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NGO status: SGPC rejects UN proposal
Alamgir (Ludhiana), November 2 Meanwhile, election to the post of president of the SGPC has been scheduled for November 23 at the Teja Singh Summudri Hall, Amritsar. Stating this here today, SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur said there was no need for the SGPC to get itself registered with the UN as it would not serve any purpose. She was talking to mediapersons after presiding over the executive committee meeting of the SGPC. It was the last meeting of the current executive, which will be reconstituted after the November 23 elections. She also announced that the SGPC would set up museums at leading gurdwaras like Gurdwara Alamgir, Fatehgarh Sahib, and other places. Possible locations were being identified and work on it would start soon. The SGPC president said the executive also took strong exception to Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Jaipal Reddy accepting the German translation of Guru Granth Sahib from the Prime Minister without rising from his seat. She said Mr Reddy should have stood up and received the copy from the Prime Minister during its release in New Delhi recently. She said the annual election to the president, executive committee and other office-bearers of the SGPC would be held on November 23. She said a notice in this regard would be sent to all SGPC members today. At the last meeting of the outgoing executive, the members decided to grant an installment of four per cent as the DA to all SGPC employees with effect from November 1. The executive also decided to establish a panorama at Fatehgarh Sahib on the pattern of Kurukshetra panorama. A sub-committee had been constituted to study the project. The meeting was attended among others by Gurpal Singh Gora, Kewal Sigh Badal, Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Bibi Kiranjit Kaur and others.
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SGPC, four presidents get notice for ‘unauthorised’ spending
Amritsar, November 2 The notice under Section 143 of Sikh Gurdwara Act by one Harpreet Singh, resident of Chanan Khera,
Ferozepore, alleged that SGPC, its presidents including Bibi Jagir Kaur, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar, Mr Alwinder Pal Singh Pakhoke and three secretaries Dr Gurbachan Singh Bachan, Mr Harbeant Singh and Mr Dilmegh Singh had placed huge amounts in the credit obtained from gurdwaras in ‘general board funds’. It was alleged that an amount of Rs 33.61 crore was collected over last five years from the year 2000 till date from gurdwaras under Section 85 of Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, which was alleged to have been spent directly by the respondents. An amount of Rs 18.72 crore of the total was spent on Guru Ram Dass Institute of Medical Sciences. The money was allegedly not ‘transferred’ to the funds of the hospital trust as required. The notice stated that no resolution was passed by the SGPC executive committee regarding this expenditure or allotment, as required. Giving a two-month notice, the complaint has alleged acts of misappropriation of funds of SGPC, abuse of power, neglect of duty and malfeasance, and sought the reimbursement of the sum failing which legal proceedings would be initiated under provisions of Section 142 of Sikh Gurdwara Act for recovery of amount with interest at 18 per cent per annum. Bibi Jagir Kaur, when contacted, said all collections and expenditure was done according to established procedure. She said she was not aware of the notice.
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Festival of lights proved fatal for youth
Patiala, November 2 Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi (25), a resident of house No 76 A, street no. 18, Guru Nanak Nagar, was allegedly done to death by a sharp-edged weapon by his immediate neighbours, Ramandeep Singh Rimpy and Maninder Singh. Both the parties entered into an argument over the bursting of fire crackers following which Ramandeep Singh stabbed Sukhwinder Singh. A profusely bleeding Sukhwinder was rushed to Rajindera Hospital where he died of multiple injuries.
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Revellers cock a snook at pollution norms
Bathinda, November 2 Throwing all norms to the winds including the Supreme Court ruling, residents chose the loudest of crackers and noise didn’t allow anybody to attend phone calls or watch TV. Over 80 stalls of firecrackers were put up at Government Girls Senior Secondary School on the Mall Road and all of these witnessed rush on the Divali eve. Jeewan Goyal, a firecracker seller, said last year number of stalls was about 50, but this time despite having more competitors they got an impressive return. “Nobody cares for any norm while buying crackers and mostly teenagers opt for the loudest ones,” he averred. Talking to The Tribune, Mr Sadanand Singla, an asthma patient, said he had tough time on the Divali night, as he had to remain in the confines of his room to avoid polluted air. “On normal days I go for a stroll in the Rose Garden where I can breathe in some fresh air in evenings,” he added. “My six-year-old son could not hear anything properly for five minutes after another kid from our neighbourhood set off a big firecracker next to him,” said Mr Gurjeet Singh, a resident of Model Town. Dr Vinod Garg, an ENT Specialist at the Civil Hospital, said: “The deafening sound of big firecrackers poses threat to ear drums and they receive four to five such cases after Divali every year. Smoke of crackers also triggers allergy and breathlessness.” He said frequency of attacks among asthma patients also witnesses an increase due to pollution caused by firecrackers.
