Bathinda, November 26
An Army Recruitment Rally for soldiers, soldier clerks, soldier technical and soldier tradesmen is being organised in Bathinda from January 15 to January 21, 2008.

Tokens to be issued from January 13 to 15 in Bathinda

According to the director, recruitment, Ferozepur, this will be an open rally for candidates hailing from Ferozepur, Faridkot, Bathinda, Mansa, Moga and Muktsar districts of Punjab.

However, for the categories of soldier clerk and soldier technical, candidates from all districts of Punjab are also eligible in case they fulfill the required educational qualifications.

Token for the rally will be issued from January 13-15, 2008 at the rally site.

For recruitment of soldier (general duty) category, age for candidates should be between 17 and ½ years to 21 years, height should be at least 170 cms (for candidates from Kandi area 166 cms) and he should have either 45 per cent marks in Matric or class XII.

For recruitment in the soldier technical category, the age should be from 17 and a half years to 23 years, height 170 cm, (for candidates from Kandi area, height 163 cms) and educational qualification should be class XII pass with physics, chemistry, maths and English.

For the category of soldier clerk/SKT, the age of the candidate should be between 17 and a half years to 23 years and height should be 162 cms. The candidate should have passed class XII with English as a subject with aggregate 50 per cent marks and should have scored 40 per cent in each subject. Candidates should also bring 12 passport size photographs.

Sikh candidates are to bring 12 photographs with turban and 12 photographs without turban.

The candidates should also bring copies of family photograph attested by the village sarpanch and all their certificates in original as well as adequate photocopies.

Director, recruiting, Army Recruiting Office, Ferozepur, emphasised that the candidate below the age of 21 years at the time of screening should be unmarried and those candidates who are sons of serving soldiers, widows of ex-servicemen or brother of serving soldier should produce ‘Relationship Certificate’ obtained from concerned record office, signed by senior/chief record officer at the time of issuing of the token.

Barnala, November 26
A three-day state level session of the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha (JKS) began at the Aggarwal Dharmshala here today.

As many as 270 delegates, including women from various districts of the state, are participating in the session.

The session was inaugurated by a ceremony held to unfurl the flag.

Floral tributes were paid to farmers who sacrificed their lives during the various movements.

This session was dedicated to the famous movement, Paggri Sambhal Oye Jatta, launched by Ajit Singh, uncle of Bhagat Singh.

In his inaugural address, Najar Singh Saidpur, state president of the JKS, alleged that the state as well as the union government was working on the diktats of the World Trade Orgnisation (WTO).

“Therefore, the policies on agriculture are designed in such a way so as to placate the WTO. These are anti-farmer policies, which will harm agri-business to a great extent,” he added.

Expressing concern over the crisis in the farming sector, Najar Singh said farmers were debt-ridden and needed friendly policies to combat the crisis. Otherwise, he warned that the farmers may again commit suicides.

Kulwant Singh Sandhu, state secretary, presented the annual report of the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha. Sandhu told the delegates that the JKS was against corporate farming as it would harm the interests of the farmers as well as the common man.

The big companies who had entered trade in grains and other crops would cause a loss to farmers, as they purchased the produce at less price but sold it at a higher price when demand was high, he said.

According to the annual report, the organisational wing of the JKS is quite weak to oppose the anti-farmer policies of the government.

The need was to overcome this shortcoming, so that it could fight strongly for the cause of farmers, he added.

Abohar, November 26
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Parampal Singh today handed over computers and related equipment to all station house officers and other staff at a ceremony organised in the city police complex here.

He said the cops would undergo a 25-day training at the computer centre run by LRS DAV Senior Secondary Model School here.

The corporate sector had agreed to provide laptops at a reasonable price.

The cops would be at liberty to take the equipment in a carry-home bag so as to facilitate training to their wards also.

The police here have set an example for their colleagues in other parts of the state as 22 policemen, including 12 head constables and constables, have been granted a loan from the State Bank of India (SBI) for purchasing laptops and printers.

They would be paying monthly instalments from their salary. Twenty-five more policemen have agreed to get computers financed by the bank next month.

It was in line with the action plan drafted by Director-General of Police N. P. S. Aulakh to modernise the functioning of the police all over the state.

