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CPM ‘not fully satisfied’ with UPA govt’s performance
Mansuran (Ludhiana), January 23 Talking to reporters here after addressing the 18th state convention of the party here today, the aging Communist leader observed that eight months was too brief a period to judge the performance of the UPA Government. He asserted that the CPM and other Left parties would not allow the UPA Government to pursue blindly the same agenda as that of the previous BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government. He maintained that the CPM was happy with the “role of an Opposition within the government” and would ensure timely checks and balances so that the government did not go “off the track.” He said his party’s stand on various issues, particularly to the economic policies in the country, was the same. He clarified that the party would not hesitate from opposing any move or ordinance of the government that was contrary to the policies of the CPM in Parliament or outside. Mr Surjeet said holding of the state convention which was preceded by district-level conventions was only to mobilise the cadres. These conventions are being held as a prelude to the national convention being held in April this year. He said the party wanted to make its presence felt at the grass-root level also. Earlier in a brief address, which lasted barely three minutes, Mr Surjit asserted that the CPM had never given up the course of struggle. Referring to some memoranda submitted to him by different trade union leaders, Mr Surjeet said: “Don’t think that your job ends with submission of a memorandum. You have to struggle hard and get your rights.” He said as long as the workers’ interests were at stake, the party could go to any extent by all possible means. Although Mr Surjeet’s voice was too low to be audible, yet he was assertive when he remarked: “The path of struggle is still wide open”. Meanwhile, addressing the 18th state convention of the party later today, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Politburo member, Mr Prakash Karat, said the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre would survive only as long as it pursued people- friendly policies and did not go for liberalisation and privatisation blindly. He asserted that it was because of the CPM that privatisation of the LIC, banks and the BSNL had been kept on hold. Mr Karat said although his party was keeping a watch on the policies of the government, still there were some people in the Congress who wanted to go for privatisation and foreign investment. He observed that the country did not need any foreign investment as huge resources were present in the country. Quoting the Union Finance Minister, Mr P.
Chidambaram, he said Rs 90,000 income tax arrears were pending with the people. “And all this money is with the rich and super rich who do not pay taxes”, he stated. He said loans to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees taken by the rich were yet to be repaid. Mr Karat maintained that the CPM and other Left parties would not allow the UPA Government to sell profit-making public sector units at any cost. He claimed that the NDA Government had sold many profit- making PSUs and had also reduced grants to the agriculture sector.
Surjeet in no mood to retire
Sursingh (Tarn Taran), January 23 At the same time, Mr Surjeet has given indications that political equations in national politics may change after the elections in the three states of Haryana, Bihar and
Jharkhand. Mr Surjeet was here to inaugurate a memorial raised in the memory of freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the freedom of the country. Addressing a gathering organised on the occasion by the village Gaddri Baba Memorial Committee yesterday, he said he would remain in active politics till his last. He declared that the fight against imperialistic forces would be continued. The Communist leader called upon the masses to be aware of “anti-nation” and “anti-people
forces”. Mr Surjeet, talking to mediapersons, condemned the Congress for its alliance with the LJP led by Mr Ram Bilas
Paswan, in spite of its ties with the RJD at the Centre. He called it ‘narrow political interests’ of the Congress. He talked of new political equations that could surface after the elections. Killing two birds with one stone, Mr Surjeet said the Congress could not function on whim and fancy, but had to follow the common minimum programme
(CMP) of the UPA. Mr Surjeet did not say a single word regarding the functioning of Punjab Government, the state politics and the demands of the people. He hesitated to answer questions about politics in the state. He expressed ignorance about the ensuing Ajnala byelection and said he was out of touch with the state politics. Prof Balwant Singh, state Secretary,
CPM, and Mr Harminder Singh Gill, General Secretary, PPCC, and others addressed the gathering. |
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Pakistan denies permission to Indian delegation
Chandigarh, January 23 During the festival which would conclude on January 30, the issues concerning the Punjabi community in both the countries were to be discussed. Mr Safiq Butt, Secretary of the organising committee for the festival, told The Tribune over the phone from Pakistan that the Interior Ministry of Pakistan had declined to give clearance to the Indian delegation. The visas could only be granted after clearance from the ministry. The delegation comprised professors from Punjabi University, Punjab Agricultural University and Guru Nanak Dev University, artists and theatre groups, mediapersons, and student groups from different parts of the country. The festival aims to celebrate the rich literary, linguistic and cultural heritage of the Punjabi community by mobilising children, youth, intellectuals and folk artists. All the delegates have been intimated about the denial of permission. Mr Dalbir Singh, Deputy Editor of Punjabi Tribune, who was also part of the delegation, confirmed that intimation about the denial of clearance had been given to him. Expressing displeasure at the denial of permission, Mr Butt said, " All arrangements had been made for the members of the delegation. Even if there is tension at the government level, the interaction between people of the two countries should not be derailed". The festival is organised by the Lok Sujag, a Lahore-based organisation. The festival intends to facilitate dialogue on issues that concern the Punjabi community living on both sides of the India-Pakistan border. About 150 children led by Mr John Dev Raj of the United Arts , Banglore, were to take participate in the festival. For the first time the Indian children were to interact with their Pakistani counterparts. Mr Butt said the organisers had been making frantic efforts to get the permission as it is a non-governmental forum for interaction between the citizens of the two countries. " We had been trying to manage things for the delegates for the past two months but all has gone down the drain". He appealed to the government of the two countries to allow people-to-people interaction at any cost.
