Govt to oppose transfer of Virk case to CBI 
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 8
The Punjab government wants to keep the investigations of the case of alleged corruption against former Punjab DGP S.S. Virk with itself. It has decided to oppose the transfer of investigations of the case against Virk to the CBI.

Virk has demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI alleging victimisation at the hands of officials of the Punjab Vigilance bureau, headed by Sumedh Singh Saini, his one-time friend.

The VB will oppose the plea of Virk, besides present documents in the court that it has almost finalised its investigations against the former DGP.

Sources in the Punjab government said the VB, while presenting its case, would argue that a written permission of the state government was required before the case was handed over to the CBI.

The VB had been asked to quote the case of Sohrabuddin Sheikh versus the state of Gujarat. A Division Bench of the Supreme Court in May last had ruled that there was no reason to hand over the case to the CBI and asked an IG-level officer Geeta Johri to investigate it.

Since then several attempts have been made to hand over the case to the CBI. Officials believe if the government of Gujarat could handle a case that is reported in the media as an alleged extra constitutional killing then there is no need to shift the case of Virk to the CBI.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court, a couple of weeks ago, had stayed proceedings in two FIRs registered against Virk in March and September, respectively.

Virk had used strong words alleging that he was facing false implication and political vendetta while demanding for a CBI probe.

He had also raised question over the manner in which the proceedings had been initiated against him. Virk, in the run-up to the last Assembly elections, had written several letters to the Centre saying he feared implication in false cases if the SAD was voted to power.

Virk had questioned the role of the investigating officer Surinder Pal Singh.

The VB, meanwhile, is also ready with documents which show that the DGP was an active partner, and not a sleeping partner, in the family firm messers Green Field Resort.

A clause in this says that the two brothers Rajdeep Singh Virk and S.S. Virk will jointly exercise the right to mortgage, hypothecate and pledge assets of the firm.

As already reported in the media the VB will also pick on the fact that no drawings and maps of “chimney heights” - an upscale resort - were ever submitted to the before taking the change of land use permission from PUDA. 

Chandigarh, January 8
The ruling SAD-BJP combine in Punjab has withdrawn a letter that held in abeyance a notification allowing farmers to get direct payments by cheque for the produce they brought to the mandis.

The letter was originally issued in November 2006 by the previous Amarinder Singh government and the SAD-BJP combine today formally withdrew it.

Now this means, the old notification allowing direct payments by cheque to the farmers, stands. The matter will now be brought before the Punjab Cabinet to decide if payments will be made directly by cheques or the existing system of routing the payment through arhtiyas would continue.

The previous Amarinder Singh government issued a notification in August 2006 saying payment for farm produce will be made to farmers directly by cheque so that farmers were not cheated. However, for political reasons Amarinder Singh bowing to pressure in the run-up to the Assembly elections had the notification stalled.

On the directions of the then ruling Congress, the financial commissioner development (FCD) issued (the now withdrawn) letter in November 2006 to hold the notification in abeyance.

In the past few weeks, it was opined a letter of the FCD cannot hold a notification in abeyance as it had no legal sanctity over a government notification that is legal document.

A forum of farmers had pleaded in the Punjab and Haryana High Court that payment be made directly to farmers by cheque. Today the standing counsel of Punjab government informed the court the government had withdrawn the letter. Sources in the advocate general’s office said, consequently the notification allowing direct payments is operational till the government decides otherwise.

A spokesman of the government said the matter would be put before the Cabinet at the earliest and whatever decision was taken would be applied when the rabi crop is harvested in early April - three months from now.

However, it is certain there will be heated debate between politically powerful , yet distinct, lobbies of arhtiyas and farmers. Both will be affected either way and the issue is likely to assume political dimensions. For years, central and state agencies procuring wheat and paddy, have been issuing cheques to firms operated by arhtiyas for onward payment to farmers.

The Punjab Farmers Commission’s report had made the recommendation to the then Congress government to make direct payment and Amarinder Singh had agreed to it. 

Jalandhar, January 8
Mystery surrounding the murder of KMV College principal Rita Bawa further deepened after the recovery of Rs 37 lakh cash from her residence Veer Astha Bhawan on the campus.

SSP Arpit Shukla today confirmed the recovery of huge cash in a briefcase from her bedroom the previous day. He did not rule out the possibility that the killers had taken any document or CD with them before fleeing.

While the Punjab police failed to make any headway in the high-profile murder even after three days of the sensational crime, the Punjab and Chandigarh Colleges Teachers Union (PCCTU) demanded a Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) probe to bring the truth to the fore.

