Jalandhar, November 18
“Might is right”. This seemed true in case of the demolition drive carried out by the Municipal Corporation Jalandhar (MCJ) in three blocks of the Model Town Market here today.

Encroachments by shop owners allegedly close to a local minister were spared, while the other encroachments were razed to the ground. Shop owners in the market protested against this allegedly partisan approach. However, the authorities concerned assured them that no one would be spared and that all encroachments would be removed.

While encroachments in form of concrete stairs leading to the service lanes were demolished, a staircase occupying the major chunk of an encroached land in one of the blocks of the market was not even touched. Sources in the MCJ said that this portion of the complex belonged to a “well-connected” person known to a local minister. Some shops that encroached upon the service lane were also spared.

Interestingly, the much-visible encroachments on the front portions of the shops were not removed. Some of the shop owners could be seen directing their own hired labour to remove the encroachments, including stairs, toilets and kitchens.

Encroachments on the first floor were also not removed. Temporary encroachments in form of extended counters for selling juices and other eatables were left untouched.

The demolition drive was planned to cover over 61 shops in three blocks of the market as per the order of Punjab and Haryana High Court. Nearly 40 encroachments had been razed to the ground till late evening today. Officials of the MCJ said the remaining encroachments would be removed tomorrow.

Mr Tarlok Singh, Municipal Town Planner, who was executing the drive, said that over 2400 encroachments were being razed as per the order of the court. He said that over 700 encroachments had already been removed and the rest would be removed soon. He added that some encroachments, including a toilet and a kitchen constructed by a restaurant owner, had to be left out as the owners had obtained stay orders from the court. The town planner was accompanied by three Assistant Town Planners.

Mr S.S. Johl, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, could not be contacted for his comments. Mr Surinder Mahey, Mayor, MCJ, said he had directed the officials not to follow a “pick and choose policy”. He added that those encroachments that had been spared today would definitely be removed tomorrow.

Jalandhar, November 18
The proposed tie-up of the Department of Technical Education, Punjab, in association with Punjab Technical University, with New South Wales State Government Department of Education and Training, Australia, for starting a B.Tech course has been shelved, at least for some time.

A meeting to sign a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) in this connection that was planned for tomorrow at Chandigarh has been cancelled. A two-member delegation from Australia was in Chandigarh for the last few days, discussing the matter with officials of the Technical Education Department. However, the delegation is said to be leaving without signing the MoU.

Sources in the Department of Technical Education revealed that the programme had been cancelled as it had been pointed out that permission from the Government of India was a must before the signing of any MoU. The secretary of the department was not available, it has been learnt. Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Minister of Technical Education, Punjab, who had been giving an impetus to the proposal, too, had been busy, sources added.

Many officials in the department were also reportedly opposing the proposal. Their contention, it has been learnt, was that there was no need for any immigration or consultant company to join for collaboration. “Once the tie-up would be final, the company owners would start asking for a major share from fees and funds,” said one of the officials.

The directors of the Canadian Institute for International Studies (CIIS), Mohali, were intervening from the Indian side, while TAFE Global Pvt Ltd, an education consultancy firm, was representing the Australian side. Many officials contended that if both governments were keen on the tie-up, they could have gone ahead with the proposal directly.

Allegations are also rife that the proposal is “unilateral”. While the officials from Australia had been cross-checking all kinds of facilities available with the state department, and even asking for some additional facilities, PTU officials or those from the state department had not made any specific checks in Australia or Southampton University, said an insider.

Yet another allegation is that the proposal has been prepared without going into the finer details. Courses for which the tie-up was being arranged were also not clear, it has been alleged. “Students are being told that ‘two internationally-accepted degrees’ would be awarded to those opting for the course. Such tactics are often used by immigration consultants rather than technical education department officials,” said an official.

Interestingly, PTU has already been a partner with the CIIS, at least for the past three years. As per an MoU signed between the authorities of the university and the Mohali-based institute, the PTU authorities are providing Indian equivalence to the CIIS computer and business studies programmes.

