Jalandhar, September 26
Having successfully tested Agni-III, Indian scientists are ready to develop an advanced version of a surface-to-surface missile that will have a longer range of up to 5,000 km and can target all continents from anywhere in India, except the America, with its multiple warheads.

The Director of Advanced Systems Laboratory, Hyderabad, Dr Avinash Chander, disclosed this during an interaction with mediapersons at the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (DAVIET) today after delivering a talk on “Technology management for integrated guided missile programme”.

The scientist said while 3,000 km range Agni-III had a single warhead, the new ballistic missile would have four to 12 warheads in its payload, the targets of which could also be changed in-flight. He said such a missiles had been developed in the USA and Russia only while other countries, including China, were still working on it. “India is likely to be ready to conduct its flight tests in another three to four years,” he added.

Explaining other aspects of the highly lethal inter-continental weapon, he said the missile would have a three-stage solid propulsion and had been devised in such a way as it would be road mobile and could also be carried anywhere in the country under camouflage.

Dr Avinash Chander said, “To improve its computation, the scientists were also developing ‘Gagan’, a global positioning system (GPS) that could help the missile receiving signals in-flight when it goes at the speed of 5 km per second. He said the system is expected to be completed by 2010.”

He said the country was also developing “system on chip” in which a small, single chip would contain all memory and communication devices on it. He said the single chip serving as a fullfledged computer would not only be easy to carry but would also help improve performance of the missile.

He said the scientists were contemplating devising such missiles which could work on very smart systems and be self-correcting or fault tolerant. He said experiments were also being conducted to develop super-sonic long range cruise missiles.

“Yet another breakthrough that the scientists have been looking for is to develop such a material around the payload that it could tolerate a temperature difference of as high as 4,000 centigrade on its outer surface and 60 centigrade on the inside. This was required at the time of re-entry of the missile into the earth’s atmosphere when it has to cover the last 65 km in 20 seconds. Since the missile enters at a steep angle on an extremely high speed, the temperature of the outer cover of the nozzle rises too high. The scientists are mulling on creating such a material, the outer shells of which burn layer after layer,” he explained.

Jalandhar, September 26
In a move aimed at nailing “cats” (militants-turned-police informers) and their handlers, Dal Khalsa has urged the state government to set up a “truth commission” to unearth the policy of persecution carried out by the Punjab police by using “cats” in the name of fighting militancy in the state.

H.S. Dhami and Kanwar Pal Singh, senior leaders of the outfit, said the government should not spare former DGP S.S. Virk who, under the garb of a fighter for national security, had thrown all laws to the wind.

Taking a dig at Parkash Singh Badal for dragging his feet on the issue, they said the episode had turned into a damp squib. If Virk was to be treated with kid gloves even during detention, where was the need to arrest him, they questioned.

“Families, who suffered at his hands, are waiting for justice and are least interested in such political tamashas,” they pointed out.

“Who says the law is equal for all. In this case, a judge had to go to the PGI to extend the date of his judicial custody. What message do the prosecuting agencies want to convey? How many instances can we recall when a judge showed similar concern for an accused,” he said.

“Why are the people being fooled? We feel that the establishment is once again trying to protect its ‘instruments’ at all costs and Badal is doing nothing about it,” they alleged.

“Let Virk pass one night in a prison cell so that he may realise the sufferings of all those who were accused in false cases, or worse, eliminated in fake encounters,” they said.

Defining “cats” as an extra-constitutional force raised by a select group of IPS officers to eliminate militants by operating outside the ambit of law, they said “cats” were more than informers. “They were armed with a licence to kill anyone and extort money to lead a lavish life,” said Dhami, a former president of the organisation.

Since they were immune to the law, most of them had engaged in crimes ranging from land grabbing to smuggling of narcotics, he said.

Emphasising the need to monitor the functioning of both intelligence and security agencies, they said, “While a Parliamentary Oversight Committee was needed to scrutinise the performance of intelligence agencies, there was the need to evolve a mechanism to prevent misuse of the police for partisan political purposes”.

The detention of Virk had once again brought into focus the question of rule of law vis-a-vis working of the Punjab police. “We are convinced that the Punjab police under K.P.S. Gill and S.S. Virk has transgressed the bar or decorum, dignity and rule of law,” he pointed out.

