rs 20 crore. He said the work would be completed in about two months. He said there was no hindrance in the completion of the project. Answering a question, Mr Tankiwala said the site for the project was decided after taking the views of various experts. He declined to reply when asked about the distance of the refinery from the Army ammunition depot and whether it was in accordance with the rules. |
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Two in illegal detention saved Jalandhar, June 7 Mr Satwinder Kumar, on the directions of the High Court, raided the premises of the police division this afternoon and found Mr Harjit Singh Kahlon and Mr Bhupinder Singh Bhinda, both residents of Latifpura, Model Town, there. The officer recorded the statements of the detainees, who alleged that they were picked up by the SHO of the police station, Mr Gurwinder Singh, from their residences on June 4 and kept in illegal custody without registration of a case against them. They further stated that Mr J.P. Virdi, Inspector-General of Punjab Police, Jalandhar Range was behind this. Mr Sunil Kumar, a resident of Green Model Town here, had filed a petition under Article 226 of the Constitution for the release of Mr Harjit Singh, Mr Bhupinder Singh Bhinda and Mr Ranjit Singh, who, he said, had been illegally detained by SHO Gurwinder Singh since June 4. The writ further stated that the SHO along with the IG, Jalandhar Range, Mr J.P. Virdi, and his brother-in-law, Mr Mohinder Lal, had come to the residences of the detainees in police vehicles and asked them to accompany them for a discussion with the Director-General of Police and the Home Secretary at the PAP Rest House. Mr Harjit Singh Kahlon, addressing a press conference here, alleged that Mr Virdi had issued verbal orders to the SHO to teach them a lesson since his brother-in-law, Mr Mohinder Kumar, owed money to the detainees. “Whenever we approached Mr Manohar Lal for the money, he threatened us with dire consequences”. He said Mr Manohar Lal, in connivance with the SHO, has got registered a “false” case against their friends, Mr Kashmira Singh and Mr Jaskaran Singh on June 4, who had absconded. “But the police kept us in illegal confinement for three days without any fault of ours,” Mr Kahlon alleged.
He demanded that the state government should order suspension of the SHO.
The High Court has issued directions to the IG, Jalandhar Range, and SHO Gurwinder Singh to personally be present in the court on June 13.
Mr Virdi and Mr Gaurav Yadav, SSP, were not available for comments. |
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Decision on Markfed wing
deferred Chandigarh, June 7 Given the political exigencies, restoring any order in Markfed will mean the realigning of political forces and ruffling many a feather. Insiders say there is no coordination among the Minister, the Board of Directors and the Managing Director, Mr D.S. Bains. The three work at cross-purposes (basically a clash of personalities and ego) The government is seized of the matter. The last meeting of the Board of Directors on May 18 could not be held since members had themselves protested against the “high-handed attitude’’ of the Managing Director. At a meeting held today, the board had its way, deferring a decision on item number 19 pertaining to the ‘’restructuring of the Markfed engineering wing’’. The matter is to be reviewed when the issue of overall restructuring of Markfed is taken up at a later date. This meant that even item number 3 was deferred. It was to ‘’consider and approve the abolition and upgradation/creation of posts after reviewing the staffing pattern of the organisation in respect of employees on the general side”. The Managing Director was keen on these items being approved but failed in his attempt. Certain members of the board told TNS that there was a hot discussion on the issue of ‘’independent charge’’ of the Jalandhar division and Ludhiana district given to an Executive Engineer, Mr K.S. Sandhu. When some questioned the authority of the Managing Director in doing so, he replied it was on government orders that independent charge was given to Mr Sandhu. ‘’I have only implemented the orders’’. The Minister, in fact, being close to Mr Sandhu, had sent a proposal to the Financial Commissioner, who marked it to Mr Bains, bypassing even the Registrar, Cooperative Societies. Though the Managing Director is empowered to allocate work, if the board is against any such decision, the former can write to the government conveying the views of the board. But this was not done. Some members said though there was an inquiry and a charge sheet against Mr Sandhu, he had still been given independent charge. In view of the acrimony prevailing in the Board of Directors, at the instance of the Registrar, the meeting first took up the agenda
items. Thereafter, all officials were asked to leave and the board and the Managing Director were brought face to face to clear their misunderstandings. Markfed has an annual turnover of Rs 6,500 crore. But its accounts are in a mess, say insiders. A loss of Rs 56.96 crore in 1995-96, for instance, is yet to be adjusted in the future year profits and continues to be ‘’outstanding’’. |