Condemning the brutal killings of Dr Bawa and three other persons, the PCCTU president Dr S.S. Hundal told The Tribune that the Punjab government should ask the CBI to conduct the investigation to nab the killers at the earliest.

President of the Arya Shiksha Mandal and KMV College Management Committee, Chandra Mohan, said he would have no objection, if the investigation of the blind murders was handed over to the CBI.

To a query, Chandra Mohan said the huge cash recovered from Dr Bawa’s residence was not belonging to the management as all payments for any purchase and construction work etc was made through cheques. He further said Dr Bawa was apparently murdered for personal reasons.

On the other hand, president of the Association of College Principals GNDU area, Dr R.P. Bhardwaj, also vice-president of the association refused to comment on whether the investigation should be handed over to CBI or not.

Meanwhile, the KMV College will reopen on Wednesday after closure for two days.  

Chandigarh, January 8
As a group of experts headed by Dr Sandeep Behera, working with the World Wide Fund(WWF) for Nature-India, here today confirmed the sighting of dolphins in the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary, minister for forests and wildlife preservation, Tikshan Sud, instructed the authorities concerned to take immediate steps for the protection and monitoring of the located dolphin population at the wetland.

Happy over the confirmation, Sud said it was a big development for the people of the region. Speaking to media persons, he said, WWF officials, including Moses Pereira, Behera and Ashgar Nawab, deserved appreciation as they had worked hard for the past three weeks to locate the dolphins and confirm their presence at Harike. He said the forest department would depute frontline forest staff to patrol along the river stretch of the Beas till a detailed action plan was prepared for the conservation of the species. In all six dolphins had been identified and three of them are males and rest females. Extensive outreach and education programme would be initiated for local people to tell them that dolphins should not be killed as these are a rare asset not only for Punjab but also for the entire region. More over, it is not an edible mammal.

Behera, who has made extensive study on dolphins and holds doctor of philosophy degree in the subject, said, “ although the physical appearance of the dolphins sighted looks like the Indus river dolphin but confirmation of this species can only be validated after a detailed study and confirmation”. However, people living around Harike wetland have confirmed that they had been sighting the mammal. 

Banur, January 8
Punjab cooperation minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh said here today that there was no need to impose fresh taxes in the state if VAT was implemented properly.

Addressing a public gathering, the former finance minister said the government could generate additional income of Rs 2,000 crore through VAT every year, which could eliminate the need of fresh taxes in the state.

Expressing concern over the obsolete education system in the state, Capt Kanwaljit Singh said there was a dire need to revamp it. He said only 2 per cent of students going to schools in villages went for higher education, which presented a dismal picture of the system.

The minister said he would visit Gujarat on January 16 and 17 to study the National Dairy Development Project set up there. He said the state government would initiate efforts to set up a similar dairy project in Punjab to help farmers generate an additional income, besides earning from the farm sector.

The Cooperatives Department will soon launch a campaign to motivate farmers having small holdings to form societies and carry out farm activities jointly. Besides, the department will also set up a separate company to provide various agricultural inputs and buy produce from these societies at a pre-determined price, said the minister. 

Chandigarh, January 8
Congress president and leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Rajinder Kaur Bhattal will soon be divested of one post to comply with the one-person, one-post principle of the party. 

This was stated here by Congress general secretary and in charge of Punjab Affairs Margaret Alva. She said the party was already aware of the situation, which she said was only temporary and soon a change would be effected.

She, however, did not say which of the two positions would be taken away from Bhattal saying the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) would be asked to suggest some names and the party high command would consider a suitable name from among them. Alva was interacting with mediapersons at the Chandigarh Press Club here today.

While Alva was categorical in reply to the issue of one-person, one-post, she was evasive on the issue of reported complaints against former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to the party high command with regard to his alliance with a Pakistani woman journalist Aroosa Alam. She initially began by saying “Jo aap chaatey hain, who main bolney wali nahin” (I am not going to say what you want to hear). She said: “It is his personal affair, I cannot comment on individual issues”. She went on to say that the issue had not dented the party image in any way. At the same time she denied having received any complaint from any quarter against Amarinder Singh.

Alva disclosed that the party high command was considering changes in the District Congress Committees and executives of the party. “We are thinking about it and it will be done soon”. She announced that Sonia Gandhi’s Punjab rally, which was scheduled to be held on January 15, had now being postponed by two to three weeks due to her indisposition.