Considering the length of Ferozepur district, the DSP said one had to traverse a distance of 125 km to deliver information to the officials at the district headquarters.

After a month, police stations in the sub-division, would be in a position to flash the important information through e-mail. It would help in solving crime cases quickly. To get information on stolen vehicles from registration offices would not take much time now, he added.

Parampal Singh confirmed that police stations in rural areas would get an annual grant of Rs 80,000 while it would be Rs 1 lakh for police stations in urban areas.

The funds would be used to get service vehicles repaired, purchase new furniture and construct an interview room in each police station besides updating the communication system.

Barnala, November 26
To check the crime on the outskirts of the city, Barnala Senior Superintendent of Police Parmjeet Singh Garewal has established a new police post at Raikot road here today.

Assistant sub-inspector Iqbal Singh has been appointed in charge of the police post, named as Industrial Area Chowki. It is the fourth police post in Barnala city.

The police post was approved by the Director-General of Police, Punjab, he added. — OC

Barnala, November 26
For the first time after independence, in fact for the first time in the 154-year-old history of railways, the railway employees unions, not individual ones, are contesting against each other. The four railway employee unions are in the fray to establish their supremacy over the others. The significance of this election is that the union that wins the election would get recognition from the union government. The four unions are the Uttar Railway Mazdoor Union (URMU), the Northern Railway Mens Union (NRMU), the Uttar Railway Karmchari Union (URKU) and the Rail Mazdoor Union (RMU). The three-day polling began at the railway station in Barnala today.

Manohar Lal, station master, said the Ambala division of railway has a total of 15,760 votes of employees and the Barnala polling station, which covers the area from Ragho Majra to Bathinda Cantonment, has 366 votes. A team from Ambala is supervising the polling.

Though the union leaders refuse political patronage, yet sources says that the NRSU with its flag symbol, is supported by the communists and trade unions .The URMU with the Gangman symbol is supported by the Congress. Meanwhile, the URKU with its ‘fist’ symbol, is backed by the BJP. The railway employees are excited over the elections. The polling process was peaceful, but the railway had deployed adequate security measures, headed by ASI Surat Singh, to meet any emergency.

Abohar, November 26
The 2 Punjab (Independent) company of the National Cadets Corps (NCC) has prepared a comprehensive plan to take up a variety of projects during the NCC Week that started here today and will conclude on November 30.

On the first day, 30 youths donated blood while over 200 got their blood groups tested so as to meet emergencies. The camp was held at the cultural centre of the DAV College here.

Earlier, SHO Jagrup Singh had delivered a lecture on traffic awareness. He said 200 persons had died in road mishaps last year.

It spoke volumes of people not caring about traffic rules while driving, he added. He urged the parents of minors to restrain their children from driving vehicles.

Lieutenant-Colonel Dilbagh Singh, commanding officer of the NCC unit here, said the NCC would beautify a crossing on the city’s bypass by planting flowers besides giving it a refreshing look with a coat of paint.

A group of 10 cadets would move in the area reciting poems on social evils, including dowry, female foeticide, drug addiction, environment pollution and synthetic 
insecticides.

He regretted the deteriorating relationship and friendship in society. A cycle rally with the motto “Cycle Chalao Tael Bachao” (Ride bicycle to save oil) would be taken out on Wednesday, he added.

Mansa, November 26
The number of cases registered by Vigilance Bureau (VB), Mansa, has been decreasing every year.

In the year 2004, 26 cases had been registered. In as many as 17 cases, the accused were caught red-handed. In the year 2005, the number of cases fell to 11, out of which 7 were caught red-handed and four are still facing an inquiry. The year 2006 had witnessed nine cases whereas in the year 2007, only five cases were registered.

The cases have been registered against officials from various government departments, including revenue, police, health, panchayats, PRTC, municipal council and even health.

In 2004, around seven cases were registered against gazetted officers and in 2007, only one case could be registered. Around seven cases were registered against the revenue department in 2004. It was three in 2005.

It appears that there has been a sea change in the police department. In 2004, there were four cases against the department, but none in 2005. However, in 2006, just one case was registered.