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TRIBUNE IMPACT Bathinda, June 7 The police has arrested Rajinder Singh, owner of a company, who had allegedly been evading market fee, sales tax and RDF for the past eight years. Dr Jatinder Kumar Jain, SSP, in a press note issued here today said these firms had shown the transaction of wheat worth more than Rs 8.88 crore on fake bills and had evaded market fee alone to the tune of more than Rs 3.54 lakh. The modus operandi of these firms was that transactions were made on paper alone. They neither purchased wheat from market nor sold it off. The transactions were made on fake bills. It may be mentioned that The Tribune had been publishing news reports in connection with wheat smuggling for the past two years. However, action was taken against such firms only a few days ago. Bathinda has emerged as a haven for traders who have been making money by smuggling wheat to other states without paying the market fee, RDF and sales tax. Rajinder Singh during interrogation reportedly confessed that he had “shown the sales of wheat worth Rs 35.69 lakh to a company in Ludhiana and a flour mill in Amritsar in 1998-99. The SSP said efforts were being made to arrest others and an investigation was also being made into the operations of some other firms.
A case has been registered under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471, IPC. |
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Fake police I-cards in frequent
use Ferozepore, June 7 The racket came to light when Mukhtiar Singh, Punjab Roadways bus conductor of the Ferozepore depot, while on duty on the Ferozepore-Chandigarh and Ferozepore-Patiala bus routes he suspected ther authenticity of the signatures of the SSP on the identity card. The conductor’s doubt was compounded when the identity card holder questioned about it fled from the scene. Apparently, such fake police identity cards which provide certain privileges and access to high security areas may have been used by unscrupulous elements for quite some time, suggest sources. The persons possessing these cards are roaming without any fear whatsoever and taking due advantages in different walks of life. The possibility of this racket being the tip of the iceberg cannot be ruled out. What is baffling is the fact that among the identity cards confiscated most of them bear signatures of SSPs of the three border districts viz Ferozepore, Amritsar and Gurdaspur besides Ludhiana which are quite vulnerable to subversive activities. According to information, there are private shops and lamination centres mushrooming specially near various district police headquarters and district courts which keep plain identity cards with them and anybody doling out money can obtain them. Although, the Police Department has taken several measures in order to keep a check on misuse of identity cards and streamline the procedure but still the misuse goes on unabated. According to highly placed sources in the police, the procedure of issuance of identity cards has been modified and the powers which were hitherto vested with the SSPs concerned have now been withdrawn. The police identity cards for all ranks are now being issued by the office of the Director-General of Police, Punjab, only. The police authorities have also issued special travelling tickets to personnel of all ranks to avail of travel facilities in the state. Sources reveal that, this steps has been taken keeping in view the misuse of free bus travel facility. Reportedly, certain SPOs who were part of the police hierarchy during the times of insurgency in Punjab and have now left the service are still using the old identity cards provided to them. |
Badal addresses conference Sangrur, June 7 The conference was presided over by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, and President of the SAD. Mr Sahib Singh Verma, former Chief Minister of Delhi and national Vice-President of the BJP, and other top leaders of the SAD and the BJP including Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, President of the SGPC, and Mr Balramji Dass Tandon, a Punjab minister, participated. Mr Badal criticised the leadership of Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal leadership. Having a dig at the party, he asked its leadership to change the name of the party as “Sarb Sansar Shiromani Akali Dal”. He said the SHSAD leaders had only one goal — victory of the Congress and defeat for the SAD. The Chief Minister lauded the services of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister. He said Mr Vajpayee had taken several steps for the benefit of the people of Punjab, especially the farming community. Regarding differences among SAD leaders, he said Mr Dhindsa had stated that due to infighting, the SAD had lost five Assembly seats in Sangrur district in the February, 1997, elections. Now these differences almost sorted out. Mr Sahib Singh Verma asked the people to “eliminate” the Congress from the national scene, especially Punjab. He criticised the SHSAD and other rival Akali
