Jalandhar, June 19
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, has often been embroiled in controversies since the day he took over the reins of Punjab in February 2002. But, he has been following his own path with firm conviction by remaining by and large oblivious of how and at which pitch his detractors, particularly the Akalis, reacted.

At times, he has not even hesitated to go beyond his brief. A glaring example of his dare devil approach has been the termination of river waters pact by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, and for this he had been able to garner the support of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and other major opposition parties.

A major controversy engulfed him recently when his announcement about the proposed setting up of Rs 73,000 crore worth mega projects was bitterly criticised by the Opposition, which, dubbed the entire exercise as nothing but a poll plank and even as a way of corruption.

But, the Chief Minister is bubbling with enthusiasm and firmly believes that his dream to effect an economic revolution in Punjab will take a practical shape very soon. He spoke to The Tribune about various contentious issues.

Q: You have been criticised for your announcements about proposed mega projects and your detractors have been skeptical that any such project would ever be launched in Punjab?

A: ‘‘What my detractors say does not affect me. It has been my long cherished dream to bring prosperity back to Punjab in a big way and these mega projects would prove to be vehicles for re-energising the economy of Punjab. My chief motive is to serve the people of Punjab and I have no business to bother about hush-hush talks or petty politics. I have no time for such things. The proposed projects would not remain on paper. Work on these has already been started and those criticising me should come to know that investment worth Rs 1300 crore has already landed in Punjab. A sum of Rs 650 crore has already been poured into the housing sector and another Rs 650 crore have been invested in industry. Is it not a good start? Rome was not built in one day’’.

Q: Is there any time frame for the completion of the proposed projects?

A: ‘‘See, in a way, these mega projects are not only my dream but also of the people of Punjab as they have been yearning for success for long, but, there was no room for them to grow. I have planted a tree and the future generations are going to relish the fruit. In a situation where, these projects have already taken off and investment has already started coming in, I can only say that we have been able to make a good start. Sardar Partap Singh Kairon had started building Chandigarh in early 60s, but it is still growing and is yet to reach completion’’.

Q: What would be the benefits of such projects for common people?

A: A big benefit has already come to farmers in shape of a sudden spurt in land prices immediately after the announcement of advent of big business houses in Punjab. Moreover, these projects would prove to be a boon for farmers, particularly, the ones with small land holdings. Such farmers would be able to sell their produce at higher prices to big companies’’.

Q: Will there be some other projects beyond the scope of these mega projects?

A: ‘‘We are limiting our goals to these projects only. Huge investments are being made in other projects also. Volkswagon is coming to Punjab and they would make all kinds of cars in the state. This would generate large employment avenues for people of the state. But, my next main project is to create nearly 16 lakh jobs for our youth before the end of this year. Apart from this, airports at Halwara and Chandigarh are to be upgraded and the four-laning of the Zirakpur-Chandigarh highway is on.

Ludhiana, June 19
The farmers who are under heavy debt may have something to cheer about in future with the state government urging the Union Government to waive off at least Rs 700 crore debt burden on the farmers.

The Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today told reporters after inaugurating the Rs 2,000 crore City Centre Project here that only the Union Government has the power to waive off the loans.

The Chief Minister also announced that 10 per cent of land of Mega Housing Projects had been reserved for people living under poverty line as per an agreement with private companies and industrial houses.

He said efforts were being made to get farmers’ debt waived off but the state government was not able to do so till there was a nod from the Centre. He added that he would discuss the debt issue with the Prime Minister and Finance Minister on June 22.

He said farmers in the state had borrowed a sum of Rs 24,000 crore from the various agencies, including a sum of Rs 6,000 crore from Co-operative Societies, Rs 4,000 crore from commercial banks and the rest from private agencies and financiers.

He added that a sum of only Rs 700 crore was being considered a bad debt while the farmers were ready to return the rest of amount but without interest. ‘‘Unless the Centre gives its nod to waive off the debt we cannot do it, ’’ said the Chief Minister while adding that a bill related to farmers’ debt would be tabled in the next Assembly session.

Providing relief to those living below poverty line, the Chief Minister said the state government had made it clear that the Mega Housing Projects, with an investment of Rs 32,000 crore, would reserve 10 per cent of its houses and land for the weaker sections of society.

Terming the farmers agitations over the acquisition of agricultural land as the handiwork of Akalis, the Chief Minister said the government had not acquired any land but the companies were arranging for the land on their own.

Amarinder Singh reiterated that the state government was fully committed to providing 100 per cent water supply and sewerage in all towns of the state under the Municipal Development Fund scheme. He further said this work was being taken up on a war footing in a phased manner to provide water supply in 132 towns in the state.