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Power crisis worsens
Ropar, January 23 The power crisis in Punjab further worsened today as the supply from Bhakra Dam reduced significantly, while the power generation at one unit each of 33.5 MW capacity came to a halt at the Ganguwal and Nakiyyan hydel power plants in Anandpur Sahib. Besides, one unit of 210 MW capacity at Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant, Ropar, today stopped functioning due to a technical fault, while another one of 210 MW capacity has already been closed for annual maintenance. Two units of 110 MW capacity at the Bathinda thermal plant have also been closed for maintenance. Sources said the power plants in Anandpur Sahib had been getting 3000 cosecs of water every day while these required about 12,000 cusecs of water every day to run two units of 33.5 MW capacity each. Only one unit each at Ganguwal and Nakiyyan were functioning. A senior functionary of the BBMB, Nangal, told The Tribune that the power generation at Bhakra today was 59.74 lakhs units has less than the same day last year as only two turbines had been functioning of the total 10 due to paucity of water. The sources added that the water level of Bhakra Dam had gone down by 53.44 feet as compared to last year. The water at Bhakra was 1,545.02 feet compared to 1,598.46 feet last year. As a result, the discharge of water to various hydel power plants had been reduced. The General Manager of the Ropar thermal plant, Mr R.S. Sohal, said unit-1 of the thermal plant stopped functioning last night due to a technical fault.
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Victims of NRI marriages narrate tales of woe
Hoshiarpur, January 23 The delegation comprised Ms M.K. Jabbi from the Council for Social Development, New Delhi, Ms Belu Mehshwari from the History Department of Panjab University, Ms Mamta Ojha, Dr Sangeeta Sharma and Mr Yogesh Snehi. Mr Ram Parkash, DSP (H), was accompanying them. Forty deserted wives of NRIs were invited by the women cell of the Community Policing Resource Centre, Hoshiarpur, for appearing before the members of the delegation, but only 20 turned up for the meeting. Majority of them were still hopeful of their reunion with their husbands. Balwinder Kaur, who has a five-year-old daughter, told her sorrowful plight in chocked voice. She said she was married to NRI Roop Lal, serving in Belgium, on December 3, 1997. The engagement came through efforts of her aunt. After staying with her for 14 days, Roop Lal left for Belgium. Later, her in-laws got prepared her passport and she was sent to Belgium on one-month visa on September 16, 1998. There she came to know that Roop Lal was already married there with a Belgium girl. She was mentally and physically tortured by her husband and his first wife there. Later, she was shifted to Italy where she stayed illegally with close relatives of Roop Lal. She was blessed with a daughter there in August 1999. She was deported to India on January 28, 2000. She was now living with her parents. Her father was a petty shopkeeper at Bulhowal village. Her husband and in-laws were insisting on divorce. They never paid her anything for her own and her daughter’s maintenance. However, she was still interested in rejoining her husband. Similar are the plights of Kulwinder Kaur, wife of NRI Jaspal Chaudhry of Lebanon, Rajinder Kaur, wife of NRI Shobha Singh of Kuwait, Jaswinder Kaur, wife of Jora Masih of England, and Bharti Singh, wife of NRI Kuldip Singh of Canada. All of them have a child each and are living with their parents under miserable conditions. Ms Belu Mehshwari, while talking to mediapersons said the Ministry of Human Rights Department had sent this delegation to meet the victims and to listen their grievances. She said this was the first meeting of the delegation with deserted wives of NRIs. It would meet more such women at Chandigarh tomorrow. After covering the entire northern India within four months, it would submit its report with its findings and suggestions to the ministry. She said members of the delegation were shocked to listen the sorrowful plight of young deserted wives of NRIs. At present, there was no law to settle their cases and to ensure their rehabilitation, she said. After studying such cases, the delegation would suggest the department to ask the Central and state governments to formulate a law for NRIs who were exploiting innocent young girls in the name of marriage and were ruining their lives.
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Registrar charged with misuse of official cars, refutes allegation
Amritsar, January 23 In his official communication to the Vice-Chancellor, copy of which is with The Tribune, Mr Varinder Pal Sharma, FDO, sought an inquiry by the Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) against the Registrar, Dr R.S.Bawa. He alleged that the staff car, meant exclusively for the Registrar, and pool vehicles were allegedly used for taking and bringing back his wife from City School since 1996. The communication added that the unauthorised use of staff cars by the Registrar and his family totalled 70,040 km approximately. He alleged that during checking of the income figures of the university it was noticed that the Registrar had deposited no such amount against the reported unauthorised use of staff cars. Refuting the charges, Dr Bawa claimed that neither he nor his family had ever misused the staff cars. He said as per the decisions of the Syndicate (on the basis of Punjab Government guidelines) he was entitled for using official cars for private purposes up to a limit of 400 km per month against a payment of Rs 400. He claimed that whenever the staff car was used for personal purposes it was invariably logged as 'private' and due payments were made. He alleged that everybody in the university knew about the 'character and credentials' of the FDO, who had allegedly used unfair means to achieve desired results. He added that it was a matter of record that in the past Mr Varinder Sharma had been censured and placed under suspension and his increments stopped. However, Mr Varinder Sharma alleged that being the FDO he was duty-bound to raise financial irregularities. He alleged that Dr Bawa had instigated certain employees when he had sent a communication to the VC that he (Dr Bawa) could not get a third term as Registrar, as per university calendar. The second term of Dr Bawa ends in the third week of February. Dr Bawa, however, claimed that there was no restriction on the number of terms (extensions) for the Registrar. He said Mr Varinder Sharma was no authority to interpret the university calendar /statute.