Reacting to the defeat of the Congress in Himachal and Gujarat, she said, “As far as Gujarat is concerned, it was Modi versus the Congress all the way and Modi, who is a great campaigner, managed to polarise voters on communal and caste lines”.

Responding to a question about Mayawati fearing for her life from the Congress, Alva said, “It is a baseless and unwarranted allegation. She already has a Z-plus category security cover, but she wants an SPG cover, which as per law is meant only for the Prime Minister and his family and for former PMs, not for PMs-in-waiting (pun intended!)”. 

Unemployed youth stage protest 
Seek filling of vacant posts
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 8
Unemployed youths and their parents from across Punjab staged a protest and locked the Sector 17 office of Jagtar Singh Khatra, director public instruction (DPI) (secondary), Punjab, here today in support of their demands.

The protesters forcibly closed the main gate to office of the DPI and surrounded and caught the UT administration and the police unawares.

They were demanding appointments of headmasters, lecturers and master cadres against their quota. The visitors to the DPI office were stranded in the building with the protesters being adamant to open the shutter. The situation further worsened when Sunil Kumar, the president of the DPI office union, tried to force open the gate following which both the parties had a heated argument leading to chaos. In all there were six police personnel including four lady officers were deployed, who were finding themselves helpless to control the protesters.

The agitators did not bother to listen to the repeated pleas of the DPI, who was calling them for talks in his office. They were adamant that the DPI should come down to hear their grievances.

A lady police officer on duty called for additional force following which the SHO of the Sector 17 police station inspector Kulwant Singh Pannu along with his force and commandos reached the spot and surrounded the protesters.

The SHO warned the protesters that they would be arrested for disturbing peace and opened the gate by pushing them back. They protesters had heated debates with the policemen and again staged a protest there.

Lachman Singh Sahota, president of the Mazhbi Sikh and Balmiki employees union stated that the DPI had not been issuing appointment letters to fill 276 posts in the education department against the quota despite the SC\ST commission and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal orders in this regard.

He added that 1,458 youths are running from pillar to post for over a year as the DPI has been dilly-dallying the matter.

These candidates had been left in the recruitments, which were done through the C-DAC in the past. As per the quota, 34 posts of headmaster, 16 of Punjabi teachers, 12 of English, five of mathematics and four of physical education had been lying vacant in the department and among the master cadre 44 of science teachers, 32 of Punjabi, 25 of social studies, 34 of Hindi and 66 of physical training instructors.

Later, DPI Khatra assured the protesters that the recruitment drive was on in full swing. In order to convince them, he offered them to allow their representative in his office to oversee the recruitment process. He further assured them that the matter would be resolved till January 31. 

Patiala, January 8
Expressing its deep concern over plight of vegetable consumers and taking a suo motto cognisance of a news item published in The Tribune on Monday, the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) has sought explanation from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the Punjab government, and director, Agriculture, Punjab.

The news item, “metal laden vegetables reaching homes,” had reported that commonly eaten vegetables in most parts of Punjab, particularly, in certain areas of Patiala and Rajpura were contaminated with overdose of toxic metals like chromium, nickel, lead, cadmium, zinc and iron due to irrigation of fields with sewage and industrial water.

A study in this regard had been carried out by a team of experts led by Dr Dinesh Goyal of Thapar University.

After going through the news item thoroughly, the full bench of the PSHRC comprising its chairperson Justice R.S. Mongia and members K.K. Bhatnagar, B.C. Rajput, and Justice R.L. Anand had sought a report on the matter from the Punjab government through the PPCB authorities.

“The commission, after thoroughly going through the contents of the news item, feels concerned, takes suo motto cognisance of the matter and calls for the report of the state Government through the PPCB, Patiala, and the director, Agriculture, Punjab, on the point as to what steps are being taken or are being proposed to be taken to tackle this menace,” said the order of the PSHRC. 

Chandigarh, January 8
The Punjab government had decided to implement voluntary disclosure scheme (VDS) to enable the industry have power load regularised.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal took this decision at a meeting with representatives of industrial organisations from Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Kapurthala and Mandi Gobindgarh at Punjab Bhawan here last evening.

He said the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) had issued guidelines regarding electricity supply code yet to be implemented by the state government.

He assured the representatives the advance consumption deposit (ACD) as per the supply code would not be revised for at least one year and also mentioned interest would be paid on their ACD already deposited with the PSEB from January 1, 2008.

