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CM exempted from personal appearance
Chandigarh, November 27 Counsel for the Chief Minister sought the exemption on the grounds that the latter was busy in Patiala today in connection with the preparations being made for the World Punjabi Conference beginning on December 1. “The Punjab Chief Minister from Pakistan will be visiting Patiala today in connection with the conference and Capt Amarinder Singh will be busy with him,” counsel pleaded. The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Ms Neerja Kulwant Kalson, deferred the case till February 19. Mr Badal had filed the case in February 2002 against Capt Amarinder Singh, alleging that the latter had tarnished his image by levelling false and malicious allegations concerning him and his family assets. Talking to reporters outside the court complex today, Mr Badal alleged that the Chief Minister was “deliberately trying to delay the case”. “He wants to delay it because he knows the allegations levelled about my assets are totally false and baseless,” he said. “Capt Amarinder Singh had said that I and my family had accumulated assets worth Rs 3,500 crore, but so far he has not been able to prove it. He had alleged that I owned 10,000 acres of land in Australia, 8,000 acres in California and 5,000 acres in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, besides night clubs and other buildings in New York and some parts of India,” he said. “He also accused me of siphoning off the money from the Anandpur Sahib Heritage complex for a resort in Gurgaon. Let me tell him that the Heritage Foundation had 21 members, including the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, who were monitoring the project. I was not even a member of the managing committee of the project, how could I even think of misusing the money for a noble cause?” he asked. The Akali supremo demanded that a case should be registered against Capt Amarinder Singh’s son, Mr Raninder Singh, for the latter’s alleged involvement in some hawala transactions. “If the state government continues to shield Raninder, we may move court,” he added.
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Did Badal hold secret meeting with Cong minister?
Chandigarh, November 27 Sources reveal that Mr Badal drove into the residence of a close relative of the minister in Sector 9 this afternoon for the meeting, which continued for a little more than an hour. What transpired at the meeting could not be ascertained immediately. Before Mr Parkash Singh Badal arrived, the minister had come to his close relative’s bungalow in his private Tata Safari. All attempts to reach Mr Badal and the minister concerned were futile. The meeting assumes tremendous significance as the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is due to meet on December 20 for two days. Though the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had emerged stronger after winning both the byelections in Garhshankar and Kapurthala, an undercurrent of dissension within the Punjab Congress Legislature Party has been continuing unabated. New groups had started emerging on the eve of the byelections which, instead of getting diminished after the results of Garhshankar and Kapurthala, have started consolidating their position. Though the main group of dissidents led by Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal had disintegrated after she was made Deputy Chief Minister, some of the dissidents appear to have realigned themselves to offer an alternative to the present leadership of the Punjab Congress Legislature Party. Even during byelections, members of this group made themselves visible as they were joined by PWD Minister Partap Singh Bajwa and supported by Finance Minister Surinder Singla and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi. Dissensions have been surfacing following public outburst of Education Minister Harnam Dass Johar and Finance Minister Surinder Singla and now between Mr Partap Singh Bajwa and Ch Jagjit Singh. Ch Jagjit Singh is considered close to the Chief Minister and hence enjoyed the overall support of the district administration during the conduct of two-day cultural mela featuring artistes from Pakistan. Mr Bajwa felt ignored and humiliated during the mela while the limelight was taken by Ch Jagjit Singh. Even at the last meeting of the Council of Ministers, there were more than one occasions of acrimony among members of the Council of Ministers, especially over the role and nomination of liquor baron Ponty Chadha on the organising committee of East-West Punjab Games to be held at Patiala from December 5.