Dals. Mr Verma said the future of Punjab was safe in the hands of Mr Badal. He said Mr Badal symbolised progress. Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, lauded the services of Mr Badal and said none could replace Mr Badal as Chief Minister who was a leader of the masses. He appreciated the ‘sangat darshan’ programmes organised by Mr Badal. Mr Dhindsa admitted factionalism in the district unit of the party, but claimed that 90 per cent of the problem had been solved. Among others who addressed the conference were Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi, President of the SGPC, Mr Avtar Singh Hit, President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Mr Balramji Dass Tandon, Mr Gobind Singh
Kanjhla, Jathedar Tota Singh, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Mr Ranjit Singh
Balian, all Punjab ministers, Mr Balwinder Singh Bhunder, MP, Mr Baldev Singh Mann, PSEB, Mr Balbir Chand
Kapila, a BJP leader, Mr Gurbachan Singh Fatehgarh, district president of the SAD, and Giani Raghbir Singh
Jakhepal, member of the SGPC. |
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Expulsion without notice, says Dhanaula Chandigarh, June 7 Mr
Dhanaula, who held the office of the General Secretary of the party, addressing a press conference here said he had opposed Mr Tohra’s observation that his main objective was to defeat the SAD headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal but had no objection to the victory of the Congress in the process. Mr Dhanaula said he told Mr Tohra that as the Congress was responsible for “Operation Bluestar” and Delhi riots, no panthic leaders should think even in dream about the Congress victory. Mr Dhanaula said he had also urged Mr Tohra to get a resolution passed by the executive seeking 27 per cent reservation for other backward classes (OBCs) but Mr Tohra did not accept the plea. Even the proposed conference to observe May 1 as a “Bhai Lalo day” was postponed by Mr Tohra and his close associate, Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra. He said he had been expelled without assigning any reasons and serving any show cause notice. Two years ago, Mr Tohra had alleged that Mr Badal was behaving as a dictator and removing senior leaders violating the party constitution but now Mr Tohra had adopted the same approach in his (Mr Dhanaula) case, he said. Mr Dhanaula said a number of MLAs belonging to the Tohra camp were apprehending defeat in the next Assembly election. Because of this reason, they were in favour of a unity with the SAD headed by Mr Badal. He said the SGPC President, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, had taken the initiative for unity between the SHSAD and the SAD as the Working President of the SHSAD, Mr Surjan Singh Thekedar, was a supporter of the unity with the SAD. When asked whether he would join the SAD, Mr Dhanaula said he would not do so as Mr Badal had failed to deliver the goods. |
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Rangretta Dal holds meeting Bathinda, June 7 Mr Fateh Singh Mann, general secretary of the AIRD, in a press note issued here today said the mission of the AIRD was to awaken the Dalits about their rights and spread the messages of gurus of the Rangretta Dal in every village and city of the state. He further said that the Rangretta Dal would contest in the next elections of the SGPC. Mr Jagsir Singh Bangi, district president of the AIRD, said the Punjab Government should fill the backlog in posts in different government and non government departments and demanded that Rs 5000 be given to Dalit girl child at the time of birth without delay. |
ROPAR ROUND-UP Ropar Experts are being consulted in this regard and the necessary equipment has been purchased. As many as 6,200 handicapped persons have been identified in the district. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr G. S. Grewal, said the centre had been set up under a new scheme launched by the Union Government. Besides providing artificial limbs, the centre would give vocational training and soft loans to the handicapped. At present, 27 handicapped persons at the block level and 60 at the village level were being provided three months’ vocational training. Rehabilitation workers had also been deputed to work at the village and block levels. * * * Residents of Giani Zail Singh Nagar, the only planned colony in Ropar town, have complained to the Deputy Commissioner about the lack of various amenities in the area. At a recently held “sangat darshan” programme in the colony, the residents had said that the water supply system, sanitation, streetlights and roads were in poor shape. The Deputy commissioner has directed the Improvement Trust authorities to redress the grievances of the residents. He also has announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh to improve facilities in the colony. * * * Following a demand by the District Bar Association, the Punjab Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, announced a grant of Rs 4 lakh for the new bar room in the district judicial complex.
