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Narinder quits as Conductor of Exams Mohali, March 22 In another development, one of the five committee members chosen by the board to inquire into the matter today resigned from the committee following reports of his being involved in the examination process himself. In a written request to the Secretary of the board, Mrs Narinder Kaur stated that her being in the position was bringing negative publicity to the board and in the interest of the office she wanted to step down. She further requested that any senior officer whom the board deemed fit, should take up the charge and ensure smooth re-conduct of examinations due to begin on April 1. Other than the Controller, the Assistant Secretary (Confidential), Mr M.M. Bansal, also chose to go on long leave and in a separate request to the Secretary, mentioned that he was under tremendous pressure and his health did not allow him to work under stress. The two requests given to the Secretary of the board, Mr Mahinder Bir Singh, were, according to sources, accepted. Sources also stated that an official of the level of a Deputy Secretary was being considered by the board to be given the responsibility surrendered by Mrs Narinder Kaur. When contacted Mrs Narinder Kaur stated that she had been receiving anonymous telephone calls to the effect that they will not allow the examination process to go on smoothly. ‘‘I felt that there are some people who are trying to jeopardize the whole examination process due to some personal vendetta and even the earlier leakage was part of a well planned conspiracy to unstablise my position in the board. In order to avoid a similar happening, I have asked the Chairman to relieve me of the responsibility of getting the examinations conducted,’’she said, adding that with just a month to retire, it is in the interest of the office that she take a back seat and let some other senior officer do the work. Mr Lok Nath Sharma, a member of the committee constituted by the board to inquire into the paper leakage, resigned from the committee. Sources stated that according to the reports in certain vernacular newspapers, Mr Sharma had been involved in the examination process himself as a paper setter and thus could not inquire into the process. Meanwhile, members of the committee today started the probe into the leakage. All the officers involved in the examination process, including the Secretary of the board, Mr Mahinder Bir Singh, were questioned at length by the committee members. Sources stated that the members were told by the various officers that the leakage of the question papers could also be the result of an internal strife going on within the board due to which many senior officers in the board did not see eye to eye. Sources pointed out that these differences had increased following the six-month extension in service given to the Chairman of the board, Dr Kehar Singh, while some other officers were trying for the post. The leakage was allegedly initiated by those who wanted to harm the position of the COE and the Chairman. Meanwhile, Mr Anurag Aggarwal also started his inquiry into
the paper leakage today. Letters were received by different board
employees from him to meet him. When contacted Mr Aggarwal stated that
his role in the board was limited to the conduct of the inquiry the
details off which he would not reveal. |
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Report on paper leak by weekend Patiala, March 22 Talking to newsperson here, Mr Kehar Singh said the board would take action against officials responsible for the leak. He said though the board followed the same process for paper setting as done by various universities, negligence by certain officials seemed to be responsible for the paper leak. The
board chairman said the datesheet of some practical papers, which had
been affected due to the recent cancellation of few papers, was being
re-issued. He said the examination process had been extended by only 10
days due to these development, adding that the result would be announced
as per schedule. |
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Quasi-NATO status to Pak no cause for concern: Mann Chandigarh, March 22 Addressing a press conference here, Mr Mann said that the with this status, Pakistan would come under the direct influence of the USA and its foreign and defence policies would be governed by an elected, democratic and responsible government in Washington. And it would also eliminate the scope for militarism within the Pakistan administration. With this the danger of war between India and Pakistan would almost end. He said, “This remarkable stroke of the American policy would mark the beginning of peace and progress in the subcontinent. My party was thankful of the USA for its military intervention in the subcontinent,” said the Akali leader. He said that India was being ruled by a right wing ultra-nationalist government led by the BJP. This government did not consult minorities while framing the foreign policy. Minorities had a big stake in foreign policy for various reasons, he added. He said that his part was for opening the Wagah border for trade. Punjab would be benefited the most with the opening of the border. Tourism between the two countries should be promoted, he added. He said that the USA’s