He said growth oriented and innovative policies and programmes of the state government had successfully succeeded in building confidence amongst the investors and entrepreneurs to invest in a big way in Punjab. Economic stabilisation established by the Congress Government in the state had also provided an investor friendly air and people had started viewing Punjab as the most ideal investment destination in the world. Consequently, as many as 209 mega projects involving an investment of Rs 73,000 crore were being set up in the state, he added.

Chandigarh, June 19
In the rapidly changing political scenario of Punjab, the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, for the first time in two years, today chose to criticise the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. Mr Badal said the economic policies of the Prime Minister were “all wrong” and went on to say “ the Prime Minister has done nothing for Punjab”.

Mr Badal, probably realising that Dr Manmohan Singh could be the Congress mascot during the forthcoming elections, chose his words to hit out at the role of the first-ever Sikh Prime Minister of the nation. Mr Badal said: “ Being a Sikh much was expected from him for Punjab, but nothing has been done.” He went on to claim that a former Prime Minister, Mr I.K. Gujral, had given benefits to the state.

Mr Badal was speaking to mediapersons, minutes after a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee of the SAD here.

Mr Badal also pointed out that the Prime Minister had not attended the functions to mark the 400 years of the martyrdom of Guru Arjun Dev at Tarn Taran recently. “He could have come to the function organised by the Congress party if not the functions organised by the SGPC or the SAD”, Mr Badal added. The martyrdom was not just an issue of the Sikhs. It concerned the entire nation. On the economic front, he said the Prime Minister’s policies had meant that there had been very “minimal” hike in the MSP which was earlier a constant process. He gave the example of the recent hike in the prices of petrol, and diesel saying the Central Government should reduce its own taxation and not ask the states to roll back taxes.

Coming to state politics, Mr Badal said the project of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) would be reviewed if his party came back to power. Not just RIL, all projects which were not in public interest or reeked of corruption would be reviewed, Mr Badal added. He went to say that RIL was like the East India Company. Slowly, with its economic power, RIL would make the government a puppet in its hands. The concessions given to RIL were not in public interest, but were to enable a fund collection drive ahead of the elections.

Meanwhile, the PAC referred the issue relating to alleged anti-party activities of Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta to the disciplinary committee headed by Mr Gurdev Singh Badal. Mr Gurdev Singh Badal said a show-cause notice would be issued to Mr Calcutta. When pointed out what the party was doing to curb Mr Calcutta as he was openly siding with the Delhi-based P.S. Sarna and his Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Mr Badal said, “Let the time come, action will be taken against him.”

Meanwhile, the PAC passed resolutions against the rising prices, unemployment, power crisis, diesel prices and the working condition of employees. It also passed a resolution of condolence for Pramod Mahajan, Bansi Lal, singer, Surinder Kaur, dramatist Gurcharan Singh, journalist Sarvmeet Singh and Sikh historian Gurdeep Singh Grewal.

Banga (Nawanshahr) June 19
In his bid to bail the poor out of the spiralling price hike of essential commodities, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today assured that he would press upon the Ministry of Food, Consumer Affairs and Distribution for special allocation of pulses to the state.

The state government has the distribution of rice and wheat flour under its purview, but not pulses, and this has been affecting the poor, who were availing PDS facilities in case of wheat and rice but suffering due to the recent hike in prices of pulses.

"I will call on Union Food, Consumer Affairs & Distribution Minister Sharad Pawar on June 22 at New Delhi and press upon him to allot a special quota of pulses to the Punjab Government and enable us to provide pulses through PDS to below the poverty line (BPL) and above poverty line (APL) families," said the Chief Minister.

Capt Amarinder Singh was here to lay the foundation stone of a project for 100 per cent safe drinking water and a sewerage facility for Banga city at the cost of Rs 4.17 crore. He also inaugurated the 27.5 km stretch of link road of Banga-Phagwara via Mukandpur at a cost of Rs 5.37 crore and a couple of newly built sheds at the local grain market.

He said with the help of its proposed 52 major rural hubs and 300 sub rural hubs in the state at an investment of Rs 3500 crore, Reliance India Limited would purchase farmers' produce apart from providing them with inputs such as quality seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, weedicides as well as hi-tech facilities." Besides this, the government had also tied up with Bharti Group to give a fillip to the diversification of agriculture which was the need of the hour.

On the abolition of octroi, Capt Singh said his government was committed to abolish octroi in the state and a group of ministers under his chairmanship would discuss this issue tomorrow to come up with alternative sources of revenue to the tune of Rs 760 crore annually in lieu of the abolition of octroi.

He also gave a time scale to his government to find a permanent solution to the whopping Rs 24000 crore debt of the farmers.