He made the announcement at a function organised by the association. * * * The Bharatiya Yog Sansthan organised a yoga camp to mark the completion of one year of its centre here.
Experts from the sansthan told the participants about how various diseases could be cured through yogic exercises. * * * The Vigilance Department, Ropar, has given awards to five residents for helping it apprehend corrupt government officials. The DSP, Vigilance, Mr Malvinder Singh, said under a scheme announced by the Punjab Government Mr Randhir Singh, Mr Ram Singh, Mr Karam Vir Singh and Mr Gurnam Singh were given Rs 25,000 each for helping nab corrupt employees at the junior level. Mr Ramesh Kumar was given Rs 50,000 for assisting vigilance officials in nabbing a gazetted officer of the Telecom Department. |
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Vedanti’s call for unity
welcomed Chandigarh, June 7 In a statement, Mr Calcutta said it was, perhaps, for the first time that the Jathedar of Akal Takht had addressed the real issues confronting the Sikh Panth. But the Jathedar would do well to further translate his ‘’intense desire’’ for ‘’unity’’ by suggesting concrete measures. In so doing, to avoid past pitfalls, Akal Takht should maintain its high position and the Jathedar should act independently. Mr Calcutta, however, did not agree with the Jathedar that the breakaway Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra did not have any ‘’agenda’’. |
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Mann for
Indo-Pak
probe panel Phagwara, June 7 “The panel would fully commensurate with the spirit of bilateralism in view of the impending visit of Pakistan’s Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf to India,” quipped Mr Mann while on his way to a hill resort in Himachal Pradesh last night. Mr Mann also asked Pakistan to use its influence on the Taliban and others to stop targeting Sikhs in Afghanistan and in J and K. He demanded that the Punjab government and the SGPC should rehabilitate uprooted Sikhs from the valley and
Afghanistan. Anticipating that little would come out of the proposed Vajpayee-Musharraf summit, Mr Mann, however, demanded “open-minded” negotiation between the two. |
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State-level protest rally by
lawyers Sangrur, June 7 In this protest rally a large number of lawyers from all parts of the state, including Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Ferozepure and Hoshiarpur participated. The rally also appealed to the state government to complete the magisterial inquiry initiated against those responsible for the lathi charge on the lawyers soon. The rally also demanded immediate transfer of the local SDM and the DSP for conducting a free and fair inquiry. During the rally a state-level committee was formed under the presidentship of Mr Balraj Singh Sohi, president of the Sangrur District Bar Association, to press the demands of lawyers, including construction of chambers and the matter related to the lathi charge on lawyers. In this committee all district presidents of the bar associations have been included.
The rally also gave a call to strike work by the lawyers throughout the state on June 8. Almost all speakers at the rally condemned the state government for ignoring the demands of the lawyers and the lathi charge on the Sangrur lawyers on May 18 when they were going to lay the foundation stone for the construction of chambers in the newly built judicial complex here. Among others who addressed the rally included Mr Ajit Singh Bhangu (Mansa), Mr Baldev Krishan Goyal (Sangrur), Mr P.S. Hundal, secretary of the Punjab and Haryana Bar Council, Mr Harish Dhandh (Ludhiana), Mr Sat Pal Sharma (Sangrur), Mr Mithu Ram Gupta (Bathinda), Mr Ashok Singla (Chandigarh), Mr K.S. Sekhon (Faridkot), Mr Gurnam Singh (Jalandhar), Mr H.S. Dhot (Amritsar) and Mr Viresh Nanda (Gurdaspur). Lawyers abstain from work Patiala, June 7 A delegation of the local Bar Association led by its President Balbir Singh Billing also proceeded to Sangrur this morning to take part in a protest rally scheduled to be held there. The members left under the leadership of Mr Billing from the District Courts Complex. In a statement earlier, Mr Billing requested the state government to expedite the process of constructing chambers for advocates in Patiala. He said the government should ask the lawyers to vacate their present chambers only after they had been provided alternative accommodation. He said a representation in this regard had been presented to the Chief Minister.
