Bathinda, December 4
“The Congress has no right to speak over the issue of installation of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s poster as there are proofs that reveal the ties between former Congress leaders with him,” said Kamal Sharma, state general secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Sharma expressed regret over the installation of the Bhindranwale’s poster at the Akal Takht Sahib. Condemning the act of the SGPC, he said, “We had belief in the SGPC that it will take the right action, but it has not done so. We give one more chance to the SGPC to think over the matter and resolve it as soon as possible,” he added.

The BJP leader was here as a convener for the ceremony to be held here on December 8 to mark the birthday of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

He further said that the main reason for celebrating the day is that Badal has completed 50 years of his political career. “He is a towering personality not only in the state but in country as well,” he added.

He further apprised that senior party leaders Lal Krishna Advani, Balbir Punj, Kiran Ghai, all MLAs, chief parliamentary secretaries and over 10,000 BJP workers would arrive to celebrate the occasion.

Badal is supposed to lay the foundation stone of an international cricket stadium to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crores. Nearly 29 acres of land have been acquired for the purpose. The stadium would be completed in two years time.

Replying to a question about the proposed rally to be held in the city on that day, Sharma said, “It is day of happiness. So it should not be called a political rally. All are coming here just to celebrate the birthday of the CM.”

On the question of the BJP’s long-pending demand for the post of deputy chief minister, he parried the topic saying he is not the competent authority to speak on such issues.

Reverting back to the issue of red beacon lights for SGPC leaders, he said that the CM has already said that if any religious head needs it, he is invited to give an application and an authorised committee would decide the same.

The BJP general secretary refused to support the bandh call in Punjab on December 14 in clear terms.

When asked about Simaranjeet Singh Maan’s statement about martyr Bhagat Singh, he said that it only meant that Maan must have lost his mental balance.

“The party has not yet received any formal letter about making Sukhbir Singh Badal the CM of the state. But he is young, energetic and dynamic. So, he would be considered if the proposal comes up.”

Moga, December 4
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders and its activists, who had gathered to take part in the 35th Kisan Panchayat expressed anguish at farmers being described as unskilled labourers, here today.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, state president of the BKU, Ajmer Singh Lakhowal (second from right) with farmer leaders from various states during the 35th Kisan Panchayat held in Moga on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh

Yudhvir, coordinator of the North Indian chapter of international farmers movement, said they had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard and expected a positive response. He said that due to this, farmers were being paid low wages.

He also added that it was difficult to find a response on agricultural issues from the central government as it comes under the purview of 11 ministries.

He stated that Sharad Pawar, union agriculture minister, while answering a query in parliament, had said that over 1,49,000 farmers committed suicide across the country between 1997 to 2005. However, he refused to accept the rising debt as the reason for it. He remarked that it was amazing to hear such an answer from the union agriculture minister.

Yudhvir informed that 38 out of 44 agriculture universities across the country were not carrying out research due to lack of funds and alleged that subsidy for farmers had been to reduced from 8 per cent to 2.5 per cent.

Ajmer Singh Lokhowal, state president, BKU, handed over a memorandum of various demands to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, to be forwarded to the PM. He alleged that Australian wheat was being imported in order to pocket the commission. He also charged that the wheat being imported from Australia was sub-standard.

He criticised the linking of MSP with wholesale price index and demanded that loans of farmers must be waived and they must be given advances at the interest rate of four per cent.

Lokhowal also laid stress on starting crop and physical insurance for farmers. According to him, agriculture is a risky profession, both physically and financially, and direct subsidies for farmers should be favoured.

Addressing the gathering, Badal said that the BKU had played a pivotal role in bringing the SAD to power and thanked the farmers for the same. He attacked the central government for not giving the right price to the farmers for their produce who in turn were forced to commit suicides.

The chief minister also advised the farmers to adopt allied occupations like dairy, fishery and bee keeping to boost their income. He said that the state government would soon extend loans to farmers to purchase cattle.

Farmer leaders of BKU from various states addressed the gathering. These included Suman of BKU from Rajasthan and Rakesh Pakait, BKU general secretary from UP, among others. 

Chandigarh, December 4
The name of IPS officer Davinder Singh Garcha has surfaced in the Moga sex-scam proceedings.