Badal also constituted a panel under local government and industries minister Manoranjan Kalia with each representative from industrial organisations at Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Phagwara, Mandi Gobindgarh, Amritsar and Bathinda to settle the issue of no-objection certificate to the commercial establishments and micro industrial units. 

Chandigarh, January 8
Replying to a petition filed before the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC), the PSEB today admitted that the Punjab government was yet to pay the Rs 1,800 crore of subsidy money.

The commission fixed the next date of hearing on February 5 when the state government was to file its reply.

The commission was hearing an appeal filed by the engineers of the PSEB, who have petitioned that the ruling SAD-BJP combine should either pay up the subsidy bill for supplying free power or else full money be recovered from all category of consumers - farmers and other beneficiaries.

In its petition filed before the commission the PSEB Engineers Association had made a specific request to save the PSEB from the present financial mess. The PSEB gave its figures of pending subsidy while the state government was not even represented at the hearing.

The PSERC was requested by the engineers that the government be asked to file its reply at least one week before the date of hearing so that a concrete decision could be arrived at.

The engineers’ association has requested the commission to issue standing orders to the PSEB, asking the board to recover full tariff from each category of subsidised consumers in case the state government does not make payment of subsidy.

Sources said there was no chance that the state, with its dwindling resources, could pay this huge sum as subsidy and decision would have to be taken urgently.  

Chandigarh, January 8
Land of the Irrigation Department (canals wing) worth several hundred crores has been encroached on by influential persons at several places in the state. 

Sources said the department authorities had prepared a on this to bring the matter to the notice of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The sources said 800 acres of the department is under illegal occupation. “Most of the said land is valuable and falls either in cities and towns through which canals pass or near important towns,”said a senior officer.

As land is worth hundreds of crores, removing the encroachers is essential when the government has been facing problem to acquire land in the state. Moreover, the government can earn a lot by making the right use of the land.

About 16 acres of Bist Doab canal division has been encroached on by some persons, it is learnt. The department has submitted 6 acres of Mubarakpur Minor had been transferred to Bharat Petroleum, but payment against that had not been received.

Most of the land, about 180 acres, has been encroached on along the Sidhwan Canal in Ludhiana division. Encroachers had been issued notices by the authorities. However, as this land is said to be most valuable as most of it is in Ludhiana city. This canal passes through a part of Ludhiana. Big showrooms have come up along the canal in the city.

Likewise, a large chunk of land has been encroached on along the Sirhind canal in Ropar. And a part along the canal owned by the Irrigation Department is now with the Forest Department. The sources said the Irrigation Department had urged the Forest Department to vacate that part of land.

In Devigarh division of the Irrigation Department, about 25 acres has been encroached on. Notice had been issued to the encroachers to vacate the land at the earliest. And likewise, about 60 acres has been encroached on in Lehal division of the Irrigation Department.

This land is also said to be very valuable. About 380 acres of Bhakra Main Line (BML) in Patiala division is under illegal occupation. Notices have been issued to 87 encroachers in this division, it is learnt. Besides it, 90 acres along the Rajasthan feeder’s Ferozepur division, 16 acres in Talwara division of Shah Nehar and 25 acres in Gurdaspur division of the canal is under illegal occupation. 

Amritsar, January 8
Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti here today authorised the Sikhs for Justice, a human rights advocacy group, to enquire into the 1984 riots and prepare a comprehensive list of all victims and witnesses as well as those accused of killing them. 

He also made an appeal to the Sikhs to cooperate with the nine-member commission.

Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, AISSF president, who is also member of the group’s planning and advisory committee, said it would be the first non-government commission to investigate into the riots. He said two offices would be set up in Amritsar and Delhi in consultation with the SGPC and DSGMC. “The family of Jasbir Singh, the key witness in the Jagdish Tytler case, is also being threatened and we will seek protection for the family so that such pressure tactics do not keep other such witnesses at bay,” he said.

The commission includes Navkiran Singh, H.S. Phoolka, Ranjann Lakhanpal, Rajwinder Singh Bains (senior advocates), Peer Mohammad, Avtar Singh Pannu, Barjinder Singh Brar, Babu Singh Dukhi and Charanjit Singh Harnampuria.

Even as the Akal Takht secretariat is flooded with the petitions against SGPC chief Avtar Singh and the five-member committee that gave a clean chit to Diljit Singh Bedi, who recently resigned as assistant secretary, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar of the Takht, has adopted a wait-and-watch policy.