Vigilance officials said the procedure of putting up cases in special courts is long and complex. They said the fast process of sending cases in courts needed to be expedited for an early decision.

Moga, November 26
Tehrike-e-Niswan, a Karachi-based theatre group, performed an Urdu play, ‘Jinnay Lahore Nahin Vekhya’, highlighting the early months in Pakistan after its birth following the partition of India, at Dr Shyam Lal Thapar Nursing College, here today.

The play was organised in association with the South Asian Fraternity. Written by Asghar Wajahat, the play was directed by Sheema Kermani and Anwer Jafri.

Karmani, while talking to The Tribune, said her troupe was the first to perform the play in Pakistan in 1992. Asghar Wajahat, a professor of Jamia Milia Islamia, handed over the script to her following its success in India.  

Set in the turbulent period immediately after partition, the story unfolds in the traditional city of Lahore. An immigrant family has been allotted a haveli, abandoned by a Hindu family. Having spent many torturous months in camps, the Muslim family looks forward with respite, at the prospect of settling down in their new home and starting life anew.

However, to their utter dismay, they find that the house is not totally abandoned and an old Hindu woman, the mother of the owner Ratan Lal Johari, still lives in it.

The story revolves around identity crisis and takes a dialectic turn. At its conclusion, a dance drama “Raqs Karo-The story of woman” was presented. The dance-drama was based on the poetry of Fahmida Riaz and choreographed by Sheema Kermani. It was a multimedia show. It combines poetry, music, mime, paintings, video projections and drama with dance.

Set to the poetry of Fahmida Riaz, sung by Gulshanara Syed and Tina Sani, it unfolds the story of a woman beginning from the early civilisation to contemporary Pakistan.

Kermani, herself a Kathak, Odissi and Bharatnatyam dancer, is accompanied by her troupe of dancers.

She says that she has been holding dance classes in Karachi for the past three decades. She learned the basics of classical dance from one Ghanshyam and his wife in her native city.

However, the desire to learn more about these dances brought her to Delhi in the late 1980s and she invested some years to learn the art.

She, however, says that dancing is not popular among girls in Pakistan as it is a conservative society.

Ferozepur, November 26
The problems of school and college-going students should be addressed on a priority basis and for that sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) have been designated as nodal officers in their respective sub-divisions, deputy commissioner (DC) Bhagwant Singh said while presiding over a meeting of officials here today.

The DC told the officials that there were times when students resort to agitations over trivial issues. The issues should be sorted out immediately so that their studies do not suffer and the common man is not made to face any inconvenience due to protests like road blockades.

Singh further said that the state government had decided to provide families in rural areas living below the poverty line (BPL) with healthcare at their doorsteps and for this, village-level health committees would be constituted.

The committee would be an 11-member team comprising people from all walks of life. The sarpanch or a member of the panchayat would be its chairman.

The deputy commissioner told the SDMs to ensure that the Atta-Dal scheme was implemented in letter and spirit and without any irregularity.

He further instructed the SDMs and other officials to make certain that electricity was not wasted in government offices. He told them to use compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent bulbs to save power.

In the meeting, the DC emphasised upon the need for better coordination between civil-police officials for which a computer-networking system would be introduced.

He also took stock of the preparedness of the civil defence team in case of an emergency.

Jaskiran Singh, additional deputy commissioner, M.P. Singh AC (G)-cum-SDM Ferozepur, Rajiv Prashar, SDM Fazilka, T.N. Passey, SDM Zira besides tehsildars and other civil officials were present at the meeting.

On the occasion, M.P. Singh said that district level cultural affairs committees were being constituted so as to help conserve historical monuments.

Bathinda, November 26
Disappointed over the absence of the District Food and Supply Control Officer (DFSCO), at a meeting with the members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat, Bathinda, the panchayat members submitted a protest letter, here today.

The members said that they had an appointment with the DFSCO to discuss the problems of the consumers regarding shortage of LPG cylinders’ supply.

The members said the DFSCO had issued a letter vide memo number 07/4139 dated May 5, 2007 in which the officer clearly stated that there was no rule restraining the consumers to book LPG cylinder before 20 days of the previous issuance. It has clearly stated that any one could get the refilled cylinder, booked even on the next day of the previous supply.