new foreign policy would cause a setback to the right wing communal
forces in the subcontinent. |
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Join politics, Sunil Dutt exhorts youth Jalandhar, March 22 Hailing the joining of politics by Mr Rahul Gandhi, Mr Dutt, who handed over the keys of a van worth Rs 1 crore to the local Guru Nanak Mission Hospital Trust on behalf of the Nargis Dutt Charitable Memorial Trust, Mumbai, said the youth of today had more capacity to do good and they had a clearer vision about what they were doing. “I feel that every person who feels that he can contribute towards the development of society and the nation should serve people by putting in his best efforts and there should be no hitch in joining politics for this,” he said, adding that he did not have any objection to film personalities joining politics. Asked about allegations that some film stars had received huge sums of money to join political outfits, Mr Dutt said the answer could be found from such parties only. Commenting on the feel-good factor being propounded by the BJP leadership, Mr Dutt said he would believe in the slogan the day the farmers’ lot would improve and when countless educated youth would be able to lay their hands on jobs. “I equate the BJP’s feel-good factor to a brass urn which has a gold polish.” On the foreign origin of Ms Sonia Gandhi, Mr Dutt said it was no longer an issue since Ms Gandhi had become a part and parcel of rural India as well. “People of the country are respecting her,” said Mr Dutt, adding that the Congress was a secular party and represented all sections of society. About the social welfare projects being undertaken by the Nargis Dutt Charitable Memorial Trust, Mr Dutt said the Trust had already donated a similar van for people of Jaipur. “For this van, our Vancouver-based unit has collected money. My dream is to provide better health facilities to about 75 per cent of the people who don’t have such facilities till now. We are trying to provide such mobile hospitals in all states.” Mr Balbir Singh Saini of Guru Nanak Mission Hospital said the mobile hospital was equipped with ultra-modern facilities such as mamography, X-ray, ultrasound scanning, auto analyser, TV, music system, telephone and a generator. Mr Balbir Singh, MP of the dissolved Lok Sabha, also spoke. |
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Don’t allow Cong leaders to campaign in villages: Badal Mansa, March 22 Mr Badal, who made a whirlwind tour of this district to campaign for party candidate, Ms Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, while addressing a conference at Bahini Bagha village said Capt Amarinder Singh had deliberately avoided fulfilling any promise made by the Congress during the last Assembly elections. Instead of fulfilling the promises Capt Amarinder Singh had started committing atrocities and had sold the economic interests of the state to certain big industrialists. “Can the Chief Minister explain to the people that why Punjab oil refinery project, brought by the previous SAD-BJP government, had been scuttled? Can Capt Amarinder Singh explain to the people that why Punjab Tractors Limited (PTL), a public sector unit, had been sold for a song and can he explain why he had not implemented the crop insurance scheme in Punjab after the same was introduced in the country by BJP-led NDA government?” he asked. “By doing a lot of injustice to Punjab and its people in the past two years in every sphere of life, how can Capt Amarinder Singh and other Congress leaders seek votes for party candidates during the Lok Sabha elections?” he said. Mr Badal expressed apprehension that the state Congress Government would make the Rs 380-crore investment on Punjab oil refinery project a waste of public money. The former Chief Minister alleged that the performance of Capt Amarinder Singh in the past two years had established the fact that there was no difference between him and the former Chairman of Punjab Public Service Commission Ravi Sidhu. While Sidhu recruited civil and police officials in lieu of money, Capt Amarinder Singh had recruited his favourites as DSPs in the Punjab Police for considerations, which couldn’t be made public. He alleged that now Capt Amarinder Singh had started handing over the revenue-generating departments to his favourites as it had been established from the large scale bunglings committed in the auction of liquor vends in the state. Mr Balwinder Singh Bhunder, MLA, Sardulgarh;
