J A L A N D H A R

Demolition men retreat as residents protest
Jalandhar, August 28
A team from the town planning wing of the municipal corporation that had come to raze a residential building had to return owing to massive public protest.

‘Gayatri mantra’ echoes in California Senate
Phagwara, August 28
For the first time in the history of the California State Senate, Hindu prayers and mantras were chanted. Kapurthala-based Hindu chaplain, Rajan Zed, today recited Gayatri mantra and Sanskrit mantras in the Senate.

Silt chokes Batala drains
Batala, August 28
Increasing deposit of silt in the base of the Hansli and Kasoor nullahs, passing through the town, has led to choking of the nullahs. The base-level of the nullahs has gone up, while the level of the sewer drains falling into the nullahs has gone down due to silt.

Fake travel agent held
Phagwara, August 28
The local police arrested a fake travel agent, Surjit Singh, resident of Mehruali, near Delhi, under sections 420 and 406 of the IPC and Immigration Act

Bittu’s expulsion: SAD (A) leaders back chief
Jalandhar, August 28
Extending their support to the SAD (A) chief Simranjit Singh Mann over his decision to expel senior party leader Daljit Singh Bittu from the party, a number of SAD (A) leaders have accused Bittu of hobnobbing with government agencies. Addressing a press conference here today, SAD (A) leaders, including Sarwan Singh Nangal Khunga, Rajinder Singh Fauji, Gurnam Singh Singriwal and Resham Singh Pappi, alleged that Bittu had been hatching conspiracies against Mann and the party for a long time.

Demolition men retreat as residents protest
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 28
A team from the town planning wing of the municipal corporation that had come to raze a residential building had to return owing to massive public protest.

A team of the MC officials along with assistant town planner Dharampal, which visited Makhdoompura Colony falling in Ward 35, had to return without taking even the slightest action.

The locality members assembled and started raising slogans against the MC, forcing the authorities to delay their action. The officials today said they would return but with more police force next time. The incident was given political colour as the area is represented by third-time councillor Joginder Singh Tony, who has recently defeated local bodies minister’s right-hand man Gurbaksh Mintu.

The act was also seen as a third-time attack by the MC authorities to led Tony down.

Earlier, Tony’s NOC was revoked so that he could not file his nomination during the civic poll. A few days prior to the poll, he and his dead mother were booked for not having paid certain dues to the MC for a building, which he no longer owns. Tony had managed to get a stay from court in both the cases to win the poll. Post-elections, Tony, who had won independently, joined the Shiromani Akali Dal.

Despite the fact he now is a part of one of the two parties running the government in the state, he continues to remain in the eye of the storm. Today again, Tony remained victorious owing to public support.

‘Gayatri mantra’ echoes in California Senate
Our Correspondent

Phagwara, August 28
For the first time in the history of the California State Senate, Hindu prayers and mantras were chanted. Kapurthala-based Hindu chaplain, Rajan Zed, today recited Gayatri mantra and Sanskrit mantras in the Senate.

Starting with “Om”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, Zed read shlokas from Rig Veda. He also delivered from Brahadaranyakopnisad, Taittiriya Upanisad and Bhagavad Gita (song of the Lord), the ancient Hindu scriptures. Zed ended his prayer with the last mantra of Rig Veda, “samani va akutih”, before concluding with “Om shanti, shanti, shanti”.

Before starting the prayer, he sprinkled “Ganga jal” on the podium. Wearing a saffron attire, a “rudraksh mala” and traditional “sandalpaste tilak” on the forehead, Zed, after reciting the original lines in Sanskrit, read the English translation of the verses. The entire text recited Zed will be recorded in the daily journal of the Senate, which is a permanent public record.

Reverend Canon James D. Richardson, Chaplain of California State Senate, introduced Rajan Zed, while Don Perata, Senate President pro-tem; Senator Christine Kehoe (San Jose) and Senator Elaine Alquist (San Diego) welcomed him. One of the paragraphs of this Hindu prayer read in Sanskrit was “Asato ma sad gamaya, tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, mrityor mamrtam gamaya”, which was translated in English as “lead me from the unreal to the real, lead me from darkness to light, lead me from death to immortality.’ Zed was accompanied to the California Senate by his community volunteer wife Shipa Zed, son Navgeet Zed, recipient of Nevada peacemaker of the year award, and a group of supporters.

Rajan Zed, affiliated with World Congress of Faiths-London and listed in “Who’s Who in America-2006”, volunteers as a chaplain in various hospitals, serves on various boards of director, and is very active in interfaith dialogue. He created history on July 12 last when he opened the United States Senate session in Washington DC with Hindu prayer for the first time in its 218-year history. City of Reno issued him a proclamation and he received various honours from different organisations across the globe.

Silt chokes Batala drains

Batala, August 28
Increasing deposit of silt in the base of the Hansli and Kasoor nullahs, passing through the town, has led to choking of the nullahs. The base-level of the nullahs has gone up, while the level of the sewer drains falling into the nullahs has gone down due to silt.

Recent rains coupled with the fact that the nullahs had not been cleaned for quite some time led to the choking, claim residents. It further led to the low-lying areas, like Cinema Road, Samadh Road, etc getting inundated. The drainage department had, however, cleaned and desilted around 7 km of the Hansli nullah which passes through the town. Executive engineer of the Sewerage Board, Gurdaspur, Rashpal Singh, said the Hansli nullah was directly under the control of the drainage department. — OC

Fake travel agent held
Our Correspondent

Phagwara, August 28
The local police arrested a fake travel agent, Surjit Singh, resident of Mehruali, near Delhi, under sections 420 and 406 of the IPC and Immigration Act

He was arrested on the charges of cheating Sukhbir of Kirpalpur Colony here of Rs 6 lakh in the name of sending him abroad.

DSP H.P.S. Khakh told media persons here this evening that Sukhbir in his complaint lodged with the local police had alleged that Surjit Singh took Rs 6 lakh from him for sending him to Italy in 2005, but neither he was sent abroad, nor his money returned.

Surjit Singh was produced before the local judicial magistrate, who remanded him in police custody for one day, the DSP added.

Bittu’s expulsion: SAD (A) leaders back chief
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 28
Extending their support to the SAD (A) chief Simranjit Singh Mann over his decision to expel senior party leader Daljit Singh Bittu from the party, a number of SAD (A) leaders have accused Bittu of hobnobbing with government agencies. Addressing a press conference here today, SAD (A) leaders, including Sarwan Singh Nangal Khunga, Rajinder Singh Fauji, Gurnam Singh Singriwal and Resham Singh Pappi, alleged that Bittu had been hatching conspiracies against Mann and the party for a long time.

“Our party chief tried to dissuade him from his anti-party activities, but Bittu did not budge. Rather, he toed the line of the government and intelligence agencies and continued with his anti-party activities. So much so, that Bittu’s men tried their best to defame senior party leader Ram Singh by saying that he had held a secret meeting with SAD acting president Sukhbir Singh Badal.,”said the SAD (A) leaders.