The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Himachal Pradesh Edition

Mixed response to anti-privatisation bandh call
Commuters feel the heat
Tribune Reporters

Jalandhar, February 19
Barring cane-charging of activists at Kartarpur, the statewide bandh called by the Nijikaran Virodh Taalmel Committee, activists at Kartarpur evoked a mild response and passed off peacefully.

The call had been given to protest against the decision of the government to privatise services in the sectors of education, health, infrastructure and public utilities.

Towns like Kartarpur, Nakodar, Mehatpur, Shahkot, Nurmahal, Jandiala Manjki, Bilga, Jamsher and Phillaur wore a deserted look as business establishments were closed.

Commuters too had a harrowing time as agitators blocked most of the main roads. The passengers aboard the Pakistan-bound Sada-e-Sarhad bus too were stuck for some time at Kartarpur as the cops urged the protesters to let the vehicle leave.

Similarly, hundreds of workers squatted on rail tracks at Phillaur following which rail services were disrupted for many hours. The worst affected were those travelling by the Shaheed, Malwa and Dadar express trains. The situation at Kartarpur grew tense after the police cane-charged and rounded some of the protesters from a blockade on the national highway and took them to the police station.

Upon hearing this, hundreds of activists picketed the police station forcing the cops to free the agitators.

Tarsem Peter, one of the leaders of the outfit, claimed that the bandh was a complete success in the district. The people expressed their solidarity with us since they knew that privatisation would mean that most of the essential and basic services would be out of the reach of poor people. If land owning farmers were committing suicides since they were unable to pay their debts, the condition of the landless farm workers could be well imagined. There were no schemes that ensured that the latter had worked round the year, he pointed out.

Now the government was trying to withdraw free power to Dalit households. Already there were plans to hand over the water supply to private companies. If this happened the poor would not be able to afford even a glass of water, he added.

Education was another cause of concern since lakhs of educated youths were yet to get jobs. Healthcare was in a shambles and if it were handed over to private players, the poor would die without treatment, he said.

He warned that in case the government did not pay heed to their warning they would be forced to take matters in their own hands.

KAPURTHALA: Traffic on the New Delhi-Amritsar national highway number one at Dhilwan in Kapurthala district remained disrupted for over two hours as workers of some organisations blocked the highway in response to the Punjab bandh call given by the joint action committee against the proposed privatisation move.

A large number of workers of some organisations, including those of the Pendu Mazdoor Union, the Kirti Kisan Union, the Naujwan Bharat Sabha and the Punjab Nirman Sabha, staged dharna in the middle of the road. As a result, long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the highway. The police diverted the traffic from Subhanpur to Goindwal Sahib in an attempt to minimise the inconvenience caused to the public.

However, the bandh evoked almost no response in other parts of the district, including Kapurthala, as most of the shops and other commercial establishments remained opened.

NAWANSHAHR: The Punjab bandh call given by the Anti-Privatisation Coordination Committee witnessed a mixed reaction by the people here on Tuesday.

The activists of the various organisations held a protest march, raised slogans against the policy of privatisation, mobilised the shopkeepers to keep their shops closed and blocked traffic at Chandigarh Chowk here. Addressing the dharna, senior vice-president of the state unit of the All-India Federation of Trade Unions Kulwinder Singh Warraich, Kamaljit Sanawa (Pendu Mazdoor Union), Surinder Singh Bains (Kirti Kisan Union), Bhupinder Singh Warraich (DTF), Parkash Singh Karimpuri (Brick-kiln Workers Union) Sarup Singh Rahon (CTU), Daljit Singh, Harpal Singh (PSEB), among others, condemned the “anti-poor, anti-employee and anti-labourer” policies of the government allegedly under the influence of the WTO and the IMF.

Tarn Taran: Normal life was thrown out of gear during the Punjab Bandh call given by the 17 mass-organisations of farmers and the working class. The shops and other commercial establishments were seen closed and the bus service on the link roads was badly affected. Large number of farmers and workers held dharna at different places on the roads. Rail services too remained affected as the farmers and the workers staged dharna on the tracks. The agitators were addressed by Mangat Ram Palsa CPM leader, Arsal Singh Master and Satnam Singh Pannu.

Major diesel scam unearthed
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, February 19
A scam of embezzlement of diesel worth lakhs of rupees has been unearthed in the Punjab Roadways Depot, Hoshiarpur.

Punjab minister for transport Master Mohan Lal made a surprise visit to the office of the general manager of the Punjab Roadways here this evening to investigate the case.

Director of the Punjab transport department Mandip Singh, deputy commissioner N.K. Wadhawan and SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill accompanied the minister.

The minister inquired about the scam from the officers concerned for hours together.