Mr Manpreet Singh Badal, MLA, Gidderbaha and Ms Gulshan also addressed
the conference. |
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BJP seeks security for Advani’s yatra Chandigarh, March 22 The BJP
today released the minute-to-minute schedule of the yatra in Punjab. The
yatra would enter the state on March 25 from Chandigarh. It would go to
Pathankot via Kharar, Khamano, Samrala, Ludhiana, Phillaur, Goraya,
Phagwara, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Dasuya and Mukerian. After night halt
at Pathankot on March 25, the yatra would proceed next day to Amritsar
via Dinanagar, Dhariwal and Batala. Its first phase would conclude at
Amritsar on March 26. |
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CPI (ML) to
contest 3 LS seats in Punjab Jalandhar, March 22 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Darshan Singh Khatkar, state secretary of the party, Mr Sardara Singh Mahal and Mr Ajmer Singh, said the party would contest the elections on its own with an objective to strengthen the revolutionary people’s movement in the state and without forging any alliance or adjustments with any of parties like the SAD, the CPI, the CPM, the BJP, the Janta Dal, the TDP and the Congress. “We will make an electoral alliance with communist revolutionaries and conduct a vigorous campaign to expose and isolate those political parties and their policies which have been contributing to increase the gap between the rich and the poor,” said Mr Khatkar and other party leaders accompanying him. He said wrong policies of different parties had led to the closure
of a large number of industrial units, resulting in rendering about 48
lakh persons jobless. He said both the NDA and the Congress had adopted
“anti-people” policies. |
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Left parties
strike deal with Congress Amritsar, March 22 Mrs Kushal Vohra, wife of a former MP, Mr Bhan Singh Vohra, will be the CPI’s candidate from Bathinda while Mr Darshan Singh Mattu of the CPM will contest from Hoshiarpur. Dr Dayal was addressing a party meeting here today. Dr Dayal cautioned the Congress regarding its behaviour with allies. The CPI leader said the support by Left parties to the Congress would strictly be on a “reciprocal basis” and said the latter should not create hurdles for the candidates of the allies. He favoured inclusion
of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the “broader secular front”. |
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Parties urged to spare funds for healthcare Sangrur, March 22 Talking to TNS here today, Dr Surinder Singla, state general secretary of the PCMSA, said the healthcare delivery system should be declared a priority sector. Dr Singla also appealed to the political parties to make medical education within the reach of the common man. The state general secretary urged the political parties to
keep doctors out of the purview of “criminal negligence” in the event of
hospital deaths or on account of wrong treatment. |
Punjab to appoint 700
doctors on contract Faridkot, March 22 In addition to it the
Cabinet also finalised the modalities and approved the tenders for the
purchase of medicines and equipment for the institutions. However, both
the projects would come on the map after the completion of the Lok Sabha
elections in the state. This was stated by Mr Santokh Singh, Minister
for Medical Education and Research, while talking to mediapersons after
inaugurating the annual sports meet of the local Government Medical
College at the Nehru Stadium here today. He admitted that the financial
crunch was hampering the efforts to improve health services in the three
medical colleges and the corrective steps were being initiated to do the
needful. In reply to a question the minister promised to start the
construction work of the complex of Baba Farid University of Health
Sciences at Faridkot without specifying the time and elaborating the
plan due to the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct following the
general elections in the state. When his attention was drawn towards
various irregularities in the recruitment of some officials in the
university in the recent past he also assured to mark an inquiry after
getting detailed report on the issue. Earlier, a five-member deputation
of the state joint action committee of the paramedical and health
departments met the minister and presented a charter of demands which
included the immediate release of their salary for the month of