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SGPC jatha chief accepts siropa from PSGPC
Amritsar, November 27 In another important development, a representative of the SGPC, Mr Ajaib Singh Mukhmailpur, attended the meeting held by the PSGPC at Lahore today. This is for the first time that any SGPC member participated in such a meeting since the inception of the PSGPC in 1999. The meeting decided to urge the government of Pakistan to help remove encroachments in the gurdwara buildings. The meeting also decided to send a team of Pakistani Sikhs to the Golden Temple and Akal Takht to seek guidance for celebrating Gurpurbs as per the maryada. Confirming the acceptance of siropa, Mr Kabul Singh told The Tribune on the phone that he had not committed a mistake as it was presented to him in “Guru Ghar”. He also participated in the foundation stone laying ceremony of a serai near Gurdwara Tambu Sahib, arranged by Chairman of the Pakistan Evacuee Property Trust Board. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief, Mr Parmjit Singh Sarna and Jatha leaders of the SGPC had coordinated with one another for arranging religious functions on the eve of Gurpurab. The kar seva of the serai has been taken over by Baba Jagtar Singh who had completed the gold plating of Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. In yet another significant development, Mr Parvez Elahi, Chief Minister, West Punjab, announced a gazetted holiday all over the state on Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary. The demand to declare a holiday was made by Mr Parmjit Singh Sarna. Addressing the Sikh sangat at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib yesterday Mr Elahi said he would implement all declarations made on the auspicious occasion. He said the four-laning of the 30-km road from Shekhupura to Nankana Sahib had been started. Sikh leaders from various parts of the world including Mr Sarna, Mr Pritpal Singh, president of the American Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, and Avtar Singh Sanghera, a UK-based Babbar Khalsa International leader, would meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on November 29. The delegation would urge Mr Aziz to complete the motorway from Wagah to Nankana Sahib at the earliest. The DSGMC would urge him for the plying of more buses from Delhi to Pakistan so that pilgrims could pay their obeisance at gurdwaras of Pakistan. The kar sewa of Gurdwara Chunna Mandi, Lahore, the birth place of Guru Ram Dass, would start on November 30. Mr Sarna said the old structure of the gurdwara would be preserved while carrying out the kar seva.
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Dal Khalsa wants cow slaughter ban to be lifted
Chandigarh, November 27 The Dal members also want enactment of laws "to check the flow and settlement of migrants in the state". The opening of Wagah border for trade purposes is also included in their list of demands, along with intervention of NGOs and social groups in the proposed police Bill. Addressing a press conference, the Dal members asserted that the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) was a "statutory body" and recognition from the SGPC was not required. Giving details of their demands, the members said lifting ban on cow slaughter would go a long way in the uplift of farmers, struggling to repay loans. It would also check suicides among farmers. They added that the farmers already had the infrastructure and could keep cows without spending additional money. "It would fetch good rates. As of now, the farmers were abandoning their cattle at lonely places", they said. "Moreover, stray cattle was resulting in road accidents". Clarifying that their intention was not to hurt the religious sentiments of any community, the Dal's general secretary Kanwarpal Singh said the move would boost beef export, besides promoting leather and pharmaceutical industry in the region. He added that already in nine states there was no ban on cow slaughter, while in two other states it was partially imposed. He asserted that the opening of the Wagah border for trade purposes would not only encourage trade, but result in increasing cultural co-operation between the countries. Elaborating upon his contention, he said at present the trade was being carried out via Mumbai and Gujarat ports. Opening of the Wagah border would help Punjab farmer to sell his produce in Iran, Iraq and Arab countries. Regarding the inflow of migrants, he said the number of outsiders holding jobs was increasingly significantly, while Punjabis were being forced to leave the state for jobs in other countries. Otherwise also, over 2 million migrants had settled down in the state "threatening" the demographic structure in the process, they claimed.
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Ready to give Rs 1 lakh but not Rs 3,000
Chandigarh, November 27 Interestingly, the Languages Department, who will now give Mr Chandan Rs 1 lakh, has been unable to pay him a remuneration of just Rs 3,000 for the past five years. The Languages Department had published a book of Amarjit Chandan about five years ago and was to pay him Rs 3000 as remuneration for it. Sources said that Mr Chandan had approached the department to pay him the remuneration. However, the department has been telling Mr Chandan that it does not have money even to buy postal stamps, what to talk about Rs 3000. From where will the department get Rs 55 lakh which is to be paid to 52 writers as award money, it is yet not known. Sources said that the Punjab Chief Minister’s office today asked the Finance Department to immediately send Rs 55 lakh to the Languages Department because the Chief Minister had made a commitment to the department to provide the award money. In fact on the Chief Minister’s assurance, the shiromani awards of the past four years have been announced by the department. Meanwhile, Mr Chandan, in an E-Mail sent to The Tribune, has made his position clear regarding the acceptance of the award by him. He said that he would accept the award and donate the money to Desh Bhagat Yadgar, a great memorial of the revolutionary people of pre-independence period. “I don’t see any reason to refuse the award. I have always felt that the corrupt socio-political system has also polluted writers, who are supposed to be the conscience-keepers of our society. I did not solicit anybody for the award. If the award had been given by the previous Badal Government, I would never have accepted it, says Mr Chandan. “I think my conscience is clear now and I could sleep in peace”, he adds. He is of the opinion that awards should be stopped forthwith and efforts should be made to improve the functioning of the Languages Department.