Mr Narinderjit Singh, Director, Technical Education, Punjab, when contacted, confirmed that the delegation would not be signing the MoU, as an approval was required from the Government of India. That approval was expected in a month’s time, he added. 

Jalandhar, November 18
Khalistan ideologue Jagjit Singh Chohan declared that he would file a defamation suit against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal for terming him a terrorist during debate on the subject in the Assembly. The notice was served on Badal 14 days ago and the suit will be filed next week, said Chohan.

Chohan has sent a legal notice to Mr Badal demanding that he withdraw the statement and tender apology to the client. Chohan alleged that Mr Badal had called him a terrorist and had compared him with Jagtar Singh Hawara.

He said that Mr Badal had also blamed him for conniving with the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for allegedly creating disturbance in the state.

Talking to media persons here Chohan also informed the media that he would stage dharna along with the Akali Dal (Amritsar), the Dal Khalsa and the Panth Bachao Morcha before the SGPC office at Amritsar on November 23.

The protest is against the alleged callousness of the SAD for not trying to get back the artifacts and other items allegedly taken away by the Army during Operation Bluestar. He blamed the SGPC and SAD for their inaction in protecting the interests of the community.

Former Finance Minister Chohan said he would file the defamation suit against Badal next week.

Over the issue of artifacts Chohan said the Army took away some rare books of literature on Sikh history allegedly during “Operation Bluestar”. Chohan on his part has gone to the Supreme Court and filed an appeal demanding that the Government of India return the artifacts.

He has also written to the office of the President of India, and the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities in this regard. The issue has been ignored for all these years, alleged Chohan.

The minorities commission Chairman Tarlochan Singh, in his reply to Chohan’s plea, however, stated that despite detailed queries from various departments of the Government of India and meeting with the Defence Minister, the commission could not achieve any breakthrough in finding these artifacts. 

Jalandhar, November 18
The Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) Zonal Manager (North) J.P. Sharma visited the corporation’s Food Storage Depot in the New Grain Market here today.

Mr Sharma said that 1,100 metric tonnes of rice had been accepted in the depot from all state-procuring agencies under the Custom Milled Rice Scheme. FCI’s Regional Manager Sudeep Singh said that more than 20,000 metric tonnes of rice had been accepted in all centres of the corporation.

He added that 1,485 mandis had been declared purchase centres for the Kharif marketing season this year. The FCI, he said, had operated in 159 mandis exclusively and 223 mandis on a shared basis with the state government and its agencies.

Against a total procurement of 1.36-lakh metric tonnes of paddy in Punjab during this season, the FCI had procured more than 10 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in the state, Mr Sudeep Singh added.

Kapurthala, November 18
Though every year the state administration spends lakhs of rupees to highlight the heritage of Kapurthala and boost tourism in the area by inviting the descendents of the founders of Khyal Gayaki and Kapurthala Gharana to perform at the Heritage Festival, the tomb of Mian Mir Nasir Ahmed, the founder of the Kapurtrhala Gharana located at a desolated corner of the town is in a state of total neglect.

Situated on the Pir Chowdhry Road, the tomb of the famous Dhrupad singer and the harbinger of Khyal Gayaki in Kapurthala is just about to vanish, as the plaster on most of its walls has peeled off due to vagaries of the weather. There is also no sign of a floor inside the tomb.

Residents of the town also remain oblivious of their heritage and the connection of the tomb with the renowned Kapurthala Gharana.

To visit the tombs of Mian Mir Nasir Ahmed’s two sons, Mir Kalhan and Mir Rehmat Ali, also known to be famous musicians of their times, one has to wade through wild grass and bushes.

Mian Mir Nasir Ahmad, brought to this royal town from the court of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar by Kanwar Bikrama Singh of Kapurtahala, was the founder of the Kapurthala music tradition, which originated somewhere around 1858 AD.