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Divali with HIV+ mother, child
Hoshiarpur, November 2 In a press release today, Dr Ajay Bagga and Mr Amarjit Singh Hamrol, both secretaries of SAVERA and the District Red Cross Society, respectively, stated that 51 lakh HIV/AIDS positive Indians were discriminated against due to ignorance. Dr Bagga and Mr Hamrol stated that in 2003 mother-to-child transmission accounted for 90 per cent of all HIV-infected babies. Although drug was available to significantly reduce the transmission from infected mother to the child, most of the time HIV pregnant women failed to get it due to poverty and ignorance. It is worth mentioning here that this HIV positive infant baby was born three months earlier and she lost her father after her birth as he was suffering from AIDS.
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Special session to debate development: Amarinder
Ludhiana, November 2 Talking to reporters after addressing a state-level function organised here to commemorate the Vishwakarma Jayanti here the Chief Minister said, during a debate in the assembly on the genesis of terrorism in Punjab, Mr Badal had wanted a debate on economic and law and order issues. “I have kept the field open for them”, he remarked, adding, he was prepared to debate each and everything they wanted. He said, there would be comparison of development between five years’ rule of the Akalis and four years of his government. “The functioning of every of the 28 departments in the state would be debated in comparative terms”, the Chief Minister said. Mr Amarinder Singh disclosed that a recruitment drive would be launched in the state. Every department had been asked to furnish minimum requirements for day to day functions. He said, 12000 teachers were being recruited on contract while 1372 doctors had already been recruited on contract. He said, recruitment would be made in the police as there had been no recruitment at the entry level for past 13 years. Earlier, addressing the Vishwakarma Divas celebrations, the Chief Minister underlined the need for the state of the industrial economy from the agriculture economy. He pointed out, in the changed world order, industry had to be competitive and the focus to be shifted. He lauded descendants of Lord Vishwakarma for rapid industrialisation of the city. He said, workmanship of these people had been acknowledged world over. The Chief Minister said, focus of his government was on modern industry like the biotechnology, information technology and the service industry. He said, special clusters would also be set up across. These include two textile clusters, one each at Ludhiana and Bathinda, sports cluster at Jalandhar and the special economic zone at Amritsar. Responding to the demand of the Vishwakarma brotherhood for allotting land for the construction of Vishwakarma Bhavan, the Chief Minister said, land would be allotted soon. In fact, he said, the allotment had already been finalised and possession would be given to them soon. He also assured liberal assistance from the government for bhavan. Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Milkiat Singh Birmi, organiser of the function, senior party leaders, Mr Gurcharan Singh Galib, Mr Harmohinder Singh Pradhan, industrialists including Mr O.P. Munjal of the Hero Group, Mr Omkar Singh Pahwa of the Avon Cycles, Mr M.S. Bhogal, Mr Kular and Mr G.L. Pahwa were among those present on the
occasion.
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Abolish promotion committees, say ministerial staff
Chandigarh, November 2 These committees, many of which have not met even once in the past three years, are headed by the Administrative Secretaries of the department concerned. Meetings of the DPCs are fixed but these are postponed on one pretext or another. Many employees, who were eligible and due to be promoted, retired without getting promotion in spite of vacancies. Leaders of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union said here today that the promotion of the IAS and other such officers was not delayed even for a day. In their case, even in the absence of vacancy, promotion was ordered before the due date. At certain times, vacancies were created to promote them. However, the same procedure was not followed in case of the ministerial staff, they said. A few years ago, the state government had issued an order that a post which would remain vacant for six months would cease to exist. For the revival of that post, permission of the Council of Ministers would be required. In the past three years, a large number of posts had remained vacant in the absence of promotions. Obviously, such posts would have to be revived with the approval of the Council of Ministers. “Revival of posts is a difficult task as the Finance Department raises several queries before any proposal in this connection is put before the Council of Ministers”, affected employees say. Mr Kulbhushan Kanwar, president of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union, said today that the power to order promotions should be returned to the heads of department or to the appointing authority and the DPCs should be disbanded. “Promotion has to be ordered on the basis of service record and as the record is always available with the head of the department, he or she can be the best person to order a promotions, he said, adding that 18 posts of Superintendent, 13 posts of Senior Assistant, one post of Registrar and one of Assistant Registrar had been vacant for the past three years. In the Employment Department, one post of Administrative Officer, two posts of Joint Directors, eight posts of Deputy Director, 11 posts of Deputy Employment Officer, nine posts of Employment Officer and a large number of posts of Superintendent, Technical Assistants and Senior Assistants had been lying vacant for long. Similar was the state in other departments like the Food and Supplies Department, Local Self Government and Treasury.