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Capital punishment for youth upheld
Hoshiarpur, January 23 Disillusioned over his unsuccessful effort to rape Hardip Kaur, a resident of Basiala village in the stables owned by her family, Kulwinder Singh, a youth hailing from Sujo village, had allegedly killed Hardip Kaur and her grandmother Jaswinder Kaur with some sharp-edged weapon on the afternoon of August 4, 2002. A case was registered by the Garshankar police in this connection on the basis of the statement of Mr Sarbjit Singh, brother of the girl, who had stated that before dying, the entire drama was narrated to him by his sister and grandmother and that a locket with the name of the accused inscribed on it was also found by him in the hands of his injured sister, who had told him that before making an attack with a sharp edged weapon the accused had tried to kill her with the help of her scarf. Subsequently, the Garshankar police had arrested the accused on February 9, 2002 and after trial, the then District and Sessions Judge, Hoshairpur, Mr Harbans Lal, had awarded capital punishment to Kulwinder Singh, which, was challenged by the accused in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. On this, the Division Bench comprising Justice Nirmal Singh and Justice H.S. Bedi had directed the Sessions Court on December 24, 2004 to reconsider the case within a month.
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Professor’s research on national anthem
Patiala, January 23 Prof G R Kataria of the institution's English Department has been seeking the removal of not only Sindh from the anthem but also changing its very character so that it can answer nationalist aspirations of its people. Prof Kataria had presented his version of the anthem as part of a paper in 2002 at a national seminar at the universtiy here. Now with the Union Government being made a party in a public interest litigation on the advisability of retaining Sindh, which is now in Pakistan, in the anthem, Prof Kataria says his version of the anthem should be considered for implementation in the country. The university don claims, on the basis of his research, that Rabindra Nath Tagore had composed "Jana Gana Mana" as a poem of welcome to the British monarch George V on the request of the Indian National Congress. Prof Kataria said this fact was reported in the papers of the time and it was not contradicted by Tagore. Speaking about the first word "adhinayak" in the first line of the poem, the don said this referred to George V as the ruler of the people's hearts and through the poem the poet prayed for his long enduring rule as the maker (vidhata) of India's destiny. "The band can also play it without any damage to their notations", he says.' The modified poem prepared by the teacher is -- Jai Bharat Ganrajya, Jai He, Jai He Bharat Mata, Kashmir, Sikkim, Gujarat Kerala, Dravid Arya Monga, Vindhya Himachal Krishna Ganga, Uchal Jaldhi Taranga, Tab Subh Name Jage, Tab Subh Aashish Mange, Gahe Tab Jai Gatha, Jan Gana Mangal Dayak, Jai He, Jai He, Jai H e Bharat Mata, Jai He, Jai He, Jai He, Jai He, Jai He. Speaking about the modifications, Prof Kataria says by replacing Sindh, which is now in Pakistan, with Sikkim, an attempt has been made to give adequate representation to the North East while at the same time correcting the anachronism of the present-day post-Independence India. He said beginning with Kashmir to Sikkim to Gujarat and Kerala, the North, East, West and South had been represented in the modified poem. In the end, he says Mangal Dayak now refers to Mother India and the 'ganrajya' and not any 'adhinayak' (ruler).
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Mann’s memorandum to NHRC
Ludhiana, January 23 In a memorandum submitted to the Chairman of the NHRC Mr Mann has alleged that Mr Virk, a Maharashtra cadre IPS officer, as the new DGP of Punjab would be a blow to all those who stand for human rights and their non-violation. Mr Mann has observed: “The same trauma is fresh in the minds of Sikh mothers in Punjab and elsewhere in India where disappearances of Sikhs have taken place. As such, at this juncture it would be a blunder on the part of the Union and Punjab Government to post Mr Virk as the DGP who carries a heavy baggage from the past, as far as his human rights record is concerned. Besides, the Union Home Ministry in its chargesheet has questioned his integrity”. Mr Mann has also sent a copy of the memorandum to the Home Minister.