While speaking on today’s protest, the members of the panchayat showed a letter signed by the DFSCO, Bathinda, about the appointment at 11 am on November 26. And a copy was also sent to the district coordinator (LPG) to attend the meeting.

Madan Lal, an office-
bearer of the panchayat, said, “12 of the members went to meet the DFSCO and the district coordinator (LPG). But both of them were not in the office.

“When asked about their absence, a clerk at the office replied that the DFSCO had asked the District Food and Supply Officer (DFSO) to hold the meeting, but due to some work, he had left for Ferozepur.”

When DFSO Mahinder Singh was contacted, he said, “ I went to Ferozepur for some work, but fell ill. I have asked the AFSO to look into it.”

AFSO Tarsem Singla said, “The representatives of the panchayat handed over a protest letter and left the place.”

The district president, Suresh Jain, said, “A group of representatives met the district magistrate (DM) on October 26, where he issued direction to the DFSCO to issue an order to all LPG agencies to display boards, explaining the rights of the consumers.”

They would send a complaint against the LPG dealers about their high-handedness to the chief minister and the Central government, he added.

Bathinda, November 26,
The Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) authorities today sought to play down the pollution believed to be caused by the plant and claimed that the picture published with the news report on November 20 in these columns conveyed a deceptive message to the public.

“It is clarified that the picture taken is not of normal running units but is probably taken when one of the unit is started/ fired with furnace oil under cold condition,” a senior official of the plant said. He further said that the smoke from the chimney is black when the boiler of a thermal unit is fired with fuel oil under cold conditions but the fuel oil has no ash particles and ash is produced only when coal is fired.

However, environmentalists counter the claim and say that there should be no emission either of smoke or of dust at any point of time if the plant is totally pollution free.

The photograph of the plant published was taken around 1700 hrs when the plant was running at optimal level and the people of the area who had complained against the pollution caused by the plant rejected the claims of the plant authorities as untenable.

A local resident, Tinku Kumar, residing near the canal said that the plant is emitting pollutants regularly and the situation is worse in morning and evening.

The plant authorities provided a picture which showed the smoke from the chimneys as pollution free but the picture did not give any indication whether the plant was in running condition or not.

It is worth mentioning here that the district authorities in Bathinda took a strong note of the report published in this newspaper regarding air pollution caused by GNDTP. DC Rahul Tewari is learnt to have issued a notice to the thermal plant authorities to initiate immediate steps to check pollution.

Bathinda, November 26
The sleepless nights for the district police, in the case of Sukhmander Singh of Blahad Mahima village, who was missing, now seems to be over as the Nahian Wala police arrested the accused, Kulwinder Singh, on the basis of the statement of the sarpanch of Lakhi Jangal village, on Sunday.

About three months back, Sukhmander Singh, along with two others, Kulwinder Singh and Sarabjeet Singh, left his village for some work. Except for Sukhmander, the two returned home.

From that very day, family members and the district police started investigating into the case. After a month, police arrested Sarabjeet, who died allegedly after jumping from a speeding police vehicle. An inquiry into the case has been marked to the ADC.

Meanwhile, family members of Sukhmander lost trust in the district police. Sukhpal, brother of Sukhmander, reported that he had petitioned the Goniana police and also appeared at the Sangat Darshan thrice in this connection, but no one took him seriously.

The case was registered on the basis of the statement of Sukhmander’s father, Jagga Singh. They also informed the police that Kulwinder Singh had taken Sukhmander along with him. Kulwinder was then arrested, but released after interrogation.

The family members of Sukhmander then decided to approach the judiciary. Getting harassed by the so-called ‘dilly-dallying’ of the police, they alleged that despite repeated pleas to police officials, no breakthrough had taken place.

Just a couple of days later, Sukhpal, brother of Sukhmander, reported to the TNS that they had complained to the SSP Bathinda about the callous attitude of the police. Taking note of their complaint, the SSP then ordered DSP (Rural) to investigate the case.

After the SSP’s order, a police team started the search for Sukhmander. The family members also accompanied the police to get some clues in the matter.

During the search, the police found a skeleton from the tributary of a river in Muktsar, which the family refused to accept as that of Sukhmander. The police then sent the skeleton for forensic tests.

