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Punjab youth to get jobs, Dalits plots
Chandigarh, November 13 Firstly, the government is bracing itself to ensure that promises of additional reservation it made to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Castes (OBCs), who form about 31 per cent of the population, are fulfilled. Secondly, all departments have been asked to search job opportunities and inject “new human resources needed to meet the challenges of the new functions of the departments”. Also, the policies for the handicapped are to be revived. All this is aimed at employing the youth. The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, has been convinced by his ministers and advisers that some kind recruitment drive would have to be carried out to appease the masses. The claims of the government that there is no shortage of money in the state needs to be buttressed by action on the ground, said sources. The Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues have been making announcements about recruitment drives to employ teachers and doctors. Already the Congress, by installing Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, has sent a message to the Dalits that they were wanted back into the party. The absence of the major presence of the Bahujan Samaj Party in Punjab is a factor on which the Congress is hoping to woo back the Dalits. An indication about the welfare of the Dalits and OBCs can be had from a recent correspondence in this regard. The Chief Secretary, Mr Jai Singh Gill, has asked senior officers in the state to comply with the directions of the Vidhan Sabha on plans for SCs, BCs and OBCs. In the letter written two weeks ago, the Chief Secretary had sought information from all departments if 25 per cent reservation had been made for allotting residential and industrial plots, permits for private buses, trucks, mini buses and ration depots. The report had to be passed onto the Vidhan Sabha. The Vidhan Sabha had formed a committee on the subject that recommended 25 per cent reservation in specific areas for SCs, BCs and OBCs. In another letter aimed at providing welfare for the population, the Finance Department has asked all departments to incur expenses on priority basis as per their requirement. A list of suggestions on spending this money includes job opportunities, revival of schemes for the handicapped and to implement new policies and programmes. The expenditure during the remainder of the current financial year (October 2005 to March 2006) has to be made on a priority basis. In its list of suggestions the Finance Department has asked all departments to supply the details of such spending. In addition to all these plans, the state government has also circulated a letter from the National Commission of Minorities. This says equitable access be provided to the minority communities. This also says that the state government ensures the provision that loans be given for setting up small-scale industry, educational purposes, scholarships and grant-in-aid to the minority institutions.
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Badal asks workers to end factionalism
Badrukhan (Sangrur), November 13 This projection was made by the senior leaders of the party perhaps to end the ongoing controversy relating to next Chief Minister of the state in case the SAD comes to power after the next Assembly elections. A section of the party is projecting Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal as the next Chief Minister of the state. Addressing the gathering, Mr Parkash Singh Badal termed the regime of Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a “Sarb Sanjha” regime, in which members of every religion and community had equal respect and rights. He also announced that the SGPC would set up a school for girls in the name of Mata Raj Kaur, mother of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in Badrukhan village, if the villagers provided 10 acres for the purpose. Mr Badal asked Akali workers to end factionalism in the party units, especially at the village-level, to return party to power in the next elections. Among others who addressed the gathering included Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Mr Gobind Singh Kanjhla, Mr Gobind Singh Longowal, Mr Nusrat Ali Khan, Mr Parkash Chand Garg, a national vice-president of the SAD, Mr Ranjit Singh Ballian and Chaudhary Abdul Gaffar, both former Punjab ministers, Sant Baba Tek Singh Dhanaula, SGPC member, and Mr Rajinder Singh Kanjhla, district president of the SAD. Mr Badal also unveiled the statues of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Hari Singh Nalwa in the complex of local gurdwara built in the memory of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Addressing a press conference, Mr Badal said the SAD would also discuss the issue of candidate for the post of president of the SGPC at the November 21 meeting. He said the members of the SGPC belonging to the SAD would also discuss about the matter on November 22. On the basis of opinion of the PAC and the SGPC members, the SAD would select its candidate for the post of president of the SGPC, he added. With regard to any patch-up with the Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) in near future, Mr Badal said the doors of the SAD were open for all those who wanted to defeat the Congress in the next Assembly elections. He said the SAD was always ready to extend support to “anti-Congress” forces and also seek support from them to defeat the Congress. He also said the SAD could enter into a poll alliance with any party, barring the Congress, in the next Assembly elections. Asked whether the reported extension to Mr Surjit Singh Barnala as Tamil Nadu Governor has been given on the recommendation of the SAD, Mr Badal wondered the Congress being their main opponent how he could make a recommendation to the Congress to extend the tenure of Mr Barnala as the Governor of Tamil Nadu. Mr Badal said the youth and the women wings of the party would be constituted in near future.