As the matter came up before a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, comprising Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Justice Harbans Lal, counsel appearing on behalf of Punjab state Gurminder Singh informed the court that in all 61 persons, including eight police officials, have been summoned in connection with a case related to Moga sex scam.

Upon being asked by the court, Gurminder Singh said the cops included Moga’s ex-Senior Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh Garcha. When asked to explain the circumstances leading to his summoning, Gurminder Singh told the court that Garcha and sub-inspector-cum-accused in the sex scam Raman Kumar had been named by one Surjit Singh. In his affidavit, Surjit Singh had alleged that Raman Kumar, while asking for money, had said that a part of it was to be passed on to Garcha.

Gurminder Singh added that the sub-inspector, posted as Station House Officer at the time of the scam, had accepted Rs 12 lakhs as illegal gratification for setting free some persons. As such, they wanted to subject Raman Kumar to custodial interrogation for finding out whether the money had been kept by the sub-inspector himself or had been passed on.

Chandigarh, December 4
After observing that the apprehensions expressed by sub-inspector Raman Kumar about his being made a scapegoat in the matter were to a certain extent correct, the Bench granted him interim bail for a week.

Speaking for the Bench, Justice Mehtab Singh Gill directed Raman Kumar to appear before the investigating officer (IO) DSP Bhupinder Singh daily between 11 am and 5 pm from Wednesday till December 11.

Justice Gill also directed that on that date, the IO would inform the court whether Raman Kumar was co-operating. If the IO thought Raman Kumar has revealed something vital, he was at the liberty of bringing it to the court’s notice.

The judge also asked the state not to register any FIR against him during the period of interim bail without seeking the court’s permission. Raman Kumar was also asked not to leave Moga district without the IO’s permission and to surrender passport, if he had any.

In the detailed order, the judges noted down the apprehensions expressed by the petitioner about his being made a scapegoat to make doctored statements as a number of senior police officers and politicians were involved in the matter.

The judges also made a note of the arguments put forward by the state counsel to the effect that the IO was to see whether the money demanded and extorted by the accused was kept by him or had been passed on to senor police officers and political leaders.

After noting down the contentions, the judges fixed December 11 as the next date of hearing in the case. —TNS

Bathinda, December 4
The sportspersons of Bathinda area are a harried lot. Reason being the rally of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal)-BJP combine scheduled to be held on the occasion of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s birthday celebrations on December 8 in the sports stadium. These sportspersons have virtually been driven out of the stadium where they are not allowed to practice on `security’ grounds till the birthday bash is over.

These sportspersons feel let down by the government that has been `preaching’ from time to time that one day they would win Olympic medals for the country. With anger writ on their face, they point out that they are deprived of their very right to practice.

During this rally, political bigwigs like L. K. Advani, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and other leaders are expected to take part. On the same day, the foundation stone laying ceremony of international cricket stadium here will be held.

According to a sports department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, ``The hockey ground and athletic track would be used for seating arrangements of the VIPs and other public. Even during the Bathinda Heritage Festival, organised by some politically well-connected people from November 16 to 18, hundreds of sportspersons were left brooding. The organisers had dug pits for erecting poles in the hockey ground, which, after the heritage festival were left unfilled. Now again such an event would rub salt on the wounds of the sportspersons.’’

Speaking to TNS, District Sports Officer, Kulwant Kaur said, ``As VIPs will participate in this rally; it has been closed for sportspersons till December 8. After that, sports practice would start again.’’

The anger and disappointment of players is palpable as the stadium ground is expected to get damaged and littered, which has remained a practice earlier also.

An agitated athlete, who had to practice at Government Rajindra College grounds due to the rally, said, ``What can we do? These politicians can only say that sports in the state is suffering due to lack of infrastructure, but they should answer that who is the actual culprit. They should tell us that who is misusing our stadiums for their political purposes?’’

No one should forget that sports stadiums are a Mecca for all sportspersons and are meant for sports and not such events.

Anybody listening?

Barnala, December 4
The deputy commissioner R.L.Mehta has recommended strict disciplinary action against those child development and programme officers, who are responsible for wrong recruitment of anganwari workers and helpers in Barnala district.

He has also recommended the cancellation of appointment of two anganwari workers—Prabhjot Kaur of Mangewal village and Joginder Kaur of Hameede village.  For this purpose, he has written a letter number 222 /PA dated November 20 to the director, social welfare and social security department, Punjab.