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Jagmeet for action against Rana Sodhi
Patiala, January 23 Mr Brar, who addressed a Press conference in Circuit House here yesterday, said the party’s image had taken a severe beating after excerpts of the conversation between Rana Sodhi and the Pathankot-based businessman had been made public. The Congress leader said action was necessary as Rana Sodhi was a trusted colleague of the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh. He said Rana Sodhi’s relatives and friends had been caught on camera striking a compromise with the Pathankot businessman one day after a newspaper flashed the allegations against him. He said if this was not done the effect would be noticed in the next Assembly elections. Mr Brar said the Congress High Command was seized of the entire issue surrounding the allegations against Rana Sodhi, adding that he had even brought the attitude of the Chief Minister who had not allowed him to speak at the Maghi conference in Muktsar to the notice of the High Command. He claimed the party had taken a serious view of the episode. The Congress leader also announced that he had been given charge of the election campaign of the Ambala and Kurukshetra Assembly seats in which there were a sizeable number of Punjabis.
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Khalra murder case: rights body writes to PM
Chandigarh, January 23 Human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra was allegedly abducted on September 6, 1995, by policemen and and then killed. The accused in the case included the then SSP Ajit Singh Sandhu, who committed suicide about five years back, two DSPs, three SHOs and two low rank policemen. The case is presently being heard in the Patiala Sessions Court. The letter has been signed by Khalra Mission Committee (KMC) Chairman, Harmandeep Singh, Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) Chairman Justice Ajit Singh Bains, and members of the Lawyers for Human Rights International (LHRI) and other rights bodies activists. "No rule of law prevails as the state police is harassing the witnesses by not only lodging false cases against them, but also by verbally threatening them not to appear at the hearings of the case,'' Justice Bains told reporters at a press conference here today. He also pointed out that the accused police officers had not been removed from Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts despite a Supreme Court order in this regard. The CBI had accused the seven policemen of abducting and killing Jaswant Singh. One of the key accused police officers, DSP Jaspal Singh, was still posted in Amritsar city, he added. The letter alleged that one of the key witnesses, Kikkar Singh, was pressurised by the state police to be neutral in the court proceedings of the Khalra case as he and his father had been implicated in five false cases. The letter also pointed out that the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) had already asked the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to one of the witnesses, Rajiv Randhawa, against whom a false case was lodged by the Amritsar police. Khalra's wife Paramjit Kaur, who was also present at the press conference, said it took the Patiala Sessions Court two and a half years to record her statements. ''The witnesses in the case are facing tremendous physical and mental pressure from the Punjab police for not appearing in the court.”
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Rs 106 cr package for Galiara project
Amritsar, January 23 The union also gave its nod to demolition of the ‘heritage’ building of Saragarhi Government Senior Secondary School to make way for a
multi-storeyed parking facility around the temple. A subway from the fountain crossing to the Golden Temple is envisaged in the new plan. Another subway till the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial is planned to be connected with a 220-metre-long subway. After comprehensive deliberations over several months, the Home Ministry has approved the plan with minor cuts, says Mr
K.S. Kang, Cgmmissioner, Municipal Corporation. The corporation will provide assistance in implementation of the project. An alternate site has been marked for construction of a new building for Saragarhi school before its demolition. The Union Ministry has strict instructions for completion of the school building at a five-acre plot allotted to it, before its demolition. According to Mr Kang, the
four-storeyed parking complex costing Rs 6 crore would include a basement with a capacity to park 1800 vehicles. Significantly, the parking top would be converted into a helipad for easy access by visiting VIPs and VVIPs to the Golden Temple. The area in front of Ghanta Ghar Chowk would be cleared of encroachments and structures for an open plaza with green spaces and fountains. Parking would be prohibited here. The first instalment of the total outlay would be received this month.
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Govt urged to construct Netaji yadgari bhavans
Sangrur, January 23 This demand was made at a function organised by the foundation to celebrate the birthday of the Netaji here today. The function was attended among others, by Mr Mal Singh, district president of the Freedom Fighters Organisation; Prof Uday Partap Singh, a social worker; Mr Sukhdev Singh Jassal, district president of the Senior Citizens Welfare Association; Mr Raj Kumar Arora, a state-level employees’ leader; Mr Fakir Chand Goyal and Mr Harinder Pal Singh, patron and president, respectively, of the local Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Foundation. In the function, a number of freedom fighters and widows and wards of freedom fighters also participated. The foundation also asked the Punjab Government to provide VIP facilities to the freedom fighters, especially belonging to the Indian National Army (INA), and their widows and wards. Mr Fakir Chand Goyal urged the Union Government to celebrate the Netaji’s birth anniversary every year at the national level. Prof Uday Partap Singh asked the Punjab School Education Board authorities to include a chapter on the life of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in its textbooks. Mr Harinder Pal Singh expressed concern over the non-celebration of the Netaji’s birth anniversary by the administration or the government in the district. He also said the government had no time to celebrate the birthday of the Netaji as it had almost forgotten the sacrifices made by him. On the occasion, the foundation honoured freedom fighters and widows and wards of the freedom fighters by presenting shawls and mementos to them. AMRITSAR: The Ajad Hind Fauj Association (AHFA) and the Municipal Corporation (MC) celebrated the 108th birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose here today. A function was organised at Bhandari Bridge where floral tributes were paid to him. Mr K.S. Kang, Commissioner, MC, and Capt Gurdial Singh of the INA and secretary, AHFA, were present.