Mansa, June 7 |
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HIGH COURT Chandigarh, June 7 The order is significant as the respondents had earlier held that Dr Sharanjit Kaur was not entitled to the benefits as her husband’s death in an accident while returning from a conference had been described by the Army authorities as “physical casualty and not battle casualty”. Pronouncing the orders on her petition, Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Ms Justice Bakhshish Kaur of the High Court observed: “The rules do not recognise the expression battle or physical casualty. These only provide for the grant of benefit to the families of persons who die while performing their duties”. The Judges further observed: “In the present case, the petitioner’s husband laid down his life in bona fide performance of duty, thus the benefits under the rules are clearly admissible”. In their detailed order, the Judges directed that the petitioner “shall be paid an amount of Rs 5 lakh or she would be allotted a residential plot in a colony set up by the Punjab Urban Development Authority at reserved price and the amount shall be paid towards the price of the plot out of the relief fund. The remaining price shall be paid by the petitioner”. Speaking for the Bench, Mr Justice Gupta further directed that the petitioner would also be paid Rs 2 lakh by way of ex-gratia grant as contemplated under the rules. Mr Justice Gupta added: “The petitioner shall also be entitled to costs assessed at Rs 5,000.... If she applies for a job, her claim shall be considered in accordance with the rules. The needful shall be done within two months from receiving the order’s copy”. In her petition against the Union of India, State of Punjab, Director Sainik Welfare and another respondent, Dr Sharanjit Kaur had earlier stated that she was entitled to the benefits. Giving details, she had stated that her husband Captain Davinder Pal Singh, member of Armed Forces Medical Corps (Dental Wing), had died after meeting with an accident on December 25, 1999, while he was returning from a conference. |
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National award for telecom employee Ropar, June 7 The local exchange was badly damaged in 1997, after it was struck by lightning. Due to this, the entire communication network in the district was paralysed. Mr Gupta restored partial services within a few hours and reactivated the entire exchange within just three days. Although Mr Gupta was not trained in handling the new OCB exchange, still he was instrumental in commissioning the technology at the local exchange. Besides a certificate, Mr Gupta was given a silver medal and Rs 1 lakh as cash award by the State Minister of Telecom, Mr Tapan Sidkar, on World Telecom Day, Mr Sahota said. Another employee of the local telecom circle, Mr Piara Singh, has got the Bharat Sanchar Shri award in the category of Telecom Office Assistant. The award also carries a cash prize of Rs 21,000. Mr Piara Singh has been awarded for establishing the HRD section of the local telecom circle. He got the award at a state-level function presided over by the Chief General Manager of the BSNL, Mr S.C. Chaudhary. SAS Nagar, June 7 The facility, first of its kind in Punjab, would offer treatment through a well-known ayurveda system “panchakarma”. The minister said the centre was first in the series planned by the Department of Ayurveda in the state. In the next three years, the government was planning to set up a state-level ayurveda hospital. Setting up a centre for ayurveda research at Chandigarh and panchakarma centres at the district-level were also on the card, said the minister. Dr Shiv Raj, Project Director, who has got training from the Central Research Institute of Ayurveda (CRIA), said initially cases of migraine, stress, hyperacidity, blood pressure, loss of memory, diabetes and arthritis would be dealt. Apart from the staff available with the department, four employees from the Department of Yoga had been requisitioned to run the facility. Already 125 patients had been registered with the outdoor patient department (OPD) of the centre. Initially, patients would be examined in the OPD only and cost of the treatment would be charged. Dr Raj said so far 125 persons had registered themselves with the
centre. Patiala, June 7 The case was discussed during the state-level sangat darshan programme held under the chairmanship of Mr Jasbir Singh Bir, Deputy Commissioner, here today. Mr Fakir Singh alleged that none of his three brothers was born before Independence. He added that thus the question of applying for pension under the freedom fighter quota did not exist. Mr Bir asked the Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM), Rajpura, to look into the matter and submit the report within 15 days. Mr Harjit Singh, a resident of Durgapur village, Nabha tehsil, has complained that the Forest Department had wrongly stopped the flow of water into the fields through pipes. Mr Bir has asked the District Forest Officer to look into the case and submit him the report at the earliest. Mr Rulda Singh, sarpanch of the Chicharwal village in Samana, has brought the case of broken dam on the Ghaghar, near Arnetu, under the notice of the authorities concerned. Mr Bir has asked the SDM, Samana, to present the report after surveying the area. Mr Hardev Singh, a resident of Sarai Banjara village in Samana, has complained against the village panchayat for allegedly encroaching upon the shamlat land in an illegal manner. Mr Bir has asked the District Development and Panchayat Officer to look into the matter. Other grievances related to the Police Department were heard by