February, decentralisation of powers for maintaining the entire account
of employees GP fund to the drawing and disbursing officers of the
respective institutions and the promotion of the employees by filling
the vacant posts besides the provision of proper infrastructure in the
local medical college. |
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‘Mafia’ grabs NRI’s land Alipur Arayian (Patiala), March 22 The NRI, Mr Partap Singh, claimed that he was being targeted by a group of influential persons because of the high cost of the land due to its proximity to the city. Mr Partap Singh is presently running a primary school, computer centre, sewing centre, dispensary and an ambulance service in the village. All these activities are being run under the aegis of the Jai Kaur Charitable Trust which was formed by him in August last year. Mr Partap Singh says his troubles started when he learned that his brothers had sold away their share of the joint piece of land in the village to a group of persons who are known “land grabbers”. He said the land was sold without it being partitioned amongst the three heirs. The old man alleged that after the death of one of his brothers, Bhagwan Singh, who had sold off his land to members of the group, he was taken to the house of a former senior official by a police officer and made to sign a deed of partition forcibly. Mr Partap Singh said following the death of his second brother, Gurbaksh Singh, the latter’s family sold off its share of the land plus part of his land to the same group. The NRI claimed that both mutations were done
illegally, adding that the buyers of the land had also approached the
Punjab and Haryana High Court and got a decision in their favour by
presenting forged record. He said he was able to get relief from the
court in July, 2001, following which he had been consistently
approaching the police to get his part of the land vacated. He said that
he had been unsuccessful in this venture till now. |
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Commissioner opens ‘illegal’ club Amritsar, March 22 A board, which reads, “ It is worth checking up the status of this so-called club since this is not on books/documents of the Amritsar Cantonment Board,” has been put up at the entrance gate of the club. However, Mr G.S. Dhillon, president of the Cantt Club, claims that the club is legal as it was registered with the Registrar, Societies, under Act XXI of 1860 on November 18, 2003. Mr Dhillon alleged that officials of the club were being intimidated by the military police, which had been deployed to restrict the entry of members. Earlier, Mr Parshotam Lal, Executive Officer of the Cantonment Board, wrote of Mr G.K. Vij and Mr R.K. Vij — the allottees — that “it has come to the notice of the board that you are running the club for commercial purposes in your bungalow, meant for residential purposes.” However, Mr Vij denied that his bungalow was being used for commercial purpose. He said, “I am not running any club for commercial purposes in my bungalow. In fact, a major portion of the bungalow is being used for residential purposes and only a small portion is being used as a kitty hall for family members, which does not tantamount to change of purpose under the law.” He, however, said he was ready to comply with any direction issued by Cantonment Board. Mr G.S. Dhillon,
president of the club, said he had video footage of the harassment being
caused to members by the military police. |
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They saw match, but missed Lahore Attari, March 22 Quoting a common phrase “Jine Lahore nahi vekhya, oh jammian nahi” Kapil, a cricket fan from New Delhi who returned on Samjhauta Express today, said. “We went to Lahore but could not see it properly. He said they were issued visas from March 20 to 23. However, he said, the first day was spent in completing customs and immigration formalities on either side of the border, while yesterday was the match and as no special train was available for March 23, they had to return today and therefore had no time to go around the historic places and gardens in Lahore. The cricket fans who returned today on Samjhauta Express were thrilled over the dramatic win of India. As many as 700 cricket lovers today returned from the Wagah joint check post before the retreat ceremony and the remaining would be allowed to enter after the ceremony. Anil Mahajan of Jalandhar was all praise for the hospitality
that he and his group of seven other members received from Pakistani
people. He said people of Lahore even congratulated them on the Indian
team’s win. |