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Plane hijacker to seek reinstatement by SGPC
Bathinda, November 13 Narrating his tale to media persons here, Gurbaksh Singh said he used to look after gurdwaras in Bangladesh in the 1980s when he came to know that the Indian Government had asked Sikhs not to carry “kirpans” in planes, fearing hijack. Flaying the government move, then SGPC President Gurcharan Singh Tohra had stated that a plane could even be hijacked with a toy. In a bid to prove Tohra’s point, Gurbaksh Singh hijacked a Delhi-Srinagar flight in Amritsar on August 4, 1982, with a ball made out of cloth pieces which he termed a “bomb”. It was the first day of the Dharam yudh morcha” and Akali leaders were courting arrest. He took the flight to Lahore, but as it had 70 foreigners he thought landing it there would earn a bad name for the Sikh community. He brought the flight back to Amritsar where the authorities asked him to list his demands. He said he would talk only in the presence of representatives of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal and Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Later, he surrendered in the presence of then Akali Dal general secretary Parkash Singh Majitha. Gurbaksh said he remained in jail for about two and a half years during which he was reportedly tortured. Even after his release, the police tracked him and more cases were registered against him. In the meantime, the SGPC employed him in 1987 at a monthly salary of Rs 700, but he had to resign after a few years owing to some family problems. He was again appointed in 1995 at a salary of Rs 1,800. However, his second stint too didn’t last long as somebody accused him of trying to malign the image of the Sikh leadership. The SGPC held a meeting on December 16, 1998, and terminated his services. Gurbaksh claimed he sold off all his property to fight legal battles. He said he had no source of income to look after himself and his ailing wife. Gurbaksh Singh said he would start his trip to Amritsar on November 15. Dressed in black, he would cycle his way to the holy city to reach there on November 22.
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Another Pak intruder shot
Gurdaspur, November 13 The killing of the intruder has brought to light another deceptive route that might have been used by the Pakistani intruders for entering into the country. He was trying to cross the border from a marshy area of the Ravi that had not been fenced properly. The early morning timing selected by the intruder was also surprising. Nothing was recovered from the killed intruder. It seems that he was acting as a guide for another party. Generally the intruders sent a guide to see if the route was clear. In case the front person or guide get through the party follows. Since the intruder was killed the other party following him might not have dared to cross the border. It was second intruder killed on the Gurdaspur border within a week. Six days ago an intruder was killed near the Nangli border outpost in the Dera Baba Nanak area. A diary containing names and addresses of various contacts of the killed intruder was also recovered along with samples of narcotics. The DIG said that the killing of two intruders within a week proved intelligence outputs that smugglers would try to sneak into the country in the coming winter months. The area in which the intruders had been killed is known as the bulge area. It was notorious for smuggling operations before the border fencing was put in place. The reported bumper crop of narcotics in Afghanistan and tribal areas of Pakistan would increase the pressure on the India’s border. Smugglers are likely to increase their bids to smuggle narcotics into India. Vigilance had been increased and shoot on sight orders had been issued, the DIG said.
