Jalandhar, December 28
Taking up a novel task, the Vigilant People’s Front has initiated a “voter wareness movement” to persuade educated and other people not to adopt a passive attitude towards poll and to make it a point to cast their votes in order to strengthen the democratic process of the country.

Believing that since a large number of educated people stay away from the democratic process as they do not exercise their frenchise, the Front has decided to hold “nukkad” meetings to ensure involvement of common people in the movement.

The front has already got prepared literature which has formally been released for disbursal among people by Mr Ramesh Mittal, chairman of Lovely Professional University.

“We are going to witness the Assembly poll in February-March. But a lot many people prefer to stay away from the electoral process despite the fact that it is their constitutional right and duty. As a result, mostly we get leaders who hardly perform as per the aspirations of people. Who is responsible for that? Who is to be blamed for the sorry state of affairs for the past more than 59 years after Independence? We want to get the answer from people itself,” said a pamphlet.

“Everybody is aware about controversies, allegations and question marks which have been surrounding constitutional and other institutions like Parliament, vidhan sabhas, civic bodies and panchayats, but hardly anybody is making a conscious effort to get out of the quagmire. Why people greet even those leaders who have done nothing for them when these leaders come to their doorsteps to seek votes? Why don’t people ask them about their failures or successes in respect of common causes? We are going to put these questions to the people in our ‘nukkad’ meetings and seminars,” said Mr Rakesh Shantidoot, convener of the front, in the literature distributed among prospective voters.

The front has exhorted people to become conscious and aware of their rights and has appealed to them not to fell for short-term gains, said Mr Shantidoot.

Kapurthala, December 28
On a call given by the Joint Action Committee of the All-Punjab Gramin Bank Employees Union and All-Punjab Gramin Bank Officers Association, a dharna was staged in front of its head office at Kapurthala. The demands of the staff include parity in the payment of other allowances and benefits on the pattern of Punjab National Bank employees.

The convener of the Joint Action Committee, Mr T.S. Ghuman, urged the management not to create any disparity as the issue had already been decided by the apex court, the Union Government and NABARD from time to time. Any attempt to create disparity would not only be a violation of such directions but would also aggravate the prevailing unrest in the staff of Punjab Gramin Bank, he added.

The president of the All-Punjab Gramin Bank Officers Association, Mr A.P.S. Brar, and the chief of the All-Punjab Gramin Bank Employees Union, Mr Pawan Kumar, also urged the management not to differentiate with the Punjab Gramin Bank employees in the payment of TA, DA, LFC, transfer allowance, petrol reimbursement and overtime and officiating allowances.

Jalandhar, December 28
To press for their demand for suspension of SP Pritam Singh, and SHO, Kartarpur, Balkar Singh, hundreds of farm labourers held a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here today.

The protesters also demanded the revocation of cases registered against a number of labourers for holding a dharna in Kartarpur recently.

The dharna was organised by the Pendu Mazdoor Union, which also organised simultaneous dharnas at all district headquarters of the state today.

The union has been holding the two police officers responsible for lathicharge on labourers at Kartarpur recently while they were holding a peaceful protest in support of their demands.

“Pritam Singh and Balkar Singh should be suspended and false cases against labourers be taken back,” said union leaders Tarsem Peter and Hans Raj Pabwan.

Nawanshahr: As part of their statewide programme, activists of the district units of the Pendu Mazdoor Union and the Kirti Kisan Union held a protest rally and march and blocked traffic here today in protest against the lathicharge on the union activists and alleged inhuman behaviour of police officials at Kartarpur on December 15 where the union activists had gathered to submit a memorandum to the Deputy Chief Minister, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, demanding issuance of a notification for providing unconditional free power to the labourers.

The irate activists raised slogans against the police officials. They demanded registration of an FIR against the erring police officers and release of the union leaders.

Mr Hari Ram Rasulpuri and Mr Harmesh Dhesi, district presidents of the Pendu Mazdoor Union and the Kirti Kisan Union, respectively, Mr Tarsem Bains of the District Employees Front, Ms Gurbaksh Kaur Sangha, president, Istri Jagriti Manch, among others, while addressing the rally, accused the state government of adopting an undemocratic stance by using “brutal” police force to press the public cry for justice.

A memorandum was also submitted to the Deputy Commissioner.

