Former Centre minister Buta Singh in Jalandhar on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

Jalandhar, August 27
The Left parties are playing into the hands of China by opposing the nuclear pact between India and USA, alleged former union home minister Buta Singh here today.

Stating that the deal was in the interest of the nation, he said China does not want the pact to be inked as it would make India powerful. The former Centre minister was talking to mediapersons in Jalandhar.

Claiming that the treaty was transparent and would give boost to India’s economy through peaceful use of nuclear technology, he said, “The credit goes to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.”

After signing of the pact, India would be able to use ultra-modern nuclear technology for peaceful purpose and ultimately accomplish the target of developed country,” he said. He termed the left parties’ hue and cry as an exercise of “just trying to keep their heads above the water”.

“They are the capitalist forces. It’s evident from the party’s decision of setting up special economic zones (SEZs) in West Bengal, despite stern opposition from masses,” said Singh. He expressed hope that the deadlock between the Left parties and the union government would be resolved soon as such pressure tactics were always there in coalition governments and ultimately an amicable solution would be worked out.

Singh, who is also chairman of the the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, said the body has lost its power in the recent years. The ex-minister said he will take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make the commission more effective. He said the commission does not have the power to implement the Reservation Act following certain court directives. He demanded that on the pattern of Central Election Commission, which has sole responsibility to implement People’s Representation Act, the commission for scheduled castes should also be given the right to strictly implement the Reservation Act.

“The government has drafted a new Reservation Act which envisages increase in reservation for the SCs. It also envisages more power to the commission,” he added.

The UPA government, in its Common Minimum Programme (CMP), had promised strengthening the commission and formation of new Reservation Act, he said. “I have chalked out a concrete draft of the proposed Quota Act along with Sushil Kumar Shinde. At present, it’s lying before the cabinet and the commission demands the Act be passed at the earliest and be handed over to it for its implementation in true spirit,” said the chairman.

Singh said the commission had also written to UGC and HRD ministry against floating reservation in AIIMS and JNU University.

Jalandhar, August 27
The Vigilance Bureau nabbed PSEB junior engineer Daulat Ram Saini for taking bribe from a person for providing him power connection here on Monday. However, SDO Manish Kumar Singal managed to flee with the bribe money of Rs 5,000.

In a press note issued here today, Vigilance SSP Dilbagh Singh Gill stated that DSP Navtej Singh arrested the JE after laying a trap.

Earlier Jaswinder Singh of the Raja Garden locality had contacted the Vigilance Bureau and stated that the JE had been demanding Rs 5,000 from him for issuing a power connection in his father’s name. The JE had told him that the SDO would also get his share from the bribe money, he added.

Following which, complainant Jaswinder Singh went to the PSEB office located near Chick Chick House and handed over Rs 5,000 to the JE who gave the amount to the SDO, the press note stated, adding that the Vigilance team immediately conducted a raid but the SDO managed to flee from the spot with the bribe money. During a search operation Rs 5,400 was seized from the JE’s pocket and Rs 23,000 from his office. The JE admitted that the amount had been taken as bribe from different consumers for doing their work, the press note added.

While an FIR has been registered at Vigilance Bureau thana in this regard, attempts were made to nab the SDO. — TNS

Chandigarh, August 27
The ministry of defence (MoD) has issued a fresh notification restricting construction around air force bases and other installations. The notification prohibits construction of any kind within an area of 100-900 metres from the perimeter of the airbase.

This comes in lieu of an earlier notification which expired in 2002 and had imposed a blanket ban on constructions within 900 metres from the perimeter. The notification was forwarded by the joint secretary in the MoD to all state governments and union territories a few weeks ago.

According to a senior officer at Chandigarh Air Force Station, they have written to the civilian authorities concerned in Punjab and Chandigarh for setting up a joint board of officers to carry out a survey of constructions in the vicinity of the station as directed by the MoD.

“These restrictions on construction to stop further proliferation of constructions have become imperative due to security reasons,” the notification states. “Since the areas outside air force aerodromes and installations are not under occupation of the Air Force, these restrictions have necessarily to be implemented by the state government and local bodies,” it adds. The implementation of the provisions of the notification warrant identification of a specific zone up to a distance of 100 metres, 100-900 metres and 900 metres from air force stations and issue of public notice to that effect by the respective deputy commissioner. The distance up to which constructions are prohibited depends upon the sensitivity of the installation and the presence of explosive material like ordnance and fuel.

According to a list accompanying the MoD letter, there are 73 stations all over the country which fall into the category where no constructions are permitted within 100 metres of the perimeter. These include 31 in the jurisdiction of the Western Air Command, prominent among them being Palam, Leh, Jammu, High Grounds (Mohali), Amritsar, Patiala, Barnala, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Rajpura and Faridabad.

There are three stations where there is no construction up to 900 metres from their perimeter.

Hoshiarpur, August 27
To express their resentment against the alleged failure of the Pharmacy Council of India to meet their long-pending demands, including that of recognition of their course, the pharmacy department students of JR Government Polytechnic College took out a protest march in the main market of the city, here today.

The students, who are agitating for the last six days, later presented a memorandum to the director of the Punjab Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training, through deputy commissioner, Hoshiarpur.

In the memorandum they stated that during their admission in the course of B-Pharmacy they were assured that the course would get recognised from the Pharmacy Council of India, but nothing had happened till date, owing to which the future prospects of 160 students in the course had become uncertain now. Despite repeated reminders to the management of the college, the required teaching staff and laboratory equipments had not been provided. They pointed out that each student was paying Rs 60,000 as annual fee and the management was insisting on the deposition of the same for the next year too.

They urged the director to get immediate recognition for the course from the Pharmacy Council of India and to provide required teaching staff and laboratory equipments before September 4, 2007.

Kapurthala, August 27
The residents of Jabbowal village, falling under Sultanpur Lodhi sub-division, are hoping that their decade-long dream of a polytechnic college will be realised during the present SAD-BJP regime.

The villagers had provided as much as 15-acre land a decade ago for setting up the college dedicated to education minister Dr Upinderjeet Kaur’s late father Atma Singh who served the area for 50 years.

Even SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal had laid the foundation stone of the college during his previous government in 1997. However, the college could not be set up because of paucity of funds. Though some rooms were constructed, they were inadequate to run the college. Presently, a distant education centre is being run in the name of rural ITI here

For the last many years, the panchayat had been demanding setting up of college or return of villagers’ land. However, when the SAD-BJP alliance regained power early this year, the village sarpanch Harjeet Singh along with the former sarpanch Daljeet Singh said they want the work on college to start as soon as possible.

Their hopes revived on Monday with assurance from technical and industrial training minister Chaudhary Swarna Ram that the college would be set up at the earliest. The minister further said the project would and completed within a record time. The technical education and industrial training minister Chaudhary Swarna Ram visited the rural ITI on the invitation of local MLA Dr Upinderjeet Kaur.

Jalandhar, August 27
A jail inmate, Robin, was injured in a clash with another inmate, Babbu, at the jail factory on Wednesday.

Confirming this, assistant jail superintendent Balbir Singh told The Tribune that Babbu attacked Robin with a pair of scissors after an altercation.

Robin was sent to the civil hospital for treatment. In yet another incident, a jail inmate, Surjit Singh, alias Sita, of Pasla village died at the civil hospital on Sunday evening. The assistant jail superintendent said Sita was lodged in the jail on August 21 in a NDPA case. He was referred to the jail hospital after illness on Saturday. — TNS