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In defence of Kapurthala’s rich legacy
Chandigarh, November 27 In Chandigarh on a personal visit, he spoke about the lost legacy of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh who enriched Kapurthala with master craft in the form of heritage sites including the finely built Jagatjit Palace. In a state of utter neglect, the Palace with French architecture now houses the Sainik School and is being restored by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). Concerned about the slow pace of progress on the restoration front, Shatrujit Singh listed several heritage buildings demanding urgent attention. And though he admitted to the differences of opinion he has with his father Maharaja Brig Sukhjit Singh (retd) of Kapurthala, he added that the same did not deter him from responding to his concerns as an inheritor to the royal legacy. “There may be rumours about my relationship with my father, but that does not change my antecedents. The fact is that I belong to the royal family and I feel responsible for the decaying and degenerating heritage sites like the Gol Kothi, the Moorish Mosque, the Jalaukhand Fort and others,” he said, informing The Tribune that the Maharaja Jagatjit Singh Trust recently wrote to the Punjab Chief Minister apprising him of the sorry state of heritage in Kapurthala. “I have been fighting to restore the Jalaukhand Fort for several years now. I am fighting 67 litigants who are bent upon ruining the historic site which used to be the venue for all festivity during the times of the Maharaja,” he said, drawing one’s attention towards Mai Maharani Temple which had been especially built for the women of the royal family. “The Jalaukhand Fort was captured by Baba Jassa Singh in 1762. It stands at the heart of Kapurthala’s heritage, also featuring the Moorish Mosque which I can get restored with the help of Moroccon experts,” he said. Other buildings on Shatrujit’s list are Darbari Hall, Shalimar Bagh and Gol Kothi which has virtually crumbled. About floating a trust separate from his father’s, Shatrujit said he differed from his father in the matter of perspective. Incidentally, Brig Sukhjit Singh (retd) has been supporting the annual heritage festivals held in Kapurthala every October in the memory of Sikh warrior Baba Jassa Singh. Shatrujit Singh, however, has not been a part of this festival as he hosts a separate one to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jassa Singh. He explains, “Baba Jassa Singh was a warrior who never had time for classical music which largely forms a part of the Kapurthala heritage festival. I hold a keertan darbar in his memory.” Meanwhile, Shatrujit Singh is also looking for research scholars to get the Sikh history documented. His political involvement also continues though he does not declare which part he favours as of today. “I am with anyone who favours development,” he says rather diplomatically, reiterating his promise to help restore Kapurthala’s historical legacy.
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Punjab suggests policy initiative for farm sector
Chandigarh, November 27 Simultaneously, the State Planning Board Vice-Chairman, Dr S S Johl, has submitted to the National Commission on Agriculture, headed by Dr M S Swaminathan, a 14-point “corrective measures and policy initiative” document for sustainable agriculture. It defines determinants, constraints and options for agricultural growth in Punjab. What Capt Amarinder Singh told the Commission is aimed to end stagnation in the agriculture sector, improve incomes, generate employment and integrate farm production with agri-business and agri-processing. The other aim is to develop village as a ‘’growth centre’’, provide urban facilities in rural areas, reduce migration to cities and de-congest them. The 14-points suggested to the National Commission on Agriculture by Dr Johl focus on reducing the cost of production through rationalisation of fixed investments in farm machinery, introduce management techniques in use of production inputs, break productivity barrier through bio-engineering, make efficient use as well as preserve natural resources, diversify from wheat-paddy cycle to save economy, ecology and depleting water table etc. The diversion in cropping pattern could be towards dairy farming by removing impediments, encouraging alternative crops and vegetables, vertical integration of market and contract farming. Other identified areas are food processing, post-harvest management, simple and low tax structure and free-trade with Pakistan to boost Punjab economy. The other suggested policy initiatives include continuation of minimum support price (MSP) policy till the time an attractive alternative system of high value crops, is put in place, which could sustain farmers’ present level of economic well being. Neither freezing nor reducing MSP will benefit Punjab, given the international market price fluctuations and falling stocks. The Centre’s intervention to give debt relief to farmers and put an end to suicides by them finds prominent mention. Institutional lending has been eclipsed by high interest lending by non-institutional organisations, say commission agents, the proverbial ‘’ahrtiyas’’, who give even ‘’consumption loans’’. Lastly, since Punjab Agricultural University is the only one engaged in research and extension services, the policy initiative suggests that it be given one time Rs 200 crore central assistance through the Planning Commission to ‘’reconstruct research apparatus’’. Both the presentations made in New Delhi last week focus on practical central intervention in MSP regime, setting up agri-business, agri-processing industry, increasing flow of institutional credit and jacking up investments in research and technology.
