Chandigarh, October 18
As the Assembly elections are nearing, the Punjab Government has speeded up the process of giving benefits to certain sections of society. Sources said yesterday that to accommodate more Scheduled Castes families in the free-power category (up to 200 units) the government had increased the power load limit to 1,000 watts.

Earlier, only those SC families were qualified for getting 200 units of free power which had power connections with a load of up to 500 watts. However, to extend this scheme, the government had issued orders for giving free power of up to 200 units to all SC families having a power load of up to 1,000 watts.

The sources said the state government had given an assurance that it would give Rs 287 crore to the PSEB with the approval of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission for extending this benefit to the SCs. Earlier with the power load limit fixed at 500 watts, only 3.72 lakh SC families had qualified for this benefit. However, now the number has gone up to 8 lakh families.

Meanwhile, in view of the changed circumstances the state government has decided to frame a clear policy for acquiring agricultural land for SEZs and other public utility set-ups. A high-level committee of senior officers has been set up in this regard. Sources said that the committee would frame an elaborate policy with regard to the acquiring of the land. Organisations like the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority would have to abide by that policy while setting up new townships. The sources said the government would avoid acquiring land for private parties, including industrialists.

No voting sans I-card, says poll observer
Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 18
Ms Maneesha Nanda, Special Election Observer, said yesterday that electoral roll for the coming Assembly elections in Punjab would be ready by January 3 and anybody who doesn't have photo identity card would be allowed to vote.

Ms Nanda held a meeting with Returning Officers (ROs) of Ludhiana, Sangrur and Patiala districts in connection with the arrangement being made for conducting the coming elections in free and fair manner.

She said a print of electoral rolls of about 37 Assembly segments falling in the Patiala division would be ready by October 23. The objections on this print would be entertained by the ROs by November 10. The revised and amended electoral rolls would be issued on November 20 and its supplementary list on December 30.

She added that the final electoral roll would be ready by January 3, 2007, and only those, whose names would figure on these lists, would be able to cast votes.

Gurdaspur, October 18
The accident involving a Punjab Roadways bus near Jhakolari around a month ago has made the life of Ved Prakash Sharma a resident of Pathankot a living hell.

Ved Prakash was on his way to Amritsar to seek migration of his son from Guru Nanak Dev University in the ill-fated bus on September 9 when it met with an accident near Jhakolari.

Seven persons were killed in the accident. Ved Prakash, who received serious injuries, was taken to the Civil Hospital, Pathankot, but the doctors there referred him to the Medical College, Amritsar.

However, he was allegedly transferred by the hospital authorities without an attendant in the ambulance with fractures in one leg and jaw.

And, instead of the Medical College, Ved Prakash was taken to a private nursing home, Kakkar Hospital, there.

After keeping him in the hospital for around one month, Ved Prakash’s poor family was handed a hefty medical bill of Rs 2.65 lakh.

In spite of spending huge sums on his treatment, Ved Prakash is still bed-ridden and fed through a pipe.

With the sole breadwinner of the family debilitated, the family has nowhere to go.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Anita Sharma, wife of Ved Prakash, alleged that doctors at Pathankot had deliberately referred him to a private hospital.

She claimed that they had mortgaged their entire belongings to pay up the medical bill.

After the mishap, Transport Minister Raghunath Sahai Puri had announced free medical treatment for the injured. However, in spite of pleading their case to various agencies, no ex gratia has come through to the family yet.

She said doctors treating Ved Prakash had claimed that he needed medical treatment for at least a year.

She said in the absence of grants, the family would be forced to stop the education of their children.

The shop that Ved Prakash used to run has been lying shut ever since the accident, she said adding that their source of income had dried up.

And Ved Prakash is not the only victim. Other victims of the mishap too are yet to receive the ex gratia.

Mr Puri had announced a ex gratia of Rs 50,000 from the Transport Ministry and Rs 50,000 from the Chief Minister’s Fund for those who died in the accident. However, the amount is yet to be paid to next of kin of those killed.

Most of the injured had to pay from their own pockets for receiving treatment in private clinics. And there is still no sight of the ex gratia coming.

Amritsar, October 18
“Mere bachon ne do din se khana nahin khaya hai. Main kya karoon. In logon ne meri shop tod di hai,” (My children have not eaten food for the last two days as the corporation officials collapsed my shop), said Rajesh, a cycle mechanic with choked voice. His shop collapsed due to the negligence of the Municipal Corporation.

For the last two days, the children of Rajesh have not taken a bite of food as Rajesh’s cycle repair shop collapsed during the construction of Galiara Project. Rajesh who was running his cycle and rickshaw repair shop is now jobless for the last five months.