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Shahpur Kandi dam poses threat to ancient caves
Gurdaspur: The ancient Mukeshwar caves on the banks of the Ravi, near Doongh village, about 30 km from here, might get submerged once the proposed Shahpur Kandi dam is constructed. The locals have been pressing the authorities concerned to save the caves, which had been associated with the Pandavas.
Prof Raj Kumar Sharma, president, History Society, Gurdaspur, said: “The caves find mention in the Skanda Purana. These have been described as rock temples of Mukeshwar in the Gazetteer of Gurdaspur district.” As per belief, the Pandavas spent the last year of their exile in the caves and installed a Shivalingam in one of them. One of the caves, known as the cave of Bhima, which lay behind the main cliff, got damaged while some work was being executed in the area by the dam authorities. According to experts, the caves were given shape with iron tools. There were beautiful frescoes and engravings depicting Hindu gods and goddesses in the caves. Some of the engravings were done with arrows. However, the smoke emanating from bonfire made by the sadhus residing in the caves have destroyed the precious art work. According to the Gazetteer, the supporting structures in the main cave are about 15 feet wide and 18 feet long. They depict the medieval architecture of the times of the Rajputas. Some British officials, who visited the caves in the early 20th century, found an inscription in some Deccan script on the entrance of the main cave. However, no attempt was made to decipher it. The inscription is no longer visible. Hindus have been visiting the caves since a long time. They immerse the ashes of their dead in the river in the belief that Lord Shiva would liberate them from the cycle of birth and rebirth. Saints from the South visit the caves on religious occasions. A team of dam officials from Chandigarh recently visited the site to assess the condition of the caves. However, sources said nothing concrete had been planned to save them from the threat posed by the proposed dam. The experts are of the opinion that the caves can be saved by diverting the flow of the river away from them.
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After ’84 riots they are now fighting drugs
New Delhi, November 2 Blazes of colour flashed into the sky as neighbourhoods marked Divali but it was a day of mourning for women at Tilak Vihar as they remembered the dead in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. At Gurdwara Shahidan, they prayed not just for the lost ones but for many of the second-generation survivors driven to drugs and crime. Narcotics, they say, have swamped the rehabilitation colony, home to thousands of young unschooled, jobless men. “We lost people from our generation in 1984, and are losing our children to drugs,” said Bhagi Kaur as she knelt down at Gurdwara Shahidan during a special service to mark the 21st anniversary of the carnage. On November, 2, 1984, mobs burnt Bhagi’s husband Lachchman Singh alive a day after they lynched her three brothers in their Tirlokpuri home. Her son Balwant Singh committed suicide last year because of depression from being jobless. Colony elders say they are struggling with a second battle — drugs — after a “failed” legal quest for justice. “For these young drug addicts, supply is not an issue. You can find them all time popping red and blue pills or sniffing smack outside Gurdwara Shahidan,” Gurdwara vice-president Hakam Singh said. One of the addicts, who requested not to be named, said most of the fellow addicts would buy large quantities of painkillers from local pharmacies. “It’s just an overdose for a kick,” he said. Residents say many young addicts have also taken to petty crimes to make up for drug costs. “They steal cables, car stereos and even outdoor water pumps. Many of them are pickpockets,” Surjit Singh, a Tilak Vihar resident, said.
— PTI
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Army recruitment rally from November 7
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 2 According to a press note of the District Sainik Welfare Department, the recruitment for Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala and Sangrur districts will be held from November 10 to November 12 at Bathinda. The age for the recruitment should be between 17½ to 21, height minimum 170 cm (166 cm for Kandi area candidates), educational qualifications should be matriculation with 45 per cent marks or Class XII, and for technical soldier, physics and chemistry should be compulsory subjects and age should be up to 23. For soldier clerk/SKT, English should be a compulsory subject with 50 per cent marks at the time of screening. Candidates are advised to bring 12 copies of latest passport size photographs , education certificates, residence certificate, caste certificates, school character certificate. Candidates having NCC, ITI, polytechnic or computer courses, participation in sports at national or international level, having civil driving licences will be given preference. The department has also sounded a warning and advised candidates to beware of touts and anti-social elements, as they cannot help the candidates in any way as the recruitment would be strictly on merit. The department said recruitment into the Army is a free service and no money is charged.