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Rai fails to meet Bibi, goes back to UK
Amritsar, January 23 Talking to TNS here today, Dr Rai said he wanted to discuss certain objections over queries raised by the SGPC to UNESCO with regard to the proposed heritage status. He alleged that despite his best efforts, Bibi Jagir Kaur did not give him time for the meeting. The SGPC chief claimed that she had asked Dr Rai to meet her in Amritsar on January 22, but he did not turn up. She said she could not give him time earlier as she was busy with important religious functions and meetings in Haryana and Punjab. She questioned the credentials of Dr Rai. She said Dr Rai had no right to give any statement as he was not appointed by the SGPC. Dr Rai urged the SGPC to take Sikhs from all over the world into confidence while taking important decisions like installation of Sikh high priests. He said the All-India Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, had become obsolete and there was a need for internationalising the Shiromani committee by making the required amendments. He said when the Act came into being, more than 90 per cent Sikhs lived in the joint Punjab whereas about 40 per cent Sikhs were now settled abroad. Meanwhile , Dr Rai said in the communication to UNESCO, the SGPC had asked frivolous questions. He said the SGPC had unnecessarily complicated the issue by raising undesired questions.
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Ex-SP not booked: victim alleges connivance of senior official
Amritsar, January 23 The DIG, Mr Paramjit Singh Gill, in his order had directed the police to register a case under Section 182, IPC, against Mr D.S. Grewal, former SP, for lodging a false complaint of theft against Ramesh Sodhi, Deputy Manager of Punjab National Bank, and his wife. Mr Grewal had lodged a complaint of theft against Mr Sodhi and his wife in June last year in which he had alleged that Urmila was a maid servant in his house and she stole cash and jewellery when he was out of station. Mr D.P. Singh, SP (HQ), who was an ASP at that time, had investigated the case and mentioned that the complaint was baseless. He recommended the quashing of the case. The DIG in his order said that the case deserved to be cancelled as per inquiry report and proceedings under Section 182, IPC, were warranted against the complainant (Mr Grewal). He asked the police to take the necessary action in this case. Mr Sodhi alleged that as Mr Grewal was a retired police officer, he influenced the police officials not to register the case. He alleged that he had invested more than Rs 4 lakh in the mutual funding system operated by Mr Grewal who was earlier his close friend. However, later when Mr Sodhi demanded his money back, the accused hatched a conspiracy, and using his influence in the police got registered a false case against him, he alleged. When contacted, the DIG said he had again ordered the SSP on January 17 to take action as per law against Mr Grewal. Mr Grewal said he did not know about the orders.
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Chopper sought to take
‘birs’ to Campbell
Amritsar, January 23 In a letter to Dr Manmohan Singh, Bibi Jagir Kaur, president of the SGPC, said besides extensive damage to live and property in the island, the
gurduwara there was also destroyed. —
OC
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Play staged to help tsunami-hit
Abohar, January 23 Gaurav Vij, who directed the 90-minute play, himself played the lead role. Other artistes included Sonu Babbar, Ashish Gagneja, Vimal Midha, Ruby Sharma, Varinder Doda, Ashish Makkar, Arun Gagneja, Inderaj, Jassi, Pankaj Narula, Anjum Batra and Parteek Gaba. Donation boxes were placed inside the hall. Mr Jagat Verma and Dr Subhash Nagpal, chief patrons of the organisation, said it was a small gesture on their part to help the victims.
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Yajana, prayers for tsunami victims
Jalandhar, January 23 All those, who had contributed towards the temple management committee’s fund collection drive for tsunami victims participated in the
yajna, put “ahootis” and prayed for peace of those who lost their lives and for the welfare of those who survived the nightmare and were trying to rehabilitate themselves. Renowned Punjabi pop singer Hans Raj Hans had spearheaded the drive along with members of the temple committee. The Devi Talab Temple Management Committee, according to Mr Shital
Vij, chairman, and Dr Satpal Gupta, a member, has already collected Rs 50 lakh, which would be contributed in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
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Cancer-afflicted mother gagged to death
Jalandhar, January 23 Preeto, aged around 80, was found murdered in her house in Dhilwan village by her neighbours this afternoon and the suspicion over quarrelsome behaviour of her son, Malkit (40), led the police to his house where he was found sitting quietly after having committed the crime. Malkit earlier used to persuade his mother to give him her savings of about Rs 40,000, but had later started quarrelling with the aged lady after his persuasion failed to yield results. The dispute between the mother and the son over the money went on for some months till Malkit who was putting up separately, barged into the house of his mother and gagged her to death at about 11 a.m. today. Before finally strangulating Preeto, Malkit, who was said to be dead drunk, allegedly beat her up, which also resulted in some injuries to the old lady. The woman was said to be suffering from cancer. After allegedly committing the crime, Malkit left the place for his home in the same village, while some neighbours of Preeto got suspicious and went inside her house only to find her dead body. Later, the police was informed and subsequently, Malkit was arrested within three hours of the incident. Mr Balkar Singh, SHO, Sadar police station, said that after his arrest, Malkit admitted to having committed the crime under the influence of liquor and for his unending quest to lay his hands on his mother’s savings. Malkit, a labourer by profession, has been booked under Section 302 of the IPC. The body of Preeto has been sent for a post-mortem examination.