SP(D), Mr M.S.Chahal. Also present at the sangat darshan programme were Mr Balraj Singh
Sekho, Joint Commissioner, Nagar Nigam, Mr T.P.S.Phulka, Assistant Commissioner (Grievances), and Mr Manjit Singh Narang, SDM, Patiala.
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Four youths
electrocuted Mansa, June 7 All of them were rushed to a nursing home in Budhlada in the district where four of them were declared brought dead. The bodies were brought back to the village for cremation without post-mortem examination. According to information, the deceased were trying to get power connection for a tubewell. According to a scheme of the Punjab State Electricity Board, for the release of connection, they had to arrange and erect pole at their own cost. The pole while being erected, accidentally touched the Bhakra-Kankwal Mainline passing overhead which resulted in the electrocution. The deceased have been identified as Kala Singh (22), Balkara Singh (18), Harmesh Singh (25) and Tekhedar (20). According to information, the injured, Bhola Singh, was out of danger. |
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Rehri owners observe strike Bathinda, June 7 Mr Shiv Dayal Chhabra, president of the union, said that they had asked the arhtiyas to charge as per the government rates but they refused to do so. |
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Magazine issues set on fire Amritsar, June 7 The windows of shop of a newsagent were also broken here today near Katra Baghian. A memorandum was also submitted to the Deputy Commissioner in this regard. |
Changed office hours to farmers’
benefit Patiala, June 7 Even as reports of low attendance and difficulty faced by field personnel in reaching offices in time came from various parts of the state, farmers preparing to sow paddy are getting uninterrupted power for long spells. The cash-strapped PSEB, which earlier had announced that it would purchase power from outside the state to cope up with the increased a demand during the sowing of the paddy was so comfortable today that it even shut down one unit of 210 MW at Ropar due to low demand. All other thermal power units in the state are also running on minimum possible load. Highly placed sources in the Board said this was the result of rain which hit most parts of the state today morning as well as the new office timings which started from today and will be in force till July 15. Though Board officials said they would be able to exactly gauge the effect the new office timings have on the power supply during a normal hot day, they said the effect was likely to be substantial. The sources said as air conditioners which functioned in most government offices from the start of office till the evening, their limited running now due to shuttting down of offices in the noon was likely to make the power position comfortable. The sources said Board officials were also toying with the idea of shutting down power to government offices after 2 p.m. completely whenever the power situation is grim so that the Board could regulate power to the agriculture sector. They said farmers did not have any problem while sowing paddy was on the top of the government agenda for political reasons and that farmers would now be able to get adequate power in the day also which concession was earlier earmarked for the border areas only. Explaining the dynamics of the system, officials disclosed that the state had been divided into five zones which were to be given power for eight hours each. He said due to creation of five zones overlapping was bound to occur with some groups not getting eight hours supply. They said with the shutting down of power to government offices after 2 p.m. one border group as well as one day group would be able to get adequate power during the day. The Board meanwhile has due to the comfortable position today waived weekly off restrictions for the industrial sector till Saturday. The situation is likely to be reviewed then and the facility may be extended if needed. The Board has also removed peak load restrictions on medium supply consumers (50 kv to 100 kv) though restrictions on large scale industry will continue. Meanwhile, the sources disclosed that water inflow in the reservoirs was also picking up. They said yesterday the inflow in the Ranjit Sagar dam was 9,500 cusecs against release of 8,000 cusecs. Hydel generation, which was low due to failure of the winter rain was likely to get a boost if the present trend continued. |
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BKU
(Ekta) activists gherao