The very next day, the family members reached a dhaba, near Kauni village, whose owner confirmed that Sukhmander had come there with two boys. They all consumed liquor and left the place in an inebriated condition on a motorcycle.

After the reports got published in the newspapers, the district police intensified the search to get vital clues about Sukhmander.

SHO Nahian Wala Boota Singh reported that Jarnail Singh, sarpanch of Lakhi Jangal village, had given a statement that Kulwinder Singh, who was with Sukhmander when last seen, admitted in front of him that he had killed him. On the basis of his statement, police added section 302 of the IPC in the earlier registered case under section 364 of the IPC.

The accused Kulwinder had been taken on police remand till November 28 to ascertain the actual cause for the killing.

Bathinda, November 26
Over the years, it has become a practice among the ruling politicians to lay the foundation stone for various schemes to project the developmental face of their government.

On March 6, 2000, the then Punjab Science and Technology Minister, Chiranji Lal Garg, had laid the foundation stone of a commerce block in the local Government Rajindra College. And now, this foundation stone is standing in isolation encircled by a high boundary wall.

As per sources in the Government Rajindra College, ``In 2006, Deputy Director, Public Instructions (Colleges), had verbally informed the Government Rajindra College principal, that the college would soon get a grant of Rs 50-55 lakh for new infrastructure but the grant was never received in the college.

Even 10 days back, the Deputy DPI had verbally informed the college authorities that Rs 16 lakh would be sanctioned to construct a library in the college. But the DPI is yet to send any letter in this regard.’’

It is pertinent to mention here that during the tenure of the last Congress government, the then Punjab Finance Minister, Surinder Singla, had announced a grant of Rs 20 lakh for the construction of Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) block for the college. But not even a single penny was received by the college.

``Two-three years back, even the present Member of Parliament, Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, had announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh for the construction of the library, but it has not been received yet. We have come to know that the cheque is lying with the District Planning Board, but is yet to be sanctioned to the college,’’ sources added.

When contacted, Sukhchain Rai Garg, officiating principal, Government Rajindra College, confirmed all this, adding, ``We don’t have a proper library for our college. Presently, six classrooms are used as library in the college. Even the PTA block is incomplete and the construction of commerce block is yet to start.’’ Chiranji Lal Garg, when contacted, said he is not aware which commerce block was being talked about. ``Maybe, the construction did not start because we were out of power in 2002,’’ he added.

Bathinda, November 26
It was a rare show organised by the children to highlight the social evil of child labour, here today. Hundreds of children from 16 schools and two colleges took to the streets shouting slogans against the deployment of child labour across the country.

Starting from the Government Girls School, Mall Road, the rally passed through the Railways Station, Dhobi Bazaar and concluded at the Fire Brigade Chowk.

ADC Vijay Jade flagged off the rally in which students of Rajinder Government College, SSD Girls College, Silver Oaks School, Dasmesh Public School, Delhi Public School, Baba Farid Public School, Government Girls School and Guru Nanak Dev Senior Secondary School, among others, participated. The students shouted slogans like ‘child labour is killing innocence,’ ‘save future leaders, save child labour,’ and ‘I scream, you scream, we all scream ‘stop child labour.’

Abohar, November 26
The CIA staff here claimed to have busted inter-state gang responsible for thefts of vehicles in Jalandhar and Ferozepur districts of Punjab besides the neighbouring areas of Rajasthan.

DSP Parampal Singh and CIA staff in-charge Chhinderpal Singh today said six members of the gang had been arrested. The police succeeded in recovering stolen vehicles worth Rs 14 lakh.

However, the kingpin of the racket, Swaran Singh Sonu, was nabbed today as he came here to sell eight motorcycles that had been stolen from Jalandhar and other places. —OC

Bathinda: In a hit-and-run case, a car allegedly knocked down Ved Parkash of village Bhucho Khurd at the village bus stand on Sunday. Police sources said that the case had been registered on the statement of the deceased’s grandson.

In the complaint, he said that an Maruti Esteem car, bearing number DL-2CK-0443, was speeding and hit Ved Parkash, who died on the spot. The accused managed to flee. The Cantonment police have registered a case under section 304-A of the IPC.—TNS