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CBI website still lists Abu Salem as wanted man
Jalandhar, November 13 The red notices lists most wanted criminals, including those wanted by the Interpol. The CBI though having grilled Abu Salem at Mumbai is flashing the description of the dreaded gangster, Salem. The site is carrying his name Ansari Abu Saleem, sex : male, year of birth :1968, place of birth: Uttar Pradesh, languages spoken: Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, nationality Indian along with physical features like height 163 cms, colour of eyes black, distinguishing marks not known, characteristics: medium built. The site http:cbi.nic.in also appeals to any one having any information about him to contact national or local police. The notice control number is A-103/3-1995. The site, if it is any reflection on the working of the country’s top investigation agency ,has also failed to update information flashed internationally about many of the dreaded terrorists of Punjab. Among the most wanted is former president of the Sikh Student Federation, Daljeet Singh Bittu, alias Doctor, who has been nabbed by the police and is nowadays out on parole. Similarly the site lists alleged commander of the Khalistan Commando Force, Wassan Singh Jaffarwal, as the most wanted by the Interpol. Jaffarwal has not only been acquitted in number of cases but he has also contested the elections for the SGPC recently. Talwinder Singh Parmar, who was killed in an encounter with the police on October 15, 1992, in Jalandhar is also listed. There is 13-year gap in CBI's failure to update its website.
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SAD asks CM to explain links with Arvind
Chandigarh, November 13 Akali leaders Mr Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Mr Sewa Singh Sekhwan in a statement here today said: “The Khanna angle had brought the Oil-for-Food scandal right up to the door step of the Chief Minister and he can no longer afford to keep mum on the issue as Mr Khanna was a close relative of Capt Amarinder Singh”. The biggest shame is that such scandals impinged on the security and survival of the country. The Akali leaders were reacting to reports in a section of the press which said Mr Khanna was involved in the scandal. The Punjab angle to the entire episode should be probed by an independent Central agency, the SAD leaders demanded.
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Kanuwan panchayat joins Congress
Kanuwan (Gurdaspur), November 13 Kanuwan is one of the biggest villages of the constituency represented by Mr Bajwa. The village has a population of about 15,000. The panchayat had been a traditional supporter of the SAD/BJP since long. A few months ago Ms Anita Thakur while talking to The Tribune had alleged that she was not being allowed to work. Today, when contacted, Ms Thakur said she had joined the Congress keeping in view the development of the area. “Earlier also I wanted to join Mr Bajwa but some middlemen were not allowing it to materialise,” she said. She submitted a memorandum of demands to Mr Bajwa. In the memorandum, the panchayat members of Kanuwan demanded that the bureaucracy should not interfere in panchayati work. They demanded a community centre, laying of sewerage and streets, renovation of girl school building, grants under Indira Nivas Yojna and construction of culverts. Mr Bajwa assured to provide grants for the demands submitted by the panchayat members. The prominent SAD and BJP leaders of Kanuwan who joined the Congress today include Mr Pradeep Thakur, Mr Anil Tiwari, ex-sarpanch, Mr Niresh Tiwari, Ms Kansi Devi, Mr Ajit Singh, Mr Balwant Singh, Thakur Nasib Singh and Mr Dilawar Singh. Another SAD panchayat of Manj Ghumana village also joined the Congress in the presence of Mr Bajwa today. Later, Mr Bajwa while talking to mediapersons said a large number of the SAD/BJP workers were joining the Congress in Kanuwan. People were joining the Congress after most of their demands had been fulfilled. Even the remote area of Kanuwan had now been connected with roads. An additional 10,000 poor people of the constituency had been given pension under the government’s social security schemes. Mr Bajwa said the PWD had transferred material to the Army for the construction of valley bridge over the UBDC canal, near Tibri. The old brick arch bridge over the canal on the Mukerian-Gurdaspur road was damaged a few months ago. Since then the heavy vehicle traffic had been stopped on the road, he said.
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Dalit leader joins SAD
Jalandhar, November 13
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Four-laning of NH1 from April 2006
Amritsar, November 13 The Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Mr T.R. Baalu, in a letter dated September 30 to the Governor of Kerala, Mr R.L. Bhatia, had stated that the letter of acceptance had been issued for the four-laning of 45 km stretch of the Jalandhar-Amritsar road via Kartarpur on BOT (build, operate and transfer) basis. He had added that the National Highway Development Programme under Phase IIIA, which would oversee the project, was likely to commence civil work by April 2006. Mr Baalu said the remaining stretch of 20 km covering Kartarpur was also planned for four-laning on BOT basis under the programme. He said the award for this work would be issued in January 2006. Mr Baalu who recently visited Amritsar had reviewed the four-laning project and assured public that work on the project would be implemented positively. It may be recalled that the four-laning project was announced in November 2001 during the visit of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to commemorate the tercentenary celebrations of the coronation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. However, no one took up the project in spite of repeated assurances in Parliament. Mr R.L. Bhatia, local MP, had taken up the matter with the minister on the basis of numerous representations received from various industrial and trading associations of the city.