The organisation also launched a quarterly newsletter “Freedom Post” that would view aspects of life in Punjab from a Sikh perspective.

He also revealed that a copy of the 60-point charge sheet of Dal Khalsa against the Indian state had been presented to the secretary-general of the World Human Rights inter-faith council in Geneva by party activists from Switzerland and the UK to highlight the plight of Sikhs at the global forum.

Kapurthala, September 26
Following the dramatic turn of events on Tuesday, the district police booked all the protesting EGS (education guarantee scheme) teachers for violating the prohibitory orders which ban assembly of four or more persons at a place.

Similarly, all the nine teachers, who had threatened to commit suicide by jumping from the top of a water tank, have been booked under section 309 of the IPC for attempt to suicide.

They are Jasbir Kaur and Virpal Kaur (both from Bathinda), Baljit Kaur (Moga), Kulbir Singh (Abohar), Darshan Singh (Mansa), Sukhpal Singh and Parampreet Singh (both from Sangrur),Toshan and Pawanjit.

A separate FIR in this regard was lodged at city police station on ASI Sukhdev Singh’s statement.

In what reportedly is termed as a pressure tactic, an FIR under Section 188 of the IPC has been registered against the protesting teachers for violating prohibitory orders issued by district magistrate-cum-deputy commissioner J.M. Balamurgan under Section 144, CrPC.

It has been stated in the FIR that Kapurthala SDM G.S. Khaira warned the protesting teachers against proceeding towards education minister Upinderjeet Kaur’s residence for staging a dharna in violation of section 144, CrPC, but they ignored the warning.

The FIR was registered at city police station on the statement of a lady constable Manjit Kaur. Several teachers were also booked under sections 353 and 186 of the IPC in the same FIR for allegedly tearing off Manjit Kaur’s uniform.

Five of them,Harjinder Kaur, Kulwant Kaur (both from Bathinda), Kulwinder Kaur (Malout), Jagjivan Kaur (Amritsar) and Kulwinder Kaur (Gurdaspur), have been named in the FIR.

Talking to The Tribune, SSP Rakesh Agarwal said while five teachers had already been identified and named in the FIR, the others for tearing the lady constable’s uniform would be identified after watching a video cassette prepared when the protesting teachers were trying to move towards Upinderjeet Kaur’s house from Shalamar Bagh on Tuesday afternoon.

Neither president of EGS Teachers Union Punjab Pritpal Singh nor any other representative could be contacted. It is reported that most of them had switched off their mobile phones to avoid arrest.

Kapurthala, September 26
Several plays were presented by different groups during a drama competition organised at the RCF Ramlila ground here on Tuesday.

The competition was held under the aegis of the Shaheed Bhagat Vichar Manch, RCF, to mark Bhagat Singh’s birth centenary, said manch president Dharampal and its secretary Gurjinder Singh in a press note issued here.

A play, “Mai Bhagat Singh,” showing different aspects of Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s life, directed by Kirti Kirpal, spellbound the audience. A musical group of Jagmohan from Lohian Khas recited revolutionary songs.

Speaking on the occasion, Amolak Singh, trustee of the Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Committee, Jalandhar, said the ideology of Bhagat Singh was as much relevant nowadays as it had been during British rule.

Phagwara, September 26
“Now no tehbazari in the town,” this was instructed by Phagwara SDM Amarjeet Paul to nagar council officials at a meeting of the officials of all departments of the subdivision on Wednesday. Paul, after the meeting, said he had instructed NC officials to impound all illegal and unlicensed more than 800 rehris out of total 1,500 in the town. 

He has also asked the officials not to issue any fresh licence to any rehri to maintain normal traffic arrangements in the town. He had asked officials to check the area provided to licensed rehris and remove stationery rehris. The SDM said highways in the town would soon be made beautiful by removing all stationery rehris. While a three-member team of the officials comprising nagar council EO Paramjit Singh and the traffic and PCR in charge would monitor and report to him within one week about illegal encroachments on municipal lands. 

The SDM said a paid parking would soon be introduced in old mandi. All encroachers on service roads along with national highways and in the colonies of the Improvement Trust would also be checked and removed.

 The SDM said several encroachers with the connivance of a few government employees were reportedly misusing the lands of the Improvement Trust as several shop-cum-booth owners were misusing the verandahs by placing chairs and tables there. This would be checked, removed and the encroachers penalised. — OC