bank Bathinda, June 7 The activists of the BKU, demanded that the loans should be written off, keeping in view the poor farm economy. Leaders addressing the activists alleged that the government was not taking whole-hearted steps to recover the loans given to the industrialists but was forcing the farmers to repay all loans. “The
agriculture sector has the least incidents of loan defaulters and the write-offs of the industrial sectors was on the rises”, the leaders pointed out. Lands of the farmers have been pledged with the bank authorities and due to the half-baked efforts and wrong policies of the government the farmers reeling under debt. The fact that the state government has announced a grant of Rs 2.5 lakh to the farmers who committed suicide due to debt was itself an admittance by the government that the farm economy was on the verge of collapse, the leaders alleged. Mr Shingara Singh, Mr Surjit Singh and Mr Harnek Singh senior leaders, BKU, said that wrong policies of the government and the bad weather had taken toll of the agrarian economy. Imports and the WTO pose additional threat, to the already debt-ridden farmers, they alleged. The management of the bank on other hand maintained that the legal notices served on the farmers were in their own interest. Mr Shamir Singh, DGM-cum-Regional Officer of the bank, maintained that the state government had no powers in the loan disbursals of the bank. Nabard is the primary lending authority and through Punjab Agriculture Development Bank the loans were given to the farmers, for various development works. If the loan recovery was reduced to under 40 per cent the Nabard would not offer any loans to the state, as in the case of Orissa, Bihar, Assam. Loan recovery in the division was one of the lowest in the state (under 40 per cent) whereas in Patiala and other divisions the rate of recovery is more than 60 per cent, he said. The bank offers loans on simple interest and the terms of recovery were also lax whereas in the case of commercial banks the rate of interest, hard terms and compound interest were there. “To some extent these provisions work against the bank, as the farmers do not fear the loan repayments, said one of the senior officers of bank. The leaders of the so-called kisan unions have been befooling the poor and illiterate farmers, on the repayment issue. Some of these “leaders, repay the loans themselves, but preach the opposite, added the bank official. Of the total advances of Rs 2,700 crore to the state, Rs 1600 crore was given as loans in this division alone. They added. The farmers have been misguided that the state government can waive the loans, the trend started by the BKU by going door to door to recruit more farmers, was alarming, they pointed out. The dharna was lifted after one hour of the closing of the bank and the employees were escorted out under heavy police security and the presence of a duty magistrate. |
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BKU workers creating rift: arhtiyas Mansa, June 7 He alleged that such leaders were even denying the ownership of land to persons who had purchased it against consideration through regular sale deeds. He asked the farmers to beware of such elements. He criticised government agencies for flouting the rules of the Punjab Mandi Board, which required checking of weight of procured foodgrains within 24 hours. These agencies were liable to lift the stocks within 72 hours but had been flouting the directions with impunity, he added. |
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Farmers hold protest
march Abohar, June 7 Despite heavy rain and knee-deep water, the farmers marched through the main roads of the town. They raised slogans against irrigation officers. Mr Iqbal Singh Jhorakhera, Convener, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, demanded Rs 4 crore for remodelling the Lambi minor (sub-canal) to make water available to tail-end villages. Others who addressed the farmers included Mr Ved Parkash Bhadu, a former sarpanch, Mr Pirthi Raj Sarpanch, Mr Gurdip Singh, sarpanch, Mr Manoj Kumar Sherewala, Mr Bharat Singh and Mr Didar Singh. The samiti alleged that the government had wasted Rs 70 lakh on the pretext of repair of the Lambi minor in the past. An inquiry by the Vigilance Department would reveal how money had been misappropriated in the repairs of the sub-canal, said the leaders. The farmers of at least six villages at the tail-end had been deprived of water for irrigation. Their debts had further increased due to the damage to crops as water for irrigation was not made available to them the past several weeks, said the farmers. Water in the Lambi-minor had not been released since the present government took over, they added. |
Badal convenes meeting of
DCs Chandigarh, June 7 A government spokesman said the Chief Minister was keen that all necessary steps should be taken well in advance to face the paddy procurement challenge. Proper utilisation of grants in the districts, reviewing of the ongoing development projects and flood control measures would be other issues to be taken up at the meeting.