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Man alleges assault by SHO
Ropar, November 2 In an affidavit submitted to the SSP, Ropar, he further alleged that he had been beaten up by the SHO earlier also and no action had been taken in this regard. The
SP (Detective), Mr Harwaj Singh, recorded the statement of various persons in this connection today. The SHO, however, denied the allegation and said some persons were making attempts to implicate him in a false case.
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Transport workers threaten strike
Amritsar, November 2 Mr Amarjit Singh Asal, district secretary, CPI, along with representatives of the various transport unions alleged that they were forced to enter the city via bypass due to which they got late to reach the destination on time. This had resulted in loss to transporters and this was all being done to benefit certain bus operators, they alleged. They said that they would observe a complete strike on November 9 and would hold a rally in front of the new bus stand.
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Award after Amrita sought
Phagwara, November 2 Lyricist Kashmir Qadar; short story writer and former secretary, Kendari Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, Gurmit Palahi; president, Phagwara Lekhak Sabha, T.D. Chawla; and Punjabi writer Daljit Gill called Amrita a world class Punjabi writer who gave women a new idiom and a path-breaking direction. Staff of the local Guru Nanak College also paid their tributes.
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Canal breaches, paddy damaged
Sangrur, November 2 After receiving information about the breach Sunam SDM, Ravinder Singh, visited the site today and took stock of the situation. Officials of the Irrigation Department also visited the site. The canal was built many years ago and is in a dilapidated condition. Not having been cleaned for several months due to lack of funds led to the breach. Canal has weak points at several places which may cause breaches any time. Canal requires immediate repairs. Ravinder Singh, SDM, said this evening the breach had been plugged with sandbags for the time being and permanent repair would be done later. He also asked the SDO, Irrigation, to check the canal for weak points at other places. The SDO said he would submit a report in this regard to the SE (Irrigation), after work to strengthen weak points of the canal would be started.
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MC registers record increase in revenue collection
Patiala, November 2 This year, till October 31, the MC authorities had collected a revenue of Rs 69.43 lakh as compared Rs 15.96 lakh collected during the corresponding period last year. Similarly, the building application fees receipts too have increased by nearly 90 per cent from Rs 14.18 lakh last year to Rs 28.40 lakh this year. The octroi receipts have also jumped from Rs 120.27 lakh last year to 148.51 lakh this year while the water supply tax receipts have risen from Rs 48.85 lakh to Rs 55.71 lakh this year. In a press note issued here, the Commissioner, Mr S.K Ahluwalia, said the Provident Fund and Pension Contribution of the employees, which was to the tune of nearly Rs 70 lakh and which was earlier used by the authorities for development purposes, had now been re-adjusted into their accounts. Mr Ahluwalia also added that earlier the salaries of employees used to be disbursed on the 15th or 16th of each month but now the salaries would be paid on the 1st of each month. In view of Divali festival, the salaries of beldars and other employees working on contractual basis were disbursed on October 27. Mr Ahluwalia added that pending payments to contractors registered with the MC had also been paid. In an attempt to streamline the functioning of the MC, Mr Ahluwalia added that earlier the time taken to process cases pertaining to pensions and gratuity used to be six months but now this had been reduced considerably.
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Petrol station sealed at Longowal
Sangrur, November 2 Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Mr Tarlochan Singh, SHO, Longowal, said after receiving a complaint from a farmer, Chhajju Singh, regarding adulteration in diesel by the petrol station, Kisan Filling Station, he called the authorities of the oil company concerned and the officials of the Food and Supplies Department to the petrol station for further proceedings. He said the Food and Supplies officials, besides sealing the petrol station, had collected samples of the petroleum products sold at the petrol station for examination. He said the police had registered a case against the petrol station owners under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act.
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Woman, son held; 4.77 quintals of narcotics seized
Pathankot, November 2 The police arrested Anita Mykle and her son Mohit Mykle who were packing the drug in small packets. The police told The Tribune, the mother and the son Roshan Lal were in league with another smuggler of the area. Roshan Lal used to bring narcotics from Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir areas with the help of mother and son he used to re-pack the narcotics and for sale in the state through his agents. A case of narcotic smuggling has already been registered against Roshan Lal in Jammu and Kashmir. The mother and son told the police that Roshan Lal used to supply them the narcotics. Roshan Lal is yet to be arrested. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against the mother and
the son. Recovery of drugs from a busy locality of the city has stunned people. The retailers who sell narcotics in the city should also be probed, demanded people. Sources said certain dhabawallahs, roaming sadhus and rickshawpullers were main retail agents of narcotics in the area. The addicts visiting the de addiction centre at Gurdaspur who, include a large number of students have told counsellors that they get supplies of narcotics from roadside dhabas. The police was yet to raid such dhabas. The police said the retailers collecting drugs from the mother and the son would be identified.