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Eunuchs get married at unique sammelan
Ropar, November 13 They, too, have a desire to get married, but the groom and bride can stay together only for a day, after which they will have to live separately. More than 1,500 eunuchs from all over India are participating in the sammelan that will conclude on November 15. Besides marriages, dance items by various groups were a main attraction of the day. “We too feel like other people and want to have someone special in our life. It depends on our gurus who selected us to get married on this auspicious occasion,,” said Kofi of Samrala who got married to another eunuch. “It’s a ritual that we have to perform. Although we are different from others, we also have a desire to have a family. So marriage here is symbolic and everything is done like in a normal marriage. Gifts are also exchanged,” Aku of Malerkotla said. “It’s the desire of the head of the eunuch group in India to invite eunuchs from all over the country to such a function. The aim is to seek blessings of God by performing rituals,” said head of the eunuch group, Raj Hazi of Uchha Khera. “It’s a time for us to celebrate and forget our suffering. We look for a brighter future with enthusiasm here,” said Rani Haz, coordinator of various programmes.
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Hindu jatha may cut short Katasraj visit
Amritsar, November 13 This is for the first time in many years that a Hindu jatha was permitted in November for pilgrimage to Katasraj. It is likely that the jatha may cut short its visit as evacuee authorities had banned its movement in Lahore. Hence most of the jatha members who were earlier scheduled for stay in Lahore from November 16 to 18 would return before schedule. Late last night, on the intervention of officials of the Indian High Commission, the jatha, comprising nearly 175 members, was permitted to be booked in a hotel in Lahore after sitting outside the immigration office at Wagah on Pakistan side till 10.30 p.m.
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Kisan Manch backs PSEB staff protest
Bathinda, November 13 The manch announced the farmers from all over Punjab would participate in the protest in front of the electricity board headquarters in Patiala on December 2. In a statement released here today, the manch spokesman, Mr Sukhdev Singh Kokri, said the decision was reached at a meeting of the board’s joint action committee leaders, Mr Gurdayal Singh Bhangal and Mr Devraj, with various farmer bodies in Jalandhar on November 5. It was also decided to seek cancellation of the Electricity Act, 2003.
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Asst Prof’s biodata in US journal
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 13 Mr Harpreet Singh had recently completed his Ph.D degree from the IIT, Roorkee, and had also won the prestigious ARCI Best Technical Paper Award at an international symposium on material science and engineering held in Chennai.
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Ashoka school function
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 13 Dr Lal, an old student of the school, said the Ashoka Educational Trust, which is running four schools and a girls college was doing a great service to the society. He also inaugurated the newly-constructed biology, physics and chemistry Labs in the school. Mr Rajiv Dutta, president of Ashoka Educational Trust, sought funds from the minister for a library in the school. Mr Devinder Verma, manager of the school and Mr Ravinder Joshi, principal highlighted the achievements of the school. The schoolchildren presented a cultural programme. Dr Lal announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for Ashoka boys school and Rs 31000/- each for other four educational institutions of Ashoka Trust.
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Ropar school wins bhangra contest
Mohali, November 13 Shabad gayan: I: Amardeep Kaur and party of Ramgarhia Girls Secondary School, Ludhiana. General knowledge: I: Tejinder Singh of Guru Nanak Dev Senior Secondary School, Bathinda. Geet gayan: I Ankush Sharma. Handwriting: I: Gurpreet Kaur of Guru Nanak Dev Mission Senior Secondary School, Panj Garain, Faridkot. Kavishri: I: Parminder Kaur of Government Senior Secondary School, Gailowal, Faridkot. Chitarkala: Aalamjeet Kaur of DAV Senior Secondary School, Amritsar. Speech: Amitoj Dhaliwal of Baba Farid Senior Secondary School, Bathinda. Poetry: Navpreet Kaur of Government Senior Secondary School, Amritsar. Vaar Gayan: Jaspreet Kaur and party of Sri Mahavir Jain Senior Secondary School, Phagwara.