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Two-day heritage festival begins
Bathinda, November 27 People belonging to all walks of life participated in the procession that started from the Dargah of Baba Haji Ratan and terminated at Quila
Mubarak. A cross-section of people with the help of the district civil and police authorities floated the BRHF to organise this festival to inculcate the spirit of preservation of historic monuments. Led by decorated elephants, camels and horses, the procession was accompanied by hundreds of traditionally dressed youths of different schools and colleges of this region. They sang folk songs and performed folk dances. Tableaux were also carried, depicting the richness of Punjabi culture. Before the procession, Mr K.A.P
Sinha, Deputy Commissioner, Mr Kapil Dev, SSP, Mr L.R. Nayyar, TT Commissioner and Mr
D.K. Tiwari, Municipal Commissioner, offered a “chaddar” at the
Dargah. The “chaddars” were also offered by special guests who had come from Pakistan. The procession was followed by an art exhibition and heritage village. A seminar on Punjabi culture and heritage was also held.
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Calcutta’s appointment challenged
Amritsar, November 27 Mr Mohinder Singh alleged that there was no provision in the CKD to appoint patron and hence Mr Calcutta could not be appointed to the post. However, Mr Charnjit Singh Chadha and Mr Bhag Singh Ankhi, who took over as the president and secretary, respectively, evaded a direct question in this regard but said the post of patron was honorary and they could not violate the directive of Akal Takht. Earlier, Mr Mohinder Singh had said that Mr Calcutta, who was not even a member of the CKD, could not hold any post in the institution. The new team, however, promised to hold the elections within three years. Mr Chadha, replying to a query, said since all 284 expelled members had already been reinstated at the behest of Akal Takht, the case in the court would automatically be withdrawn. The CKD would also approach the UN to recognise it as an international NGO.The CKD would also open more educational institutes, orphanages and old age homes across the country.
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Action sought against Jaya in seer case
Amritsar, November 27 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, president of the front, said activists would stage a dharna in the Jantar Mantar area in Delhi and file a public interest litigation in the apex court if the Tamil Nadu Government continued to act repressively. Alleging a deep-rooted conspiracy towards the majority community by pseudo-secularists, he said foreign powers were behind the plan. On the agenda for Indo-Pak talks, he said the release of PoWs and of Indians languishing in Pak jails, besides extradition of hardcore terrorists to India, should be a precondition to any further talks.
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Owners guard kiosks against demolition
Amritsar, November 27 The situation has allegedly turned tense as the shopkeepers are being supported by local councillors. The corporation authorities say they are helpless in implementing notices as the area is congested and political affiliations and interference are strong. The kiosk owners, however, allege high-handedness by the corporation against them as they state that the demolition notices were served by the corporation despite the fact that it was taking rent of Rs 60 per month as ‘tehe-bazari’ from them which establishes recognition of their kiosks. Claiming to be here since 1972, the owners alleged that some vested interests were on misinformation campaign against them. Family member of kiosk owners, including women, to sleep in their shops at night while batches of shopkeepers keep night vigil on the rotation basis. Kiosk owners said they were petrified since the notices had been served to them about demolition . Though the notices issued last month specify no deadline for the demolition, the fear of it has caused sleepless nights for the families. The notices state that the kiosks may be removed by the owners, failure of which could invite action by the municipal corporation, which would be forced to undertake demolition and the cost of the it would be borne by the owners themselves. Meanwhile the corporation is also looking for an opportune moment to carry out the demolition. Mayor Sunil Datti, when asked about the case said he was not dealing with it and MC Commissioner K.S. Kang, was looking after the same. Mr Kang however could not be contacted for comments.