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Fans still remember
their ‘Jigar’
Patiala, January 23 Jigar went missing in Hardwar on June 28, 2003, and all one has of him are his poems. Members of Jigar Jalandhari's family left for Hardwar yesterday to celebrate his birth anniversary at the temple town from where they could only find his luggage when he went missing one and a half years ago. The poet's disappearance has been an enigma since then. He went missing on the evening of June 28 after leaving for Har Ki Pauri to offer 'aarti". A massive police search in Hardwar and remaining areas drew a blank. "It is as if he just chose to disappear", says the poet's son Dinesh Marwaha who feels his father was not the one who would commit suicide. "It is very possible he has gone into self exile to do meditation", he says, adding that there was no point in his father committing suicide when he was the main organiser of a mushaira which was to take place in the city the very next day. Friends and acquaintances of the poet are not, however, so optimistic. They feel Jigar might have met with a mishap at Har Ki Pauri or some other place in Hardwar. He was definitely depressed and needed some emotional anchor after the death of his wife in February the same year, they say. Be what it may, Jigar will be remembered for the love he spread all around him, aptly described in his poem "Phool mein khushboo basana to khuda ka kaam hai, phool ki khushboo ko phailana hawa ka kaam hai". Jigar enamoured all he came across. Pran Sabharwal, a theatre activist, says he still remembers the days spent with Jigar at Jalandhar. "He had settled down in Jalandhar after becoming the disciple of Padamshree Jog Malsani in 1955 who was responsible for naming him Jigar Jalandhari from Dharampal Marwaha, which was his maiden name", says the artiste. Jigar Jalandhari settled down in Patiala after his retirement in 1993 as Deputy Secretary in the Punjab State Electricity Board. People in the city remember him for his humility as well as perfect rendition of
'ghazals' and poetry. He was awarded by the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy in 1984, the All-India Mir Academy in 1985 and the Punjab Government bestowed the Shiromani Sahitkar Award on him in 1990.
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Tug of war over case against SMO,
pharmacist
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 23 The Deputy Commissioner had directed the SSP to register the case. But surprisingly even though the case was registered 10 days ago, no action has been taken by the police so far. This delay has given enough time to various associations to intervene and support their respective members. The delay has also put the Deputy Commissioner in an awkward position as the detection of the crime by him was highlighted by mediapersons. The district unit of PCMS Association has decided to support the Senior Medical Officer, who had been booked by the district police along with pharmacists for irregularities in maintaining records of medicines at the hospital. The association, in a resolution passed unanimously, dismissed the report that there were discrepancies in the registers of the hospital. The association has demanded that the police case against the SMO should be dropped and a fresh enquiry by senior health department officers should be got conducted to get a clear picture in the case. Similarly, a delegation of pharmacists association also met the Deputy Commissioner and urged him to get another inquiry conducted by health department officials and to spare the pharmacist.
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Gherao of Mayor: MC staff threaten
strike
Patiala, January 23 The employee unions, including the Punjab Nagar Palika Karamchari Mahasangh, Municipal Workers Union and the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, said all of them would take “immediate action” if any attempt was made to punish employee leaders who were responsible for locking the offices of the Mayor and the Commissioner. They described the locking up of the offices as an impromptu act which came about because no senior official of the corporation was available to look into their demands till 10.45 a.m. even though the employees were expected to report for duty at 9 a.m. The employee unions were apparently reacting to a statement made by Mayor Vishnu Sharma yesterday that action would be taken against employees who had locked rooms of senior functionaries. Punjab Nagar Palika Karamchari Mahasangh president Balwant Singh Sidhu and Municipal Workers Union president Prem Chand Sharma also stated that action should also be taken against those who created indiscipline in a recent meeting of the Finance and Control Committee of the House. Mr Sidhu also claimed that it was strange that Senior Deputy Mayor Kabir Das was claiming that he had not submitted any fee to the corporation as he had not gone in for any construction on his new petrol station on the Sirhind Road, when in reality a canopy and underground tanks had been constructed on the spot. He said oil had been supplied from the pump to the corporation from the pump which was also in violation of rules as no Councillor could take monetary benefit from the corporation. The union president also demanded that probe should be ordered into the contract of lifting carcasses of animals in the city. Meanwhile, Mr Prem Chand Sharma said suspended employees should be reinstated as there was already a shortage of staff in the corporation. |
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Lucky draw scheme members meet SSP
Barnala, January 22 According to the committee, the owners of Goyal Autos had committed to pay Rs 12 lakh to members of a lucky draw scheme. Goyal autos now say money will be paid by Mr Mann Singh, their ex-partner in the agency. When the action committee met Mr Mann Singh for the same, the later refused to entertain them , saying that he has parted ways with Goyal Autos. The SSP assured the committee members of sorting out the matter and necessary action against the guilty. He said the case had been handed over to the DSP, Sherpur , for investigation. Members of the lucky draw scheme under the presidentship of Dr Rajdev Singh had held a demonstration and raised slogans against the authorities concerned last week.