According to Rajesh, the Superintending Engineer of Galiara Project approached him five months back and requested that they have to lay an underground pipeline, which would pass under his shop. Rajesh gave the permission. “I thought they would take just one or two days but since then, they did not leave my shop,” said Rajesh.

He said that he was running his family on his savings since then but for the last two days, his all money finished and he was unable to purchase food for his family.

When the Tribune correspondent reached the spot, Rajesh was crying for justice, with wet eyes. He said, “The overhead water tank used for Galiara Project kept on overflowing for the past several months. Its water was falling on the side wall of my shop and also collected aside his shop. I made several complaints to the concerned officials but no one listened to me. Last night, my shop collapsed at 9.30 p.m,” added Rajesh.

After the shop collapsed, the officials of Galiara Project who reached the spot assured me that they would compensate the loss by constructing my shop. After one hour, they said that they would give Rs 2000 to construct my shop. How it would be possible for me to construct another shop,” said Rajesh.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Kiran Deep Singh Bhullar, was not available for comments. However, the Superintending Engineer, in charge of Galiara Project, Mr Satpal, said, “We would compensate his losses entirely and would construct his shop at the earliest so that his business should not suffer.”

Ropar, October 18
A BSF jawan, Lakhwinder Singh (23), deployed in Bengal, was yesterday looted in train when he was on his way from Delhi to his native village Ghanauli near here.

He was found in an unconscious state in the train by the railway guard at railway station here while all his belongings and cash were stolen away by three persons after giving him intoxicants in biscuits.

Later, he was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Ropar, where he was undergoing treatment. Lakhwinder Singh had boarded the train from Delhi yesterday. He was carrying cash and other gift items. Three other persons also joined him in his coach.

“Three persons who were travelling with me initially gave a Rs 1000 note asking for change. But I declined to oblige them as I got suspicious about their activities. Later, they asked me to join them for liquor but I again refused them,” said Lakhwinder Singh.

“About 2.30 am, they gave me biscuits to eat. Soon after eating the biscuit, I fell unconscious,” he added.

“In the morning, guard identified me from my I-card and informed my family. They took the cash and all clothes and other items I was carrying,” he rued.

Sohan Singh, father of the victim, said that his son was coming home for a long holiday and carrying clothes and other items for family members besides the cash. Incidentally, this is the second such incident this month.

Patiala, October 18
The Laghu Udyog Bharti, Punjab, has urged the Prime Minister to give a special economic package to Punjab, apart from giving SEZ status to all designated industrial areas in the state.

In a letter to Dr Manmohan Singh, it pointed out that Punjab needed special treatment to save its industries.

Mr Sarv Daman Bharat, state general secretary of the association, said looking at the prosperity of the state, many people across the country thought that the demand for a special package for Punjab was ridiculous, but the state was in urgent need of economic packages.

To run an industry in Punjab had become an uphill task. At present, it was over 30 per cent costlier to run an industry in Punjab than in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh or Haryana as there was a lot of difference in taxes.

He said units located in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal had started preferring purchases from non-excise paying units, forcing units in Punjab to close down or shift to these states.

He said a 100-km belt of Punjab along Haryana, Himachal, J and K and Pakistan should be given the same facilities and incentives as available to the industry in its neighbouring states.

Industries employing more than 50 persons should be facilitated to get rid of the “babudom” culture. Massive investment in the Railways should be made to interconnect various towns of the state, he said, adding that there was need to connect Chandigarh with Patiala and Patiala with Samana.

Sufficient power must also be made available to Punjab at cheaper rates, he added.

Amritsar, October 18
The billboards put up by the Mayor of the holy city, Mr Sunil Datti, inviting city residents for the morning and evening walks in various parts of the city have drawn flak as there are a few places left for recreational activities.

Earlier, residents used to visit the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) campus due to its pollution-free environment, but as the authorities in the university have imposed user charges on morning and evening walkers, the residents have been forced to walk on the busy roads.

Many of the gardens and parks have been encroached upon by certain influential persons or are in a sorry state. Most of the walkers had discontinued the practice, as their life would not be safe on the busy GT road.

Most of the walkers, who visited the university campus in the morning, told TNS that there was no other place left for them, as it was the only place, which was free from polluted environment. They rued that the university authorities had imposed restrictions on them as the area in the campus was serene.

Mr Satyapal Dang, veteran leader of the CPI and former MLA, had also urged the university authorities to reconsider the decision of charging fee from morning walkers.

He said this proposal would bring a bad name to the educational institution of Punjab, as such practice was not prevalent in any other university of the state.

Various NGOs such as the Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM) also criticised the Mayor and the corporation authorities for not properly maintaining the green belt and public parks. 