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Complainant writes to PM in house grab case
Amritsar, November 27 The has written to the Prime Minister, the copies have also been sent to the Governor, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the DGP. Policemen in three jeeps accompanied by women constables tried to “help” Mr Sudarshan Singh grab the house when Ms Samra was alone in the house. However, on the intervention of neighbours, the police party failed to take its possession. Mr Sudarshan Singh has, however, refuted the allegations. He said he was being implicated even though he did not go to the place. Showing documents, he claimed that he had purchased two portions of the house from Rajinder Kaur Samra, an NRI and relative of Ms Parkash Kaur Samra, on October 21. He said he had got the possession of the disputed portions on November 14. Ms Sonia, whose husband and son are in the Army, giving the documents claimed that a case was pending in the court in which a Rajinder Kaur claimed to be a shareholder in the house. She said if the case about the ownerhsip of the disputed portions was pending in court, how could Sudarshan procure the land. She alleged that despite having stay orders, the police forcibly tried to take the possession of the house. In the letter, Ms Samra had alleged that she was being threatened by the accused. She urged the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister to direct the authorities take action against erring police officials. The SSP could not be contacted. A senior police official, however, said there was a property dispute between the two parties and the situation had reached the boiling point. Therefore, the police party had gone there to ward off any eventuality.
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Pathankot airport ready for inauguration
Pathankot, November 27 Mr Tejbir Singh, in charge of the construction of the airport, said almost the entire work of construction had been completed. The minor works continuing could be completed anytime once the schedule for inauguration was received from the government, he added. The work for the civil airport was started in 2001. The apron of the airport had been linked to the runway of the Indian Air Force station. The civil planes would land and take off from the runway of the Air Force and stop in the apron constructed by the Airports Authority of India. The apron can accommodate three Airbus 320 aircraft at a time. The lounge of the airport can accommodate 110 passengers. The lounge is fully air-conditioned and equipped with modern facilities. The airport has come up on an area of 23 acres. The other facilities at the airport include car parking, fire-fighting facility and air traffic control system. About Rs 15 crore has been spent on the construction of the airport. The approach roads to the airport are still a problem. As per the MoU signed for the airport, the Himachal Pradesh Government is to provide the approach roads, but work on the approach roads has not been started. Mr Tejbir Singh said Himachal Pradesh would strengthen the existing road as the approach road to the airport. Dut to the presence of a large number of stone crushers on the existing road, an alternative road along the Air Force stationwas also being constructed. Mr Tejbir Singh said the decision regarding the flights to be operated from Pathankot was to be taken by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Private airline companies were posing queries to the Air Force authorities regarding the operation of their flights from the airport. The inauguration of the airport is likely to witness a political tussle. The work on the airport was started during the tenure of the NDA government. The local MP, Mr Vinod Khanna, had claimed credit for bringing the project to the area. During his recent visit to the area, Mr Khanna had claimed that he would take up the matter of starting flights from the airport with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. With the Congress in power both at the Centre and in the state, its leaders would like to take credit for the airport by inaugurating it.
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5 Punjab Police officials promoted, honoured
Chandigarh, November 27 Action on their part had led to the arrest of two Pakistani nationals, besides the recovery of RDX, along with other ammunition and fake currency in Gurdaspur district. An official spokesman revealed that Sub Inspector (SI) Sulakhan Singh was promoted as “regular” SI while Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Promod Kumar was elevated as SI. Head Constable (HC) Balbir Chand was promoted as ASI, while constables Vijay Kumar and Surinder Pal Singh were elevated as HCs. Decorating the “brave officials”, the Chief Minister asked other police officers to follow suit for further improving the image of the Punjab Police. Describing it as a “matter of great pride and honour for the state police”, he also called upon the officials to discharge their duties with utmost devotion, dedication, sincerity and honesty in service of the public. Those present during the ceremony included Inspector-General of Police (Jalandhar Range) S.K. Sharma, Gurdaspur’s Senior Superintendent of Police Narinder Bhargav, and Pathankot’s Superintendent of Police Manminder Singh.