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Muslims celebrate Lahore win Phagwara, March 22 The Shahi Imam of the local Jama Masjid, Ubes-ur-Rehman, today asserted that the historic victory was a matter of pride for the nation. Meanwhile, scenes similar to Divali were witnessed as cricket-crazy fans burst crackers till midnight. People rushed to the streets, raised patriotic slogans
and waved the Tricolour. Drums were beaten and slogans of “Bharat Mata
ki Jai” and “Lahore Fateh” raised. |
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Naseer to perform in Pakistan Amritsar, March 22 Accepting the offer from the leading Pakistani theatre artistes Kazmi and his wife Ruksana, who had come specially from Lahore to see him perform in “Ismat Apa Ke Naam” that was staged here last night at Guru Nanak Bhavan. The play was sponsored by the Durga Das Foundation, The Tribune and Spice Telecom. Talking to The Tribune, Shah said he had been waiting for an opportunity to stage plays in Pakistan and the invitation extended by the Ajoka theatre group, Lahore, had come at a opportune time when the relations between India and Pakistani had taken a positive turn. He said there was tremendous scope for Indian and Pakistani stage artistes to perform on a common platform as theatre of both countries had similar traditions and culture. The renowned artist felt that the two neighbouring countries must exchange cultural and stage groups and develop affinity among the artistes. Shah added that he was looking forward to perform in Pakistan in the near future. Kazmi, a leading theatre personality from Pakistan, said the recently held Indo-Pak theatre festival in Lahore was a major success. He added that five leading theatre groups from India, including those of Neelam Mansingh Choudhary, Usha Ganguly, Neeta Mahindra, Kewal Dhaliwal and others, had received accolades from theatre lovers in Lahore. Kazmi said theatre group based in Lahore was planning to organise a major festival in Lahore and a number of Indian artistes had been invited for it. A standing ovation by the jam-packed audience was an ideal finale to the enchanting performance by Naseeruddin and his wife Ratna Pathak and their daughter Heeba. The conceptualisation of the physical text of the book written by Ismat Khanum Chugtai by the Shah family was a revelation for the theatre lovers of the holy city, who had been treated to rich fair of stories of Muslim aristocracy. The three stories ‘Chhui Muee’, ‘Mughal Bachcha’ and ‘Gharwali’ were presented in a narrative form. Shah said the tradition of story telling by grandparents had disappeared and he had tried his hand at reviving it and added that it had fascinated the audiences in India. The Director
of the Durga Das Foundation, Mr Atul Khanna, thanked The Tribune group
of newspapers and Spice Telecom for excellent support and cooperation in
organising the performance. |
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Where devotees offer liquor Pathankot, March 22 As the folklore goes, Baba Rode Shah, blessed with miracles, is known for fulfilling wishes of devotees visiting the mazar. Devotees offer liquor at the mazar, which measures up to thousands of litres, particularly during the fair. People from various parts of the country have started thronging the mazar. It is said that once a devotee asked Baba Rode Shah to bless him with a son and offered money, which was refused by the Baba, who asked for an offering of liquor. The devotee’s wish was fulfilled. That is how the offering of liquor began. The number of visitors at the fair has
increased manifold over the years. |
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Check death rate of newborns: doctors Faridkot, March 22 Leaving aside two or three specialised hospitals like the DMC and the CMC at Ludhiana, all other government and private clinics were lagging behind in providing better treatment to newborn babies, experts said. Even these institutions were unable to meet the requirements, thereby resulting in a death rate of over 40 among every 1000 children born in the state as compared to 10 to 12 deaths per 1000 in Kerala. Expressing concern over the prevailing conditions, speakers demanded specialised medical camps in urban and rural areas to train paramedical staff and free medicines for both the mother and her newborn child. More funds to provide better nutrition to expectant mothers and awareness seminars for parents in educational institutions were also demanded. Speaking on the occasion, Dr G.P. Kaushal, a Paediatrician from Deen Dyal Hospital, New Delhi, emphasised on regular check up, good diet for expectant mothers and institutional deliveries. Dr Rajinder
from Muktsar urged upon promoting medical facilities in the private
sector by advancing loans on easy terms to entrepreneurs who could play
a significant role in solving the problem. |