Speaking on the occasion, PPCC president Shamsher Singh Dullo said had Badal been sincere to the welfare and development of the state, he would have pursued contentious issues, such as, river waters, transfer of Punjabi speaking areas, rehabilitation of victims of 1984 riots and terrorist affected families in the state. He claimed all these issues had been settled with the personal and sincere initiatives of the Congress party. He said Capt Amarinder Singh adopted a constitutional approach by bringing in a legislation of Punjab Termination of River Waters Act, 2004, thereby, showing respect for the democratic system. While on the other hand, Badal fanned communalism and fundamentalism in the guise of Dharma Yudh Morcha, thereby abetting terrorism in which thousands of Punjabi youth were killed and umpteen families rendered destitute, he said.

Prominent among others who were present on the occasion included local government minister Ch. Jagjit Singh, Parkash Singh, parliamentary secretary cooperation, Ch. Santokh Singh, Tej Parkash Singh, Tarlochan Singh Soondh, Luv Kumar Goldy, Joginder Singh Mann (all MLAs).

Bathinda, June 19
On the second day of the four-day-long tercentenary celebrations being held here to commemorate the stay of Sri Guru Gobind Singh at Bathinda in June 1706, an “anti-drugs’’ seminar, a kavishri sammellan, and painting competitions were organised at the Kila Mubarak today. The “akhand path” of Sri Guru Granth Sahib began in Gurdwara in Kila Mubarak this morning. An “anti-drugs” rally was also taken out in the town.

Mr Rahul Bhandari, Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, flagged off the “anti-drugs” rally from Nehru Yuva Kendra office. The rally, which passed through various areas, concluded at the Kila Mubarak. Hundreds of youths, carrying placards with anti-drugs messages and riding on scooters, cars and Jeeps participated in the rally.

In the anti-drugs youth sammellan that was organised with the aid of various youth clubs of the district, Mr Kulbir Singh Sidhu, Commissioner, Faridkot Division, was the chief guest.

Dr Jeet Singh Joshi, Principal Jagdish Singh Ghai, Mr Jagmohan Kaushal and Mr Jagjit Singh Mann, Youth Coordinator of Nehru Yuva Kendra, Bathinda, talked about the bad effects of the intoxicants and drugs on the family life of the addicts.

In the kavishri sammellan, several kavishars, including Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Pakka Kalan, Bhai Sadhu Singh Changiarra, Mr Jagtar Singh Mehma Sawai, recited their poems, dedicated to Sri Guru Gobind Singh and members of the Guru’s family. The sammellan was attended, among others, by Mr Harbans Singh Sidhu, a former Punjab Minister; Mr Kulbir Singh Sidhu, Commissioner, Faridkot Division, Mr Harinder Singh Jaurkian and Prof Karam Singh. Mr Kulbir Singh Sidhu urged the people to follow the path, shown by Guru Gobind Singh.

Amritsar, June 19
Intelligence agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, have started a probe against ‘Sarna brothers’ — Mr Harwinder Singh Sarna and his elder brother, Mr Parmjit Singh Sarna, Presidents of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (New Delhi), respectively, for their alleged links with Pakistan-based militants and ISI.

The probe has been ordered on a complaint filed by Mr Avtar Singh Hit, a former President of the DSGMC and chief of the SAD (Badal), New Delhi . When contacted, both Sarna brothers confirmed the inquiry while Mr Hit admitted having lodged a complaint against them to all intelligence agencies ,including the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the Military Intelligence (MI), the Intelligence Bureau .

In his complaint, a copy of which is with The Tribune, Mr Hit submitted certain documents, including pictures of Sarna brothers, published in daily Jang, a Pakistan-based daily that shows them (Sarnas) sitting with foreign Sikhs wanted in various cases filed in India .

However, both Sarna brothers while refuting the charges said that they had been working hard to strengthen people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan . They said they had been responsible for the renovation of a number of Sikh shrines in Pakistan , apart from restoring ‘Maryada’ (Sikh traditions) there .He said such pictures of senior functionaries of the SGPC holding meetings with foreign-based radical Sikhs are easily available.

The complaint of Mr Hit, addressed to various intelligence agencies read, ‘In my previous letter I brought to your kind notice that news published with photo in daily Jang (Lahore) in November 18, 2005 in which Mr Harwinder Singh Sarna, president, DSGMC, was sitting with anti-national extremists and members of the Council of Khalistan, assembled at Holiday-Inn (Lahore), namely Dr Pritpal Singh, President, American Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Mr Manmohan Singh, U.K.-based Dal Khalsa leader, Dr Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of so called Khalistan, Dr Ganga Singh Dhillon, all of them foreign residents and are wanted by our government for their anti-national activities.