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Punjabi conference: Nayar to preside over media session
Patiala, November 27 Stating this here today, conference coordinator Sucha Singh Gill said Kuldeep Nayar would preside over the media technical session on the Role of media and cooperation of two Punjabs in which print media Editors from Punjab and senior journalists from Pakistan Punjab would participate. He said Mr H K Dua, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune, Mr Kanwar Sandhu, Resident Editor, Hindustan Times, had confirmed their participation. Mr Bhalla would preside over the session on “agriculture industry, trade and technology. The other participants were Mr G.K. Chadha, Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Prof H.S. Mehta from Chandigarh. Pakistan Punjab Planning and Development Chairman Suleiman Ghani and Lahore Institute of Business Administration Director Ehsan Malik would be the delegates from Pakistan Punjab. The University had received 325 acceptances from visiting delegates. As many as 25 delegates had confirmed their acceptance from Australia, UK, Dubai and Denmark.
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2 crushed to death under Army vehicle
Bathinda, November 27 Sadhu Singh, a physically challenged person, and his wife Gurdial Kaur were crushed to death while their 11-year-old grandson was injured. The hospital staff informed the police about the accident. This is the second such incident in less than a month. On October 31, two boys were run over by an Army vehicle near Hanuman Chowk in the city. One of them died on the spot.
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CM felicitates Surinder Kaur
Chandigarh, November 27
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Fog engulfs Amritsar
Amritsar, November 27 Shopkeepers closed down their establishments earlier than the usual time due to fog that was the result of last evening showers. Traffic jams were seen in the Civil Lines area and on the outskirts of the city where fog was dense.
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Agitating farmers’ condition worsens
Chandigarh, November 27 Talking to The Tribune over the telephone, Mr Pannu said the fasting farmers — Mr Gurcharan Singh, Mr Jagir Singh, Jathedar Mohinder Singh, Mr Tasbir Singh and Mr Prem Singh — had lost up to 7 kg of weight each. Assailing the attitude of the state government, he said even basic amenities were being denied to farmers who were detained in various Punjab jails since the November 3 “rail roko” agitation.
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Land auctioned to recover Mandi Board’s dues
Jalalabad November 27 Those shops were earlier sold by the board to various persons in an open auction. According to reports, a person filed a writ petition in the court, for the recovery of his payment due against the Mandi Board on the account of his land acquired by the board. In his judgment, Mr A.K. Mehta, Additional Sessions Judge, Ferozepur, directed the board to disburse the challenged amount in a stipulated time, failure to which, the judge directed the civil authorities to recover the amount by auctioning the spare land of the board. When the board failed to honour the court order, the Tehsildar, Jalalabad, auctioned the land in question to a third party while obeying the same. Interestingly, all shop owners, whose land had been auctioned, came to know about the dubious deal later on. Even a rice mill, M/S Ram Chand Sohan Lal, has also been sealed as the only way, leading to this particular factory, passes through the land. Aggrieved shop owners have filed a writ petition in the district court challenging the auction. When contacted, Mr Sukhmandir Singh, SDM, Jalalabad, who is also an administrator of the local market committee, said the land had been auctioned by the Tesildar as per the court’s order. But he added that they would file a review petition in this regard.
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Bid to grab portion of mill building
Pathankot, November 27 Mr Lalit Mohan Aggarwal, a partner in the mill, in a complaint to the police, has alleged that the mafia approached him to sell a portion of the building of the mill at a throwaway price to a local
councilor. The management refused to sell the portion of the building that adjoined a piece of land belonging to the
councilor. The councilor then tried to pressure the management but when it didn’t work, he started digging a basement adjoining the rear wall of the building housing families of about eight members of the staff. Mr Aggarwal said a JCB machine was also brought to excavate the basement but it hit the foundations of the building, following which the rear wall and a major potion of the building collapsed. He has also sent copies of the complaint to the president of the municipal council and the DGP. When contacted, the councillor denied the charges and said the wall and the portion of the mill might have been demolished by the management to claim insurance money.