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Seminar: involve people in development plans Amritsar, March 22 These observations were made by Mr D.S. Meshram, President, Institute of Town Planners India, New Delhi, while delivering his keynote address at the inaugural session of a two-day national seminar on “Challenges and priorities in urban and regional planning” organised by the Guru Ramdas School of Planning of Guru Nanak Dev University and co-sponsored by the UGC and the Chandigarh Regional Chapter of the Institute of Town Planners India here today. Expressing concern over the poor implementation of development plans, Mr Meshram said these plans should be as per the needs of society. He said these should be for a short period and should be reviewed periodically. He said the Central Government and the state governments should come forward to provide funds for the successful implementation of development plans. He stressed the need for people’s participation while preparing the plans. Dr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor, said the aspirations of the
people were changing fast and these were posing new challenges, which
required fresh thinking. He stressed the need for a well-devised
urbanisation policy, which should aim at integrating urban, rural and
regional development. |
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Bhagat Singh remembered Jalandhar, March 22 A blood donation camp was also organised on the occasion, in which 22 students of the college and members of PALS International Organisation, Citizen Welfare and Protection Council, Jalandhar cantonment, donated blood. Mr Bhupinder Singh, SDM, the chief guest, said Bhagat Singh had made greatest contribution to the freedom movement by sacrificing his life. Mr Charanjit Singh, Chairman of the college, said youngsters should make Bhagat Singh their role model and serve the country and its people with total dedication. Mr Harmanjot
Singh, who has already been nominated by the Punjab Government for his
services in the field of youth welfare, was honoured along with Mr Kunal
Mehta on the occasion. A colourful cultural event was also organised on
the occasion. |
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Mela special trains today Phillaur, March 22 This was stated by Divisional Railway Manager Dharam Singh here today. He said the special trains would run at an interval of two hours from Ferozepore and Hussainiwala from 7.30 am onwards. He added that special booking counters would be opened at the mela site in Hussainiwala. Divisional
Railway Manager also disclosed that the Railways had started a “cricket
special train” from New Delhi, which will reach Amritsar on the morning
of March 23. He said this special train would go up to Attari, from
where the cricket lovers will board a Pakistani special train for going
to Lahore. |
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80 pc of village’s phones dead Moga,
March 22 He added that they took up the matter with the Telecommunication
Department several times but to no avail. |
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Mansa, March 22 Mr Mukhtiar Singh, general
secretary, Ex-servicemen Welfare Association, Punjab, said members of
various employees unions of Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) and
Bhartiya Kisan Union had also joined in their agitation today to urge
the authorities concerned to accept their demands. — TNS |
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Park that is a garbage dump Patiala, March 22 They allege that the municipal corporation is not bothered about the park despite the tall promises made by Mayor Vishnu Sharma. There is no clean and open space in the colony where gatherings could be organised. Mr Avatar Singh, a resident of the locality, says that they had brought the issue to the notice of the Mayor nearly five months ago. The Mayor had said that he was not aware of any municipal park exists in that area. But he had said that he would take up the issue, now that it had been brought to his notice. But nothing came of the promise. He had also assured that the park would be earmarked for proper upkeep but till date nothing concrete had been done. The park is at present being used to dump garbage by residents of the area. Adding to the woes of the residents is the spread of congress grass. Residents hire labour on their own to check its growth. Even the roads and streetlights in the area are in poor shape. Mr B.S. Bedi, another resident, says that despite their several requests the corporation has made no attempt to check the menace of stay cattle in the area. When contacted, the Mayor
said the corporation could not undertake any new project till the
elections were over. He added that after the elections budget for the