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New SDM for Samrala Chandigarh, June 7 |
Man posing as RTO arrested Ludhiana, June 7 This illegal activity came to light here today with the arrest of a person posing as a Regional Transport Officer (RTO). He would issued fake permits. His group included a man named Bobby, who operated from Patiala. While the kingpin, Janak Singh, worked as an “RTO”, the former reportedly lured prospective customers from Baradari Gardens, Patiala, which houses the office of the Regional Transport Authority. The police recovered three fake permits and as many as 150 blank permit forms. Officials are still assessing the number of vehicles that could be plying on fake permits, both within and outside the state. The loss of revenue will be assessed after further questioning of the accused and the arrest of the other members. The gang is said to have been operating in the region for the past more than a year. According to Sub-Inspector Dilbagh Singh, SHO, Salem Tabri police station, the police was also inquiring into the alleged involvement of an employee of the state Transport Department as it was not possible to ply a vehicle on a fake permit in the state for such a long time without the knowledge of an employee of the department. Disclosing the modus operandi of the gang, the police officials said the accused, Janak Singh, operated from different places in the state. He would keep changing his address as a precautionary measure. He had prepared fake rubber stamps, documents and permit forms similar to the ones issued by the Regional Transport Authority, Patiala. The customers were lured by cheap rates. According to initial investigation, the gang issued a permit for Rs 1500 to Rs 2000 whereas the route permits for different places issued by the government cost between Rs 5000 to Rs 20,000. The gang would assure the customers of speedy issuance of the permit. According to the police, the fact that as many as 150 blank forms were recovered from the possession of the accused revealed that the gang had spread its network wide. The police said it had received information about the fake RTO some time
back. When a customer grew suspicious and reported the matter to the police. The accused was said to have been arrested from a checkpost here today. A resident of an MIG quarter in Jamalpur Colony here, Janak Singh has been booked under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471, IPC. |
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Police fails to nab murder
suspects Gurdaspur, June 7 A case under Section 302 of the IPC had been registered against Puran Singh, Raghbir Chand alias Bira, Joda, Sham Lal, Babbu, Baljit and Ghola Ram in the Quadian police station. The deceased was to appear as a witness against Puran Singh, a former sarpanch of the village, on July 7 in a case registered against him under Section 325 of the IPC, in 1998. Mr Partap Singh Bajwa general secretary PPCC while talking to newsmen yesterday, said the murder had political undertone. He alleged the accused were moving freely as influential persons were shielding the suspects. |
Relax condition for promotion:
teachers Nawanshahr, June 7 The delegation pleaded that as the general category employees had not been given timely promotions earlier, only eight headmasters were able to fulfil the condition of seven years’ experience as headmaster for being promoted as principals as per the seniority list of December 31, 1999. A meeting of School heads belonging to the general category would be held under the presidentship of Mr Sham Lal Sharma, state president of the federation at Government Senior Secondary School (Girls), Ludhiana, on June 9 to discuss the matter and to decide on the further course of action, added Mr Dutta. |
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GND varsity results on June 8 Amritsar, June 7 |
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