J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Pb has no water for Haryana: Badal

Jalandhar, July 6 Terming the Centre's nod to Haryana on the concept report on the Ravi-Beas link project without taking consent of Punjab as “injustice”, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a function in Phagwara on Sunday. — Photo by S.S. Chopra

SAD factions clash, 4 injured
Batala, July 6
Four persons were injured in a fight between the supporters of two factions of the SAD at Sri Hargobindpur yesterday. The injured were admitted to Harchowal Civil Hospital and primary health centre, Ghomman.

‘Tough to meet export target’
Jalandhar, July 6
With the government imposing restrictions on the export of items like non-basmati rice, cement and steel, it would be difficult to meet the export targets of $200 millions this year, a senior official said on Saturday.“

Congress mulls SPG to fight ‘injustice’ by SOI
Jalandhar, July 6
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today said keeping in mind the rigging which was reported at the polling booths all over the state during the recently concluded civic elections, the Congress would soon form a ‘Self Protection Group’ (SPG) to fight the injustice meted out to them by the Students Organisation of India (SOI), a youth wing of the SAD.

PPCC chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal addresses a press meet in Jalandhar on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

Man’s death: Distraught sisters commit suicide
Jalandhar, July 6
Disheartened by the sudden death of their brother in a private hospital here on Saturday afternoon, two women killed themselves by consuming celphos tablets. The incident occurred in Mid City Hospital where Nisha and Shalu were admitted in a critical condition after being referred by the local civil hospital. The duo reportedly consumed celphos tablets after their brother Yudhbir Singh died in a private hospital after undergoing a surgery two days back.

50-yr-old man jumps to death from flyover
Jalandhar, July 6
A 50-year-old man jumped to death from a flyover on the Jalandhar-Jammu highway at Lamba Pind Chowk here this morning. According to the police, deceased Madan Lal, a resident of Nangal Manohar village, was upset with his son from his first wife over a property dispute.

3 held on robbery charges
Phagwara, July 6
Phagwara police has caught three persons allegedly involved in robbery cases in Doaba area. DSP HPS Khakh said the accused have been identified as Harinder Singh, Sandip Kumar of Punia village and Harpreet Singh of Chuck Ramu village.

Pb has no water for Haryana: Badal

Jalandhar, July 6
Terming the Centre's nod to Haryana on the concept report on the Ravi-Beas link project without taking consent of Punjab as “injustice”, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the state did not have even a drop of water for Haryana.

“How can we allow extra flow of water to Haryana when peasantry of the state is already facing an acute shortage of water,” Badal, who was here at a function organised by the Ram Navami Utsav Committee, told reporters.

Badal said the state government would oppose the project, besides demanding scrapping of all earlier agreements on water sharing. “Haryana always try to fetch water from Punjab on one pretext or other and the concept report on the Ravi-Beas link project is a new tactic in the same direction,” he added.

According to the concept report, about 10,000 cusecs of water was to be diverted to the Harike headworks from the Ravi river by linking both through a 80-km-long canal under the second Ravi-Beas link project.

Punjab claims that the project would affect the Upper Bari Doab Canal system, apart from causing waterlogging in a vast area. — PTI 

Enemy Within
SAD factions clash, 4 injured
Our Correspondent

Batala, July 6
Four persons were injured in a fight between the supporters of two factions of the SAD at Sri Hargobindpur yesterday. The injured were admitted to Harchowal Civil Hospital and primary health centre, Ghomman.

Mutual bickering during the local municipal council elections was the cause of the fight among the party workers.

One group was led by Capt Balbir Singh Baath, who got the SAD party ticket for the third consecutive time, while the other group had the support of Akali leader Balwinder Singh Nabha, SAD workers at Sri Hargobindpur said today.

The fight took place when a group went to complain against members of the other group who had beaten their members up on the election day on June 30 at Sri Hargobindpur.

Capt Baath, MLA, alleged that his group members were severely beaten up in front of Sri Hargobindpur police station by Mukesh Kumar, who was an independent candidate in the municipal council elections, and his men.

Capt Baath said Balwinder Singh Nabha instigated Mukesh Kumar and his men to attack his men.

Capt Baath said Nabha had already been expelled from the SAD for six years for his anti-party activities. Ajaib Singh, DSP, Quadian, confirmed that the members of the Nabha group had attacked Baath group members.