maintenance of the park would be prepared and work would start soon
after it was passed by the General House. |
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Medical store closed Kharar, March
22 The SDM, Mr Sukhvinder Singh Gill, said the Tehsildar had locked the door of the shop. He said two days’ time had been given to the shopkeeper to vacate the premises, but he failed to do so. He said the Ropar Deputy Commissioner, Ms Seema Jain, had ordered the closure of the medical store which was functioning in violation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court orders and subsequent directions issued by the Punjab Government. The shop had been rented out by the Ropar unit of the
Indian Red Cross Society. |
High Court Chandigarh, March 22 The petitioner, Sanjeev Bhandari, had earlier
contended that they were willing to pay Rs 5 crore more than the
successful bidder. The auction, he added, was completely hijacked by
liquor baron Ponti Chadha’s group. |
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Life term for four in murder case Sangrur, March 22 Additional Sessions Judge V.K. Megh also sentenced a car driver, who assisted the youths in the crime, to three-year imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000. One and a half
years ago the body of a youth, Rocky, was found near ‘Shiv Temple’. The
youth had gone to see Ram Lila and later the body was found near the
dais. — UNI |
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Doctor convicted of seeking bribe Patiala, March 22 Special Judge K.C. Puri convicted Dr Deepak Walia, who was accused of demanding a bribe of Rs 1,000 from Mr Jit Singh, a resident of Bras village, near here, to release the post-mortem report of a relative. Mr Jit Singh had approached the doctor requesting him for the release of the post-mortem report in June, 1999. Dr Walia demanded a bribe of Rs 1,000, but following “negotiations” he settled for Rs 600. Mr Jit Singh then approached the Patiala Vigilance Bureau with a complaint in this regard. A trap was laid for the doctor and he was caught red-handed accepting
Rs 600 from Mr Jit Singh. The doctor was also fined Rs 1,000 by the
court. |
Diversification not succeeding, say experts Patiala, March 22 Speaking at a Kisan Mela
organised by the Young Farmers Association, its head Mr Bhagwan Das
Gupta said Punjab needed an alternative for paddy urgently because the
crop was depleting water resources in the state. He said despite the
ongoing diversification drive, the area under paddy — 25 lakh hectares —
had not come down. Mr Gupta said the diversification alternatives
suggested by the government had not yielded any result because they were
not practicable. He said the crops suggested by the government were at
best ornamental as they could be sowed in a small area only and could
not become the mainstay crops of the Punjab farmer. He said in such a
situation the government could stress on basmati plantation. This paddy
variety needed less water and fertiliser. Mr Gupta said Punjab farmers
could get more from basmati if the state exported it and also marketed
it more effectively in the country. Others who spoke on the occasion,
including the president of the Young Farmers Association, Mr Jagdeep
Singh Cheema, also stressed that diversification needed to be made more
meaningful in the state by tackling the problems of farmers who had gone
in for new crops. Later Punjab Public Health Minister Jasjit Singh
Randhawa stated that the state government had given a fillip to
agriculture in the state through smooth procurement of all foodgrains
and also by giving uninterrupted power supply. Mr Randhawa said the
uninterrupted supply had helped in boosting the yield of both wheat and
paddy crops in the state. Mr Randhawa also listened to the problems of
the farmers as far as the present contract farming is concerned. He said
contract farming had been initiated in the state to give a fillip to the
diversification process. He said the system would be further fine-tuned
so that farmers could benefit from it. Around 8000 bags of PUSA - 44
were distributed on the occasion. The association said there was a heavy
demand for this certified seed. A group of farmers, who were not able to
get seed despite standing in queue since morning, raised slogans against
the association in the evening. Mr Gupta clarified that foundation seed
was given to only those persons who had become members of the
association. |
ADC’s official car attached Sangrur, March 22 According to information, the ‘sapurdari’ of the car has been given to a senior assistant of the office of the Deputy Commissioner. The court had already passed a decree in the favour of Mr
Mohinder Singh, a former employee of the tehsil office, for the recovery
of arrears. |