Earlier, the panchayat members of some villages had made a written complaint to the deputy commissioner, demanding a high-level probe into all recruitments of anganwari workers and helpers recruited in September 2007 in three blocks of Mehalkalan, Shaina and Barnala falling in Barnala district. The then deputy commissioner marked an inquiry to SDM Tapa and additional deputy commissioner (development), Barnala. After the inquiry, SDM Tapa found that the recruitment of Prabhjot Kaur of Mangewal village and Joginder Kaur of Hameede village had been made against the norms, so their appointment should be cancelled.

Moreover, the candidates who have been selected in Mehalkalan block, their merit list needs revision. Similarly the recruitments of Tajo ke village falling under block Shiana was also not based on merit.

The ADC (development) found abnormalities in appointments in Dhurkot, Kahneke and Pandher villages in Barnala block. The handicapped candidates, who had less marks, were selected against candidates who had scored more marks.

Abohar, December 4
Hanuman Dass Goyal, stat e executive member of the All India Grahak Panchayat, has in a memorandum faxed to Adesh Partap Singh, minister for food and supplies, demanded filling up of vacancies for weight and measurement inspectors. 
According to him, 50 per cent of the 44 centres at the district and sub- divisional level do not have any regular inspector, as the state government is yet to initiate the process of filling up of vacancies.

Abohar, December 4
Work on laying the rail track linking Abohar with Fazilka shall remain suspended for the next five days, well-placed sources said. The decision has been taken reportedly in compliance of instructions received from the office of the Punjab Chief Minister today.

Residents of the government seed farm and adjoining areas including, women and children, braving the cold, staged a dharna at the site near the sub-divisional town today to prevent contractors from doing the work. They shouted slogans against the state government. However, SDM N. S. Brar told them that the state government was considering ways and means to sort out the matter. The agitating residents of these small villages have been cultivating the land in the government seed farm for the last many years as tenants. They had lost the legal battle but the authorities dropped the idea of uprooting them as they had constructed pucca houses equipped with electricity connections. Some of them had even availed of connections for running tube wells. The area had been a stronghold of the CPI and CPM but with the passage of time, the electorate shifted their loyalty to other parties in power.

The railway had released Rs 2.16 crore as compensation to the state government for the land in question after acquiring the same for construction of the Abohar-Fazilka rail track. There was no legal provision for sharing the compensation with the residents who had even lost their identity as tenants, the authorities had told the state government.

However, SAD chief Parkas Singh Badal, while addressing a rally on the last leg of the assembly election here, had promised to equip the tenants, most of them belonging to the Ray Sikh community having origin in the Jalalabad west area, with proprietary rights. 

The contractors had almost expedited earthwork on the 42-km long route except for the area that falls under the government seed farm and Dhaani Kadaka Singh, sources said. The residents had developed a religious complex on the land also. The railway officials were quoted as saying that the project would be completed by 2009 provided the local authorities transfer physical possession of the government seed farm land.  According to the available information, the chief minister has asked the parliamentary secretary Sher Singh Ghubaya , who represents Jalalabad west constituency and belongs to the Rai Sikh community, to discuss the matter with him in Chandigarh tomorrow. Efforts will be made to work out an acceptable formula within the next five days, sources added.

Ferozepur, December 4
The Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Revenue), Sukhpal Singh Nannu today inspected the ongoing development works in the city and instructed the MC officials to expedite the job of re-carpeting all major roads within the vicinity of the city on a priority basis.

Nannu, while talking to The Tribune, gave an overview of the proposed development projects being mooted for the town, which included reconstruction of Town Hall, construction of an old age home, beautification of the town hall garden and renovation of all roads and streets in the city.

He also informed that at present, an amount of Rs 38 lakh was being spent on the 
re-carpeting of roads, which included the road from Baghdadi Gate upto Makhu Gate, Circular Road, Tokri Bazaar road and Mall Road.

He said that another Rs 76 lakhs would be spent on the cement concrete flooring in various wards within the city limits.

Nannu said that an amount of Rs 50 lakhs has been sanctioned for an old age home and another Rs 45 lakhs for the reconstruction of the ‘Town Hall.’ He said that the electric pole installed near Baghdadi Gate, which has become a major traffic bottleneck, would be removed for which the superintending engineer PSEB has been instructed to prepare the estimate.