‘Tough to meet export target’

Jalandhar, July 6
With the government imposing restrictions on the export of items like non-basmati rice, cement and steel, it would be difficult to meet the export targets of $200 millions this year, a senior official said on Saturday.“Although we have fixed an export target of $200 millions and even in the first month there was 33 per cent growth in the export but in May it was much lower, primarily due to restrictions imposed on the export of some items, including non-basmati rice, cement, maize and steel,” director-general of foreign trade R.S. Gujral told reporters here.

In the case of steel, he said this year not only a duty was imposed on the export of the commodity but export incentives were also withdrawn to control the rise in prices in the domestic market.However, as a long-time target of export, it had been expected that by the fiscal year 2020, India would achieve exports worth 5 per cent of the total world trade in the goods and services sector against 1.47 per cent at present, he said.

Asked about the Indo-Pak trade, Gujral said efforts were being made by the government to increase the volume of trade and during the recent times a significant rise in the import of cement was noticed from Pakistan which enabled to control its surging prices here, especially in Punjab.

“Efforts are being made to increase the number of products which can be exported and imported from Pakistan through the land route,” he said, adding “the security measure is the main hindrance in the bilateral trade with Pakistan.” — PTI

Congress mulls SPG to fight ‘injustice’ by SOI

Jalandhar, July 6
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today said keeping in mind the rigging which was reported at the polling booths all over the state during the recently concluded civic elections, the Congress would soon form a ‘Self Protection Group’ (SPG) to fight the injustice meted out to them by the Students Organisation of India (SOI), a youth wing of the SAD.

Addressing mediapersons here, she said the Congress had observed that the workers of SOI indulged in malpractices, threatened Congress workers and implicated false cases against them.

“The formation of SPG would help the Congress workers to fight injustice in future. The ruling SAD-BJP combine was hand in gloves with the officials concerned, across the state, as a result of which the Congress suffered during the elections”.

“We would soon send a proposal of the formulation of an SPG to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and if things go as planned, the SPG would be formed before the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections,” she added.

On being asked about her alleged rift with former chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, she maintained that there is no resentment between the both of them but if any Congress worker is found vitiating the atmosphere, the reports are forwarded to the party high command. “And the decision taken by the party high command is always considered final,” she said.

Further talking about the recent civic elections, Bhattal said although Congress workers were maltreated across the state, the party still managed to get 19 towns, while the SAD-BJP could win on 27.

“Above all the Congress has made a comeback in the Doaba and Majha regions where the party could not perform well in the last assembly elections,” she said. — TNS

Man’s death: Distraught sisters commit suicide
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 6
Disheartened by the sudden death of their brother in a private hospital here on Saturday afternoon, two women killed themselves by consuming celphos tablets. The incident occurred in Mid City Hospital where Nisha and Shalu were admitted in a critical condition after being referred by the local civil hospital. The duo reportedly consumed celphos tablets after their brother Yudhbir Singh died in a private hospital after undergoing a surgery two days back.

According to Jalandhar cantonment station house officer Gurmeet Singh, Nisha died this afternoon, while Shalu was declared dead yesterday.

The family originally belongs to Gagret in Una district of Himachal Pradesh but the victims were living with their mother in a rented accommodation in the cantonment area after the death of their father Som Nath a couple of years ago.

50-yr-old man jumps to death from flyover
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 6
A 50-year-old man jumped to death from a flyover on the Jalandhar-Jammu highway at Lamba Pind Chowk here this morning.

According to the police, deceased Madan Lal, a resident of Nangal Manohar village, was upset with his son from his first wife over a property dispute.

SHO Balbir Singh said a suicide note was found in the pocket of the deceased in which he held his daughter-in-law, her mother and Sucha Singh responsible for his death.

Meanwhile, the body has been handed over to the family after conducting a post-mortem examination and a case has been registered.

3 held on robbery charges
Tribune News Service

Phagwara, July 6
Phagwara police has caught three persons allegedly involved in robbery cases in Doaba area.

DSP HPS Khakh said the accused have been identified as Harinder Singh, Sandip Kumar of Punia village and Harpreet Singh of Chuck Ramu village.

A revolver, three live cartridges, two sharp-edged weapons and some stolen items, including a motorcycle, two gold chains and a dozen mobile phones, were also recovered from their possession.

The gang of eight robbers was active in the four districts Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr for quite some time. The hunt is on to nab the remaining accused.