Hoshiarpur, December 28
Mr Tikshan Sud, leader of the legislature group of the BJP in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, strongly condemned the lathicharge on peaceful farmers, including women and children, who were demonstrating at Chabba (Amritsar) on December 26.

In a press release here today, Mr Sud said the beating up of peaceful farmers and other agitators, including veterinary technocrats and unemployed teachers, at various places in the state by the police with lathis had showed the dictatorial attitude of Capt Amarinder Singh's government towards the people. Instead of getting regular electricity supply for irrigation and fertilisers for their rabi crops, farmers had received lathis.

The BJP had already announced that it would not allow to acquire a single inch of the fertile land in the name of setting up mega projects.

He alleged that the Congress government had done nothing during its four-and-a-half-year regime. Now its leaders were making announcements, including providing of employment to 20 lakh youth in the state through mega projects and false propaganda of development for recapturing power.

He said after coming in power the SAD-BJP combine would chalk out new programmes for providing employment to the unemployed youth and for overall development of the state.

Jalandhar, December 28
A city court extended the police remand of three International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF-Rode group) militants here today.

UK-based militant Paramjit Singh Dhaddi, alias Punjab Singh, Amolak Singh and Jaswinder Singh were produced in the court of Duty Magistrate Daljeet Kaur amidst tight security. After hearing pleas of prosecution and defence counsel, the court extended their remand.

When the militants were being produced in the court, they raised slogans in favour of “Khalistan”.

According to the police, while Dhaddi was arrested from Ropar district, Amolak and Jaswinder were nabbed from different places near New Hardayal Nagar in Jalandhar on Saturday.

A huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives, including 11 kg of RDX, was recovered from them.

Earlier they were remanded in police custody for three days when they had been produced in the court of the Duty Magistrate on Sunday.

Nawanshahr, December 28
Mr Parkash Singh, Parliamentary Secretary, distributed cheques amounting to Rs 64.20 lakh among 28 government schools and four EGS centres under the Sarv Shikhiya Abhiyan at a function organised at Government Senior Secondary School here today. While cheques worth Rs 3.50 lakh each were given for developing infrastructure at Dopali, Paragpur, Nangal and Bairsal, where EGS centres have been upgraded, cheques amounting to Rs 1.70 lakh each were given to 28 schools for the construction of additional classrooms.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Parkash Singh said more than Rs 3 crore had been distributed for developing infrastructure facilities in government schools with a view to bringing in qualitative improvement in the functioning of schools in the district. The state government had fulfilled its responsibility of providing infrastructure like classrooms, furniture, drinking water, toilets, etc. in the schools, now it was the duty of teachers and parents to initiate efforts for the allround development of the students, added the Parliamentary Secretary.

Mr Tarlok Singh Phillaura, district coordinator, Sarv Shikhiya Abhiyan, Mr Iqbal Singh, Principal, Ms Soma Sablok, Mr Amanpreet Singh and Mr Surjit Soeta, a Youth Congress leader, among others, also spoke.

Phagwara, December 28
To deter smugglers from indulging in trafficking of narcotics, the police is working on a new strategy to confiscate the properties of persons with such records. The department is also planning to detain some of them with criminal records.

According to police sources, the area police will send some cases to its intelligence branch after collecting details of the “ill-acquired” properties of the smugglers.

The branch will further send the cases to the Secretary, Home Department, and then a committee will consider these cases on merit to confiscate the properties and detain smugglers.

Sources in the police said in spite of facing several cases of drug trafficking, smugglers resumed their activities once they were out on bail.

“Tackling these smugglers is a ticklish job for the police as jails are the place where they actually develop their contacts and widen their network in cahoots with other accused once they are free,” a senior police officer said.

He added that the police in Ferozepore, Bathinda, Mansa and Muktsar was working on cases of around 12 notorious smugglers and some of these cases had been sent to the state Home Department for consideration by a committee.

For assessing the market value of the properties of the smugglers, the police has sought the help of the Revenue Officers of the area and collected their details from banks accounts owned by the accused.

After seizing the properties, the details are sent to the Narcotics Control Bureau, New Delhi, sources said.

The bureau then informs the Deputy Commissioner, SDM and Revenue Officers of the area about the seizure so that the smugglers cannot alienate their properties, the police officer said.

While the Bathinda and Mansa police was reportedly working on 15 cases involving notorious smugglers, the Muktsar and Ferozepore police had collected details of six smugglers each, sources added.