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Freedom fighters not to attend government functions on R-Day
Sangrur, January 23 Giving this information to mediapersons here this afternoon, Mr Harinder Pal Singh, district general secretary of the organisation, said the decision had been taken by the freedom fighters as they felt that they had always been ignored at the Independence Day and Republic Day functions by the government. They also expressed anguish over the non-participation of any official in the function organised in connection with the birth anniversary of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose by the local Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Foundation here today.
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Buta Singh gets warm reception
Phagwara, January 23 The SDM, Mr Pritam Singh, and Congressmen led by Block Congress chief Manmohan Sharma presented a bouquet to the Governor.
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Urea shortage makes Malwa farmers stand in queue
Faridkot, January 23 According to information available, the weather conditions in the recent days have been very conducive to wheat crop and in such a scenario the demand of urea also shoots up. Farmers say that if they get adequate amount of urea in this season it improves the quality of crop to a great extent, which fetches them a good price. This is the reason that farmers are approaching government agencies and arhtiyas in large numbers for urea these days. But, all of them are not lucky enough to lay their hands on the required quantity of urea and many have to return disappointed. Sources said that there was an acute shortage of urea in the district and the farmers had no other option but to buy the same from arhtiyas who were charging at will. Sources said that a majority of farmers were making rounds of government agencies like IFFCO and KRIBHCO as their urea was cheap as compared to that of private firms. But the distribution centres of both these agencies were already short of stock owing to the rising demand of urea after rain. Long queues of farmers were seen outside the IFFCO office on the Ferozepore road all along last week. Amarjeet Singh, a farmer struggling for urea for the past four days, said that his wheat crop was turning yellow due to lack of urea, but he was yet to get the same despite all his efforts. The Director of Agriculture Department, Mr Balwinder Singh, denied any shortage of urea and said that this year the department had a demand of 11.75 lakh metric tonnes of urea, which was slightly higher than the last year's 11.54 lakh metric tonnes. Out of this 9.2 lakh metric tonnes of urea had been made available till January 5. He said that there may be some problem due to a sharp rise in demand, but there was no shortage of urea. He said that urea plants in Nangal and Bathinda were producing 3100 metric tonnes of urea daily.
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Irregularities found in coop sugar mills
Abohar, January 23 The security for agents had been fixed at Rs 50,000 but some agents had deposited around Rs 10,000 only. An amount of Rs 1.98 lakh was spent on materials used for manufacturing diggers, but material-consumption reports were not prepared. An amount of Rs 46,000 was paid as overtime allowance to a godown keeper, who was a regular employee of Fazilka Central Cooperative Bank, in violation of the directions issued by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Punjab. The provident fund contribution was made at 12 per cent of the total salary without observing the statutory limit of Rs 6,500 laid down in the EPF Act. The mills had paid Rs 75,000 to a daily-wage worker after the termination of his services. The mills purchased 20 tonnes of an insecticide from a Jalandhar-based firm, which charged sales tax at 4 per cent whereas no sales tax was applicable. The auditors have also found discrepancies in some tender notice deals.
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ASI, 5 others booked on extortion charge
Abohar, January 23 According to available information, Mr Padam Kumar, a property dealer of Sirsa, had reportedly met Mr S.S. Srivastva, SSP, Ferozepore, on January 20 and lodged a complaint. He told the SSP that Kaushal Kumar of Ferozepore had contacted him on October 5, 2004, in connection with a piece of land in the auto market. The client had told the property dealer that he needed money immediately at a reasonable rate of interest. The property dealer paid him Rs 75,000 without any documentation. The complainant said Kaushal did not execute the deed of agreement. When he asked Kaushal to refund the money the latter invited Padam to Fazilka on October 19. There the property dealer was allegedly kidnapped with the help of ASI Gamdur Singh. Padam said he was brought to the CIA staff office at Abohar and tortured& He was forced to make a telephone call to his family at Sirsa from a PCO for sending Rs 2 lakh as his life was in danger. The CIA staff threatened that he would be implicated in a case of smuggling opium from Rajasthan, he further said. During preliminary investigation it was reportedly noticed that Rs 4 lakh had allegedly been routed through Head Constable Beant Singh and others. The property dealer and his rescuers had also been forced to sign blank papers so that they could not make any complaint later, Padam added. The SSP directed DSP Narenderpal Singh Waring to register a case. Accordingly ASI Gamdoor Singh, Head Constables Beant Singh Bhatti, Jasbir Singh, Gurmail Singh, Gurdev Singh and Kaushal Kumar had been booked under various sections of the IPC.
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Man strangled by
friend
Kharar, January 23 Nachhattar Singh’s body was discovered by the villagers this
morning who then informed the police. The police said Nachhattar
Singh’s family and Mohan Singh’s family were old rivals in the
village but the two were friends for many years now. Last evening,
like on many other days, Mohan Singh invited Nachhattar Singh to his
house for drinks and dinner. The two reportedly started having an
argument over a trivial issue following which both started fighting
and abusing each other.