Karnail Singh Panjoli and Gurwinder Singh Shampura, both executive members of the SGPC (opposition party) have sought time from Jathedar Vedanti tomorrow for providing documentary proof against Bedi.

Pathankot, January 8
After the Malwa belt it’s now the Majha belt with regard to contaminated underground water. Arsenic contents have found in underground water at certain places of Gurdaspur district while iron contents were found in Pathankot area.

Underground water in Pathankot belt also contained abundance quantity of total dissolved solid.

The facts were stated by experts at a workshop on “Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance” organised by the Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, Punjab, here today.

The workshop was organised to make the residents of rural areas aware about the contamination in underground water and take precautions in this connection. It was attended by the district development and panchayat officers, block development officers, district programme implementation officers, CDPOs, education and medical officers and sarpanches and panches.

Minakshi Sharma, executive engineer of the communication and capacity development unit of the department, said the government had launched a project for water purification with an assistance of Rs 1,280 crore from the World Bank. 500 villages would be taken up in the first phase, she said.

Superintending engineer R.K. Chaudhary chaired the workshop. 

Chandigarh, January 8
Dr Tejinder Pal Singh, former chairman of the Punjab Homoeopathic Council, said allegations levelled against him by Dr Paramjit Singh Ranu were baseless and false.

Dr Tejinder Pal Singh said Dr Ranu had been accused by the government of misusing government funds and also making illegal appointments. Recently, Dr Ranu at a press conference at the Press Club here made comments against Dr Singh and deputy speaker Satpal Gosain.

Dr Singh said he was not removed from the membership of the council in March 2006 as alleged. In fact, Dr Ranu had got a resolution passed wrongly against him and sent the same to the government for notifying it. The case was pending in the court and he continued to be a member of the council. 

Chandigarh, January 8
Acting on a petition challenging the provisions of the Punjab Police Act, 2007, on the ground that it was “as archaic and colonial as the Police Act of 1861 framed by the British,” the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice of motion to the state of Punjab, the Union of India, the director-general of police (DGP) and other respondents.

Taking up the petition filed in public interest by Resurgence India for quashing certain portions of the new Act, a Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia, fixed January 18 as the next date of hearing in the matter. The notices were directed to be issued by hand.

Describing itself as a “public-spirited organisation pursuing the cause of police reforms in the Punjab,” Resurgence India in the petition sought directions for quashing portions of the new Act that defied the letter, spirit and intention of the Supreme Court judgement on police reforms in Prakash Singh’s matter.

The petitioner asked for directions to quash in particular the provisions pertaining to the selection of the DGP, his tenure, the State Security Commission, Police Establishment Board, Police Complaints Authority both at the state and the district-levels, and the minimum tenure of police officers on operational duties in the field, besides the separation of “investigation police” from the “law and order force.”

Directions were also sought to the respondents to respect the reform-oriented intentions of the Supreme Court expressed in its judgement in Prakash Singh’s case. Elaborating, the petitioner asserted that the Apex Court had clearly said “We also have no doubt that the Sorabjee Committee Report and the new Act will receive due attention of the Central government, which may recommend to the state governments to consider passing of the State Acts on the suggested lines.”

The petitioners claimed that except for a few superficial changes on peripheral matters, the Act was similar to the British one. As such, the apex court’s effort to insulate the police from the growing tendency of playing a partisan role or to prevent political interference in the discharge of lawful functions had been nullified by the state.

In fact, the state “left no stone unturned to ensure that the police organisation remained as politicised as it was earlier in order to enable the political machinery to use it as per their whims and fancies.”

Quoting examples, he said the Supreme Court on the selection of the DGP had suggested that it should be made from amongst three senior most officers empanelled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). But the state was making it from amongst IPS officers in the rank of DGP or those eligible to hold this rank. As a result, there was no transparency in the selection process, the UPSC was no longer in picture and the DGP remained dependent on political masters.

Going into the circumstances leading to the filing of the petition, counsel for the organisation, Anil Pal Singh Shergill contended, “The necessity had arisen as the respondent from the state of Punjab had sabotaged the entire effort behind Prakash Singh’s case on Police Reforms as also those of the various commissions and committees on police reforms by bringing out a retrograde Act”.

He added that the Act reflected the respondents’ “acute apathy, indifference, insensitivity, irresponsibility and absence of will to initiate police reforms”.

He claimed the respondents “failed to visualise and assess the devastating impact of ever-increasing politicisation of the police organisation in Punjab”, resulting in the creation of chaotic conditions that were almost unmanageable.”