Mr Hit alleged that the above-mentioned foreign-based militants are kingpins of promoting terrorism in India. The complainant further alleged that when anti-India slogans like ‘Khalistan Zindabad’, were being raised in Holiday Inn (Lahore) by Sikh militants, such acts of unpatriotism provoked Indian devotees. The ‘true Indian Sikh’, Mr Makhan Singh Nangal, an SGPC member (Amritsar), leader of Jatha of 500 devotees strongly protested against anti-India speeches and raised slogans in favour of India, ‘Hindustan Zindabad’ and compelled them to stop anti-Indian speeches .

Ludhiana, June 19
Akali leader and President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), Simranjit Singh Mann today feared that the Indian nuclear heads might, indirectly and ultimately, lead to the annihilation of Sikhs from “the face of this earth”.

In a statement issued here today, apparently aimed at opposing the transfer of US nuclear technology to India, Mr Mann feared, “We (Sikhs) as a race and a religion will be wiped out from the face of this earth” in case there was nuclear confrontation between Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan, which he foresaw, in case India gets nuclearly empowered.

He said, “Our party the SAD(A) is worried and concerned about these (Indian) missiles in Punjab because all major cities of Punjab, the homeland of the Sikhs, will come within the firing range of Pakistan when it retaliates against an Indian attack of these nuclear missiles. 

COMMUNITY

83-year-old denied pension
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 19
Jarnail Singh Bhinder (83), along with his wife, has been running from pillar to post for the past 20 years to get old age pension, but all his efforts have gone futile.

The octogenarian, a resident of village Mehma Sarja in Bathinda district, said he and his wife had applied for the pension but when he met the officials concerned recently he was told that it would cost him Rs 2000.

"I am living in penury, from where will I arrange the money," rues Jarnail.

Though the village panchayat has been throughout helping the old couple, it is the higher authorities who have shown scant regard for them.

Jalandhar, June 19
The Indian Medical Association (IMA),Punjab, has set up a high-powered vigilance committee to check sex-determination tests and female foeticide in the state.

The newly formed committee, with Dr Manju Sharma of Hoshiarpur as its chairperson, has been empowered to check all ultrasound centres on its own and report any discrepancies to the IMA, said Dr G. S. Gill,president of the Punjab unit of the IMA.

After getting the probe report from the committee, the state IMA would decide the future course of action against any doctor, if he or she is found guilty.

Other members of the committee are Dr Satpal Gupta of Kamal Hospital, Jalandhar, Dr O.P.S Kande, a former president of the IMA, Punjab, and Dr H.S. Narang, Bathinda-based State Organising Secretary of the IMA.

Kharar, June 19
A woman allegedly poisoned her husband to death in connivance with her brother-in-law.

The victim, 32-year-old Parkash Singh, had been admitted to the Civil Hospital, Kharar, on June 12 after which he was shifted to PGI where he died last night.

The accused, Jaswinder Kaur, a resident of Ranjit Colony here, has been booked for murder though it is still not certain whether she, along with her brother-in-law, poisoned her husband or created circumstances for him to commit suicide.

According to Mr Shaminder Singh, SHO, Kharar City, Jaswinder Kaur was allegedly having an extra-marital affair with her sister's husband Raju.

Raju, a resident of Chamkaur Sahib, ran a PCO there and was a regular visitor to Jaswinder’s house in Kharar. Parkash Singh owned a van and used it as a taxi to earn livelihood.

Sources in the police added that some days ago, Parkash came to know about his wife’s infidelity following which either Raju and Jaswinder planned to murder him poisoning him or he himself took the poison unable to bear the situation.

The father of the victim, Jeevan Singh, has complained to the police alleging that his daughter-in-law Jaswinder poisoned his son following which Jaswinder has been arrested while Raju is at large.

A case under section 302 and 34 of IPC has been registered by the Kharar police.

Amritsar, June 19
The local Kotwali police today busted an 11-member gang that used to cheat unemployed youths on the pretext of providing them jobs in the Army and BSF . The gang members, including five ex-servicemen, had cheated a number of unemployed youths of lakhs of rupees. The accused used to forge documents on the promise of getting the ‘‘clients’’ recruited in the Army.

Dr Kaustav Sharma, SP city-I, said in a press conference today that the police had recovered fake documents, motorcycles and mobiles from the arrested persons.

The accused have been identified as: Sucha Singh, Amrik Singh, Satnam Singh, Balwinder Singh, Kuldeep Singh, all ex-servicemen, Ram Singh, Sadhu Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Nirmal Singh, Lal Singh and Gurjit Singh, all belonging to nearby areas of Amritsar.