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G.K. Singh gets PSIDC assignment Chandigarh, March 22 |
Sarpanch dismissed Ropar, March 22 The sarpanch was dismissed on the basis of the inquiry conducted by the BDO, Kharar. The BDO had found Mr Harnek Singh guilty of distributing 1586 bigha of village common land on his own among the farmers, including himself during the term ranging from 1993 to 1998. He was also accused of further selling the land despite the ADC, Ropar, staying the mutations of the village common lands distributed among the farmers. |
Cable operator ‘kidnapped, tortured’ Jalandhar, March 22 Janesh Yashroy, the victim, who was bundled into a Contessa
car in an injured condition near the Balle Balle resort at the Pathankot
bypass, however, managed to escape when he saw some police officials and
raised an alarm. This attracted the policemen who saved him. Janesh, a
Win cable operator, was attacked by a group, allegedly led by Babblu
Dhillon, a rival cable operator, when he reached his office from
Amritsar around 8.20 p.m. on Saturday. “Instead of listening my pleas,
Babblu Dhillon, Gogi and others attacked me with a blunt weapon. After
this they bundled me in their jeep and took me to a place, which was
probably near a railway line. On our way to the place, I heard members
of the group talking to many persons and possibly one of them also
included Babblu’s father. There, I was again beaten up mercilessly till
Babblu’s father came in his Contessa car. He also hit me with a
wrench-like blunt thing. While on one hand they keep pressurising me to
leave my partnership with Aroras, on the other they kept demanding Rs
15,000 every month if I wanted to run my business in the area. Then
someone informed them that the police was searching for me. Following
this, they started talking to me in a soft manner and promised that I
would be released if my parents agreed to withdraw the complaint against
them,” said Janesh, while talking to The Tribune at the local Civil
Hospital. He said from there, he was again bundled into the car and
taken to another spot in front of the Balle Balle resort, where all
others left the vehicle. “When I tried to come out of the vehicle, I
stopped as I found some persons in another vehicle keeping an eye on me.
I mustered courage only when I saw gunmen of DSP Rajinder Singh. I
jumped out and told the entire story to them. They told me that they
were trying to locate me,” he said. When contacted, Mr Rajinder Singh
said a case had been registered against eight persons, including Babblu,
a resident of Guru Amar Dass locality, and Gogi, a resident of Preet
Nagar area, under Sections 365, 452, 427, 323 and 324 of the IPC on the
basis of a medical report. He said raids were being conducted at
suspected hideouts. While none of the accused were available for
comments, Mr Rajinder Singh revealed that preliminary inquiry had
revealed that Babblu Dhillon’s father was not involved in the alleged
“kidnapping” and “torture” of Janesh. He said instead he had saved
Janesh from the accused. He said police parties had been despatched to
arrest the accused. |
Jewellery
worth Rs 7 lakh stolen Batala, March 22 On Saturday night, the owner, Mr Kulwant Singh Gora, closed the
shop around 8.00 pm. However, today morning, he found that a theft had
taken place in the shop and thieves had stolen the jewellery worth about
Rs 7 lakh. The thieves had entered the shop from the top storey,
breaking the locks there with the help of an iron rod. Interestingly
none of the locks on the shutter of the shop had been broken. The
police naka at Gandhi Chowk is hardly 15 feet away from the shop and is
open 24 hours. A police team headed by SHO, City police station,
Santokh Singh is investigating. |
|
Four migrants drugged, robbed Phagwara, March 22 Vikesh Kumar,
Sikander, Saifudin and Sipahi had come from Hoshiarpur to board a train
for going back to their native place. Two persons served them some
biscuits and some eatable laced with drug. Before they fell
unconscious, they were thrashed and robbed of cash worth Rs 2,000 and
bundled into a room. |
|
10 held in raids Barnala, March
22 Disclosing this here today, Mr Amit Prasad SSP, Barnala, informed that in the wake of the police intensifying its drive against anti-social elements, the Kotwali police found Rattan Lal, Jarnail Singh and Suresh Kumar gambling and seized Rs 1,800 from them. The Shehna police succeeded in apprehending Puran Singh, Jagraj
Singh and Ramesh Kumar and seized 60 bottles of illicit country-made
liquor from their possession. The Barnala and Dhanaula police nabbed,
Gurdev Kaur, Paramjit Kaur and Manmohan Kumar and seized 14 kg of poppy
husk from them. The CIA staff police Handiaya too seized about 300 gm of
opium from Parminder Singh. |
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