Nachhattar Singh’s father, Gurdev Singh, told the police that at
about 9.30 pm, Mohan Singh went to Nachhattar Singh’s house and told
his family members that Nachhattar Singh was at his house and drinking
heavily. He also warned them that Nachhattar Singh was bent upon
having a fight with him and they should arrange to get Nachhattar
Singh back from his house, otherwise he would kill him and throw him
in the fields.
The family took the entire episode non-seriously presuming that
Mohan Singh was saying all that in a state of drunkenness. However,
when Nachhattar Singh did not return till late in the night, Gurdev
Singh went to look for him at Mohan Singh’s house. Gurdev Singh told
the police that he met Mohan Singh at his house who told him that
Nachhattar Singh had gone home. Some villagers found Nachhattar
Singh’s body in the fields this morning.
The police said Nachhattar Singh was unmarried and lived with his
parents and brother’s family in the village.
Sources added that some villagers informed the police that they had
seen Mohan Singh riding a ‘rehri’ carrying something late last
night while going towards the fields. The police suspects that the
‘rehri’ was used to dump Nachhattar Singh’s body.
The DSP, Kharar, Mr Jasdev Singh, said a case under Sections 302
and 201 of the IPC had been registered against Mohan Singh and the
police was on the lookout for the suspect.
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Teachers to stage dharna in front of DPI(S) office
Sangrur, January 23 Mr Tejinder Singh Sanghreri, state general secretary of the Adhiyapak Dal, Punjab, said here last evening that non-payment of salaries for the past two months to the teachers might become a tool in the hands of teachers to defeat the Congress candidate in the Ajnala Assembly byelection in case the state government failed to release the salaries of about 50,000 teachers at the earliest. Mr Sanghreri warned the state government that the teachers would not hesitate to intensify their agitation if the state government continued to turn a blind eye towards their genuine demand.
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RCMT team gets gold in gatka contest
Bathinda, January 23 As per a press note issued here today, four teams of boys of different colleges of Punjabi university participated in the competition. While in girls section, the competition was cancelled as there was only one team. Mr Parkash Singh Badal, former chief minister Punjab, gave away the prizes to the winners.
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NRI donates Rs 10 lakh to engg
college
Patiala, January 23 The college is open only to rural students. The university had launched a drive four months ago to get the fee and other expenditure totalling Rs 1 lakh per student sponsored by NRIs, business and corporate houses. Most of the students have succeeded in getting sponsorship. Mr Mann, who visited the university campus here today, while responding to an appeal from Vice-Chancellor Swarn Singh Boparai, announced a donation worth Rs 10 lakh for the setting up of a water-treatment plant at the college. Mr Mann is an alumnus of the university. Mr Boparai said the college had been envisaged with the aim of imparting quality education to rural children. |
Chill brings cheer to roadside garment sellers
Bathinda, January 23 About a week ago, the roadside shop owners and those who have opened sale outlets, have been feeling low due to the fact that they were not receiving customers as there was no chill in the temperature. Rain which lashed the region during the past three days and led to considerable fall in the mercury, has given a boost to the sale of woollen garments. The rush at the roadside stalls could be judged from the fact that despite a ban on the entry of four-wheelers into the main market during evening time, it becomes difficult to pass through it as people, mostly ladies, gather around these stalls barely leaving any space to get through. People belonging to poor and lower middle class frequent these roadside stalls. To attract buyers, a number of shops of woollen garments have resorted to “sale” tactics and have also put up the stalls outside their shops. Not only do these roadside sellers sell cardigans, pullovers, shawls, socks, caps, jackets, etc, at cheaper rates they also put the tag of some reputed brands on these products. When asked about the low rates of these “branded” garments, the stall owners said that they had bought these garments directly from Ludhiana hosiery manufactures in bulk quantities. A section of such buyers, when contacted, said that these stalls offered a wide variety in design and colour. A section of these stall owners not only sell the products with fake brand names but they also evade sales tax to the tune of lakhs of rupees.
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Plea to make market fee structure uniform
Bathinda, January 23 Mr Bhagwan Bansal, president of the association, in a press note here yesterday, said since the Centre had decided to charge uniform sales tax throughout the country under its value added tax (VAT) from April 1, 2005, the authorities concerned should take necessary steps to bring the market fee and RDF being levied in different states at the same level. He said due to disparity in rates of market fee being levied on the cotton crop in different states, cotton trade in Punjab had received a setback. The market fee it in Punjab was much higher than the market fee levied on other cotton producing states. He said a joint meeting of all departments concerned and ministry officials should be held at Chandigarh to discuss this issue so that a workable solution could be found.
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Beopar Mandal submits
memorandum against VAT
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 23 Mr Rattan said the government wanted to implement VAT from April 1, which was not acceptable to traders. He said the state VAT would not bring uniformity and common market in country, which was basic principle of the VAT regime. The state government has simply changed the name of Sale Tax as VAT, he said and added that Punjab was already importing raw material from other parts of the country as a result of which their costs was high. As VAT is based on multiple tax system the costs would further escalate and hence manufactured goods would become uncompetitive as compared to other states. He said, moreover, VAT was a complicated system and less educated traders could not comply with its provisions. They have urged the Chief Minister not to implement VAT from April 1 and to follow the Uttar Pradesh, which has refused to implement it. |
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