He further said that vacant plots of land belonging to the MC should be disposed of in due course of time so as to generate revenue. Rs 10 crores has been earmarked for various development works in the city constituency under the border area development fund, he added.

Bathinda, December 4
A multilingual Kavi Darbar on the occasion of Bathinda Book Fair 2007, was organised by the National Book Trust of India (NBT), under the chairmanship of Baldev Singh Badhan, joint director and chief editor of the NBT, at the Government Rajindra College here today.

In this kavi darbar, poets of Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Dogri and Kashmiri took part.

Participating poets included some big names of the Punjabi poetry like Surjit Judge, Darshan Buttar, Amardeep Gill, Satish Gulati, Parminderjit and many others.

Hindi poets included Geeta Dogra and Mohan Sapra, Dogri language was represented by Dr Gyaneshwar and Vijaya Thakur, Urdu by Dr Naresh and Pritpal Singh `Betaab’, while Kashmiri was represented by Brij Nath Betaab.

During the kavi darbar, Punjabi poet Satish Gulati recited his poem, “Gale lag lag ke miliey ta disan pathar dia kandhan, je pathar ho ke milde haan ta hauka bhardiaan kandhan.’’

Poet and lyricist Amardeep Gill presented a poem on ‘Ram naam satya hai’ and Dr Krantipal presented a poem on the Gujarat riots.

Bathinda, December 4
The Northern Railway Mens Union (NRMU) has registered thumping victory in the Northern Zone in the election held to elect railway employees union. With this, the NRMU is all set to get recognition in the Zone.

According to the assistant secretary, NRMU, Northern Zone, D.K. Singh, the NRMU had secured 65,908 votes, which was the 49 per cent of the valid votes. He said that the Uttar Railway Mazdoor Union (URMU) and the Uttar Railway Karamchari Union (URKU) had secured 33440 and 26454 votes respectively in the zone.

According to sources, 35 per cent of the votes cast are required by a union to be recognised in the Northern Zone.

Singh added that the NRMU had performed well also in the other zones as out of 17 railway zones, the NRMU had emerged victorious in 16 zones, only the North-East Railway Zone one to other union. 

Mohali, December 4
Encouraged by the overwhelming response to the auction of commercial sites in Jalandhar, the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) will now auction a 4.5 acre site for commercial use in Bathinda.

The auction will take place on December 7 and the price of the site has been reserved at Rs 135 crore. The site measuring 21,780 sq yards is located on the Gole Market roundabout on the Mall, Bathinda. Land use of the site provides for its development into a high potential business of shopping mall/hotel/multiplex. Also the maximum floor area ratio (FAR) and ground coverage has been allowed to maximise commercial utilisation of the site.

The participants will be required to deposit 5 per cent of the reserve price as eligibility fee. The eligibility fee has been raised by PUDA recently with a view to discouraging speculators and encouraging genuine buyers. The mode of payment provides for a 5 per cent discount on lump-sum payment.

The chief administrator, PUDA, Som Parkash, said top real estate investors have expressed interest in the auction. 

Barnala, December 4
Two persons were killed while one sustained critical injuries in a road accident near Channo village. Advocate Ravinder Kumar Gargi, a notary public at the civil court in Barnala, was coming to Barnala from Patiala along with his family after attending a marriage.

On his way back near Channo, the driver lost control over the car and hit a truck. The family was travelling in  a Maruti Zen car, bearing  registration number PB-19B 0888.

The accident took place at about 2 am on Tuesday. Advocate Gargi died on the spot while his wife Renu Gargi, along with the driver, was seriously injured.

Both were admitted in a hospital in Barnala where the driver succumbed to his injuries, while Renu is undergoing treatment. 

Abohar, December 4
The police registered a case against four persons for attacking Bool Chand Sama,  caretaker of the Panjpeer mazaars, and two women Suman Rani and Krishna Devi, under sections 323, 324, 148 and 149 of the IPC, sources said on Tuesday.

Sama had in his statement identified the accused as Mohinder Singh, Mukhtiar Singh, Sangha Singh and Gurmeet Singh. One of them, Mohinder Singh, claimed that the Punjab Waqf Board had transferred the lease of the historic mazaars in his favour but Sama had refused to hand over the possession. — OC