Talking to mediapersons, Master Mohan Lal said a case under sections 420, 406, 468, 471, 409 and 120 B of the Indian Penal Code had been registered in Model Town police station here.

Orders had been issued to the police to arrest persons involved in the scam and orders issued to the director of the transport department to suspend employees involved in the scam.

RTI Act: Similar queries fetch different replies
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 19
Though the RTI Act has given a platform to the public to seek information, its implementation has raised questions several times. One such incident came to light when a central public information officer (CPIO) in Jalandhar denied information to a person citing certain sections of the RTI Act, but disclosed the details to another applicant who filed a similar application almost a month later.

The case involves two local advocates who asked for similar information through separate applications in the office of the CPIO-cum-senior superintendent of post offices, Jalandhar division, recently.

Advocate Sukhdeep Singh, who filed an application on December 13, 2007, had asked for the names, ranks and present postings of the savings bank officials against whom action was being taken for making payments above Rs 20,000 in cash. The transactions were in violation of section 269 (T) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, as the payments above Rs 20,000 should have been made by cheques.

The CPIO in his reply to Sukhdeep admitted that a departmental action had been taken against the officials and stated, “Further information cannot be supplied under section 8.1 (g) and (h) of the RTI Act-05. The appellant has the right to appeal against the decision to director (staff and vigilance) in the office of the chief postmaster general, Punjab circle, Chandigarh.”

On the other hand, when Rajinder Bhatia, another advocate, asked for similar information on January 31, 2008, he was given complete details with the names of the 12 officials concerned along with their ranks and present postings. He was even told that the action had been taken under rule 16 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965.

Terming it as double standards, Sukhdeep wrote to the appellate authority on January 2, 2008, saying that sections 8.1 (g) and (h) did not support the CPIO’s denial. Substantiating his point, he said the first section pertained to prevention of disclosure of information that could endanger the physical safety of any person or identify the source of information or assistance given in confidence for law enforcement or security purposes.

He said section (h) pertained to prevention of divulging of information that could impede the process of investigation or apprehension or prosecution of offenders. He said he felt that if these could be implemented on his application, then these should have also been applied on Bhatia’s submission.

Sukhdeep said he had now put up his complaint before the central information commission stating that he failed to receive a response to the complaint filed before the first appellate authority.

Meanwhile, senior superintendent of post offices N.R. Meena was not available for his comments as he was said to be away.

No Power Subsidy
It’s all because of SAD: Khaira blames SAD
Amarjit Thind/TNS

Jalandhar, February 19
The “deliberate” move of the government in not contesting its case appropriately before the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) will lead to stoppage of power subsidy to the farm sector. Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira said as per the orders of the commission, tubewell connection holders would have to pay Rs 236 per BHP per month from March 1 onwards. The underprivileged SC families availing themselves of the benefit of 200 units per month free of cost would also have to pay bills.

Similarly, the recent subsidy announced for the urban consumers would also be done away with, courtesy the utter failure of the SAD-BJP government to compensate the PSEB to the tune of Rs 1,844 crore for continuing the supply of free power to these segments. The state had failed to file a reply before the PSERC on February 5, hence the decision to collect charges, he added.

Khaira said the farmers were passing through an agrarian crises because of a debt of over Rs 25,000 crore.

Thousands of farmers had committed suicides in the recent years and the practice continued unabated. “Under such circumstances would it be wise to further burden them with inflated bills?” he questioned.

Ironically, this was being done by none else but the SAD, the self-styled champions of the farmers. Needless to mention agriculture had been subsidised the world over, even in developed countries like the USA, UK and Canada.

It had been seen that any subsidy granted to the agriculture sector was productive since around 70 per cent of people in Punjab earned their livelihood through farming, he said.

“In view of this, what is rationale behind holding a protest rally in Delhi on February 26? The rally is a cheap political gimmick and a sham being played on the people of the state while the peasantry is suffering,” he said.

The Congress was committed to ameliorate the suffering of the farmers and would oppose any move to scrap free power. The agriculture committee of the PPCC had prepared a detailed memorandum that would be submitted to the AICC chief and the Prime Minister on February 28.

LPG crunch: DC calls on dealers

Hoshiarpur, February 19
Taking serious note of the ongoing LPG shortage, deputy commissioner N.K. Wadhawan at a meeting with the LPG agency holders here today instructed them to ensure proper supply and maintain a daily booking register.

The instructions include display of opening and closing time before the agency office, proper functioning of telephones, booking LPG immediately after receiving the call and completing its supply record daily.

The DC said he would himself make surprise checks and if any discrepancy was found in the supply, strict action would be taken against the guilty agency holder. — OC