Amritsar, October 18
Simardeep Singh, son of an IAS officer, along with Varinder Singh, both MBBS students of the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, today surrendered before the court of Judicial Magistrate Sanjay Agnihotri here.

Both were accused in the case of murderous assault on final year medical student Pawaneet Singh Riar on September 26.

Mr Kaustubh Sharma, SP City-I, while confirming this, said they would seek police remand of the accused for investigations when they would be presented in the court tomorrow. They are now on judicial remand.

It is pertinent to mention here that the police was in the process of releasing the photographs of the accused and Mr Sharma had issued necessary instructions to the SHO B-Division in this regard. The SP said the police had already arrested two persons said to be involved in the assault.

The assault had taken place in the canteen of Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, where Pawaneet was studying. Following the assault, the Principal of the medical institute set up a three-member committee to probe the incident. Grievously injured Pawaneet has been in the ICU of Guru Ram Das Hospital ever since.

Dr Avtar Singh Riar, father of Pawaneet, had alleged that owing to pressure from the well-connected bureaucrat, the police was not arresting the accused.

Meanwhile, doctors at the hospital claimed that Pawaneet's scan reports showed satisfactory recovery in the functioning of the brain and there was steady improvement in his neurological status.

Dr (Col) LS Kang said Pawaneet was fully conscious, had started obeying commands, and had been taken off almost all support systems. He has started taking liquid diet and is likely to be discharged shortly.

EDUCATION

Lecture on life, work of Einstein
Tribune News service

Patiala, October 18
To celebrate National Technology Day, M. M. Modi College organised a lecture and an exhibition on the life and research work of a famous scientist, Albert Einstein.

Dr Neelam Gulati Sharma, Chief Scientific Officer, Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, Chandigarh, inaugurated the exhibition that was organised by Dr Rajeev Sharma.

She called upon students to get inspiration from the works of Einstein and learn the art of applying scientific ideas in day-to-day life.

Dr B. S. Sandhu, Department of Physics, Punjabi University, Patiala, delivering a lecture on the life and works of Albert Einstein, said Einstein was more interested in mathematics and music in his childhood. It was only on the persuasion of Max Plank that he had shifted to the study of physics.

Dr Rajeev Sharma, lecturer in chemistry, M. M. Modi College, spoke on the topic green chemistry. He asked the students to make the environment free of toxic waste. He also suggested a few measures to make scientific experimentation eco-friendly.

Dr Kulbir Singh Bath, Senior Scientific Officer, CSIO, Chandigarh, and college teachers were also present on the occasion.

Patiala, October 18
As many as 63 students of Government Mohindra College were honoured for their outstanding achievements in various university examinations at a special function organised here today.

Mr Narinderjit Singh, secretary, higher education and languages, gave them mementoes and merit certificates. He announced that the Department of Education would give a grant of Rs 1,000 for the purchase of books to all those students who had stood first in university exams. — TNS

Fatehgarh Sahib, October 18
Teacher’s of Mata Gujri College here continued with their dharna for the third day yesterday against the non-implementation of 50 per cent DA in the basic pay of uncovered staff.

Prof Harshwinder Singh, president of the district unit of the PCCTU, said the terms of the uncovered staff in their appointment letters were the same as that of the covered staff, but the SGPC was discriminating, between the two.

He requested for the DA merger with the basic pay.

Prof Gurdarshan Singh warned the SGPC that if their demand was not accepted, they would be forced to intensify their struggle. Prof Harbans Singh Tiwana, Prof Sukhdev Singh and Prof Rashmi Arora also spoke.

Prof Bikramjit Singh Sandhu, press secretary of the union, told mediapersons that the protest would continue until the demand was accepted.

Patiala, October 18
A section of the youth of Punjab has formed a new organisation called the Young Organisation of India (YOI) for the protection of rights and dignity of the youths.

Giving this information during a press conference here today, president, YOI, Mr Rajwinder Singh Dhanoula, said as the political parties were exploiting the youth of the country for vested interests, the YOI would make efforts to pressurise the political parties to fulfil their demands. The new body would not allow any political party to take the youth for granted, he added.

Mr Dhanoula said that the education, health and employment were in very bad shape in the country. The government policies were against the commoners as these served only to a particular section of the society. These factors had compelled the youths to come on a single platform to fight against these evils. He said that a big rally would be organised at Patiala shortly.

Mr Pushpinder Singh, General Secretary, YOI, said that after the 58 years of Independence, the dreams of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh were not fulfilled. He added that YOI would do its best to fulfil the dreams of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The YOI would also oppose the hike in the fee structure and privatisation of educational institution.