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Parents of students meet Badal
Amritsar, November 13 Demanding their support, they have urged them to look into the issues concerning their studies with sympathy. In the representation, they have alleged that it had become difficult for them to concentrate on studies due to the controversy concerning charging of excess admission fees by college authorities from them. They alleged that the authorities victimized the students who raised their voice against them and knocked the doors of Punjab and Haryana High Court against the fees structure. Complaining about getting improper and unhygienic food in hostel mess, they alleged that even cockroaches and other insects were found in the food and the authorities concerned did not pay any heed to the complaints brought to their notice. It had become impossible for students to live in hostels due to improper atmosphere. The parents alleged that the college authorities imposed heavy fines even on minor mistakes. Quoting an incident they said that the students were fined Rs 5000 which was later raised to Rs 6000 for returning late from the marriage of a college friend recently. A trustee on condition of anonymity confirmed that the complaint had been received and said that he would take up the matter in the next meeting of the trustees. He was also critical of the alleged dictatorial attitude of the authorities of the college.
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Seminar in memory of Shah Mohammad
Amritsar, November 13 With the result the Shah Mohammad Memorial Society, headed by Dr Manjit Singh Bhoma, held a seminar in the memory of the Punjabi poet on the 225th birth anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Shree Guru Harkrishan School here today. In his keynote address, Mr Tarlochan Singh, Chairman, National Minority Commission, and Rajya Sabha member, said Shah Mohammad was the only poet who had given credence to the secularist approach of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He said while the Sikh historians of Maharaja Ranjit Singh time failed to record the history, it was Shah Mohammad, a Mohammedan, who had portrayed important historical events in a true perspective. He said the legendry poet had the courage to write against the mighty British regime. He said Shah Mohammad also recorded in ‘Jangnama’ that even Muslims had fought against British under the banner of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Except for ‘Roznamcha’, no Sikh historian wrote on contemporary events, he said. Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, former Akali Minister, and Dr Harbhajan Singh Bhatia of Guru Nanak Dev University said all Punjabis should be grateful to Shah Mohammad who had recorded the true picture of the ‘rise and fall’ of the Sikh rule. It is a matter of concern that no trace has been left of legendary Punjabi poet Shah Mohammad, who penned an eyewitness account of a battle between the British and the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in his ancestral village Wadala Veeram. Unmindful of its heritage value, a gurdwara and a private house have come up at the site of the demolished house of the great poet. Wadala Veeram was a Muslim-dominated village, which witnessed communal frenzy a few days before the Partition of the country.
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Education society’s plea turned down
Nangal, November 13 This was revealed in a communication sent to DEO (Secondary), Ropar, and in a reply filed by the Special Secretary, School Education in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by the Special Secretary, School Education, Punjab. The Special Secretary, School Education, stated that after careful consideration of the documents presented by the principal of Amal Kalia School through Director of Private-aided (School) and comments given by the DEO (Secondary), Ropar, the Government of Punjab rejected the request for issuing of no objection certificate for securing affiliation with CBSE, New Delhi. More than 1,000 students have been studying in the school situated in Naya Nangal. The NFL had handed over the CAK project school to Rose Marry Education Society on a monthly rent for a period of 10 years on January 20, 2005. Thereafter, the parents of students had filed the writ petition for quashing the agreement letter issued by the NFL for handing over the CAK project school to Rose Marry Education Society. The parents had pleaded that Capt Amol Kalia Fertilizer Model Senior Secondary School, Naya Nangal, was earlier affiliated with the CBSE. But the school has been leased out on the terms and conditions in violation of bye-law 14-A. As a result, the school will lose its affiliation with the CBSE. The case was fixed for hearing on November 25.
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