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Drug abuse claims lives of 2 youths
Chalian Kalna (Ropar), November 2 Villagers said Satbir Singh and Parambir Singh had consumed drug yesterday. Thereafter the two consumed liquor at different places in the evening. Satbir Singh died in the hospital this morning while Paramvir died last
night. Parambir Singh was a student of 10+2 and had remained in a rehabilitation centre. He had stopped consuming narcotics but after falling in the company of other youths, he again started consuming drugs. Satbir had completed Class X and was said to be addicted, said the deceased’s family members. Angry with the drug mafia, villagers protested this evening alleging that the local chemist shop was responsible for the death of the youths. The two had been consuming drugs from the shop without prescription. Villagers said that the situation was such that many
school-going children has become addicts of drugs. Mr Charanjit Singh, an uncle of Satbir Singh, said that we had requested many times to the authorities here to prevent the chemist from selling drugs to children but our problem was not heard. Sarpanch Jaswinder Singh said children of the village and nearby villages had become addicts of drugs as these were easily available at shops at cheap rate. Twenty to 50 tablets of drugs are available for Rs 10 to Rs 20.
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ASI booked on fraud, graft charges
Muktsar, November 2 Police sources said three persons — Vijay Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Raman Kumar, all residents of Malout mandi — were selling kerosene without any permit. Following a tip-off, Harinder Singh caught them transporting kerosene in a jeep, but they allegedly greased his palms and ensured their release. Later, the CIA staff came to know of the matter and conducted a raid on their hideout. About 1,900 litres of kerosene was recovered from their possession. Investigation revealed that a box belonging to Harinder Singh was also lying at the police station. Sources said Rs 60,000 and slips of the kerosene firm were seized from the box when it was opened before official witnesses. A case has been registered against him under Section 7 of the EC Act, Sections 7/13/2/88 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 420 and 34 of the IPC.
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Market panel supervisor held
Phagwara, November 2 It was learnt that 10 vigilance officials also raided the
residence, shop and office of Dilawar Chand at Gali No 6, Bhagatpura Mohalla, Palahi Road, and the Market Committee complex on the Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road, respectively. The raid on the office was still going on at the time of filing the report. It was learnt that many credit cards of banks and other documents were seized during the raids. Dilawar Chand had been pestering Mr Naresh Bhardwaj for the last fortnight for gratification. Mr Bhardwaj agreed to pay him Rs 10,000 today and informed the Vigilance Department about it. A trap was laid and the supervisor was caught red-handed.
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3 killed in road mishaps
Ropar, November 2 Sixteen-year-old Harpreet Singh was killed while two pillion riders— Sukha Singh and Ramesh Kumar—were injured when the motorcycle on which the three of them were going, fell into a gorge along the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. In another accident Ravinder Singh, who was driving a motorcycle, was killed after his vehicle was hit by a truck last evening in Morinda. In the third mishap Raj Kumar died when the car that he was driving over turned on Morinda road. The deceased was on way to Bassi
Pathana.
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2-yr-old killed in road mishap
Hoshiarpur, November 2 According to police sources, Ashvani Kumar and his wife, Suman, were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, in critical condition. Sources further said that Ashvani Kumar, along with his wife and daughter, was coming from Balachaur to Hoshiarpur in his car. The front wheel tyre of the running car suddenly burst. Ashvani lost control on steering as a result the car rammed into the tree.
— OC
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2 hurt in collision
Ropar, November 2
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MG College to host UGC conference
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 2 According to Dr Dharminder Singh Ubha, head of the Commerce Department and co-coordinator of the conference, it was a great honour for the institution to hold national-level conference in which the experts from all over the country would participate. It is for the first time that the UGC has sponsored such a prestigious event in any institution in the area. Giving the details of the conference, he said the inaugural session of the conference would start on November 4 at 10 am. Mr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University would be the chief guest, while Dr Sukhpal Singh, associate professor centre for management in agriculture, IIM, Ahmedabad, and Mr Naresh Bishnoi, CEO Stock Exchange, Ludhiana, would be guest of honour. Prof B.B. Tandon, former Chairman UBS, would be the key note speaker. The first technical session will start on November 4 at 11.30 am. Prof K.K. Uppal, UBS, Panjab University will be chairman of the session. It will be presided over by Dr Sanjeevan Bajaj, Tata Consultancy, Delhi. Dr Alok Ray, Secretary, Commerce in Corporate Governance, ICAI, Delhi, will presided over the second session.
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