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Three chemists booked
Gurdaspur, November 27 The SSP, Gurdaspur, Mr Narinder Bhargav, said the chemists had ben arrested under a special campaign started against the chemists selling psychotropic drugs in the district. The arrested chemists included Raj Kumar, a resident of Basroop village under Sujanpur police station, Ver Jodh Singh, a resident of Baghol, and Ganesh Kumar, a resident of Dinanagar. The chemists, besides violating the NDPS Act, had also violated the ban under Section 144 of the Cr P.C imposed by the District Magistrate on the sale of psychotropic drugs.
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Case registered in blast case
Bathinda, November 27 Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that this was the second explosion in the Badal milk processing unit during this month, earlier being on November 9.
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List of institutions affiliated to fake varsities soon
Lehragaga (Sangrur), November 27 This was stated by Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Deputy Chief Minister and state Minister for Medical Education and Research, Higher Education, Languages, and Technical Education, at Government Polytechnic here today. She was here in connection with a “dhadi darbar” organised by the Punjab Languages Department in connection with “Punjabi week”. She said government officials were visiting the institutions to examine the courses and verify the genuineness of the universities to which these institutions were affiliated. She said Government Polytechnic would be upgraded to an engineering college soon.
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Confusion over introduction of computer education
Bathinda, November 27 Though only a month has been left for the formal launch of computer education, which is being started in government schools under the Information Communication and Technology project, the authorities concerned have failed to decide on the medium of instruction, the syllabus and the fee structure. The authorities concerned have also failed to decide whether Scheduled Caste students should be charged the computer education fee or not and which books should be prescribed. A cross-section of teachers have pointed out that the authorities concerned have failed to address the problems which will be caused by power cuts. The setting of computer laboratories in these schools, already short of rooms, has caused acute shortage of classrooms, they have pointed out. During a meeting of District Education Officers (Secondary) with the state education authorities, they have pleaded with the authorities that computer education should be introduced from April 1 instead of January 1 to avoid initial hiccups and interference with studies. Due to the annual board exams of Class VIII, which will start in February, teachers and students will be busy with the revision of syllabus and their preparation of board exams can affect computer studies. The teachers have pointed out that though the state education authorities have charged Rs 50,000 from the schools, no details of the expenditure has been provided to them and a large number of school heads have shown inability to part for more money for computer education unless they are provided with the accounts of expenditure. A senior officer of the Education Department has pointed out that diesel generator sets will be provided to the schools covered under the scheme and the process of recruiting computer teachers has been started.
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700 students get degrees at convocation
Patiala, November 27 In his convocation address, Mr Talwar exhorted the students to live up to the high standards set up by their alma mater. Casting a look back on the state of higher education in the country at the time of Independence, Mr Talwar said from 20 universities and about one lakh students to about 300 universities and one crore students the country had indeed come a long way. The Higher Education Secretary, however, said this quantitative expansion of the higher education network had not been matched in equal measure by improvement in quality. The present system of education has not kept pace with the changing socio-economic imperative. He said the system had not been able to secure jobs for graduates and post-graduates. “We have to make radical changes in the present system of education to make it responsive to the changing job market,” he said. Mr Talwar cautioned that in 2005 when overseas universities will be allowed to set up their campuses in India, “our institutions of higher learning will have to face stiffer challenges. However, challenges also open up new opportunities and possibilities as they act as wake-up calls also,” he added. Earlier, the college Principal, Dr R.K. Sharma, while welcoming the chief guest and introducing him to the students revealed that Mr Talwar was an old student of the college. Dr Sharma stressed that being a premier institution of higher learning in the country, Mohindra College had always strived to scale higher peaks of excellence. He stressed that the college should be given the status of an autonomous college so that it can really become a model institution of higher learning. In the end Prof K.K. Tiwana, vice-principal of the college, thanked the chief guest, principals from other colleges, students and all other guests who attended the function.
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16-yr-wait for getting scale
Tarn Taran, November 27 She has been awaiting the scale for the past 16 years. Dr S.S. Lauka, local municipal councillor, told this correspondent today that Ms Charan Kamal joined the Education Department in August, 1979, as a science mistress and was promoted to the post of lecturer in biology on June 21, 1989.
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College teachers go on strike
Phagwara, November 27 The protesters of Guru Nanak College presented a memorandum to the Congress MLA and Chairman of Punjab Agro Foods Corporation, Mr Joginder Singh Mann, urging him to prevail upon the Chief Minister to accept their demands.
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