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Lok Sabha Elections Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 25 Sources said Rs 2 crore would be kept at the disposal of each MLA of the SAD-BJP combine to spend money on the development projects of their choice. The funds would be provided from the rural development fund (RDF). During the procurement of paddy and wheat, the state government collects RDF from the agencies procuring foodgrains for the central pool. The sources said Rs 300 crore was available in the RDF for taking up the projects. Besides it, the Punjab Mandi Board would construct new roads stretching over 20 km and also repair roads in each Assembly segment represented by the SAD-BJP MLAs in the rural areas. Whether the funds in this regard to be provided to the Congress MLAs or not, it is not known. It appeared that the state government would take up development projects in the Assembly segments represented by the Congress MLAs, but money on such projects would be spent through the Akali and BJP leaders who had lost elections to their opponents in their respective areas. MLAs have been provided with the lists of the proposed new roads that can be constructed and existing roads to be repaired. They have been told to inform the board of their choice with regard to the proposed new roads and the roads to be repaired. For the past several months, the SAD and BJP MLAs have been pressing Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to give funds for taking up development projects in their respective constituencies. The MLAs had been saying that it would be difficult for them to face the voters during the Lok Sabha elections as not a single penny had been spent on most of the villages after the SAD-BJP came to power in the state. It was learnt that as the government had been facing financial crisis, it was not in a capacity to give funds. The sources said now the state government had got good amount of funds in the RDF from the record procurement of wheat and earlier of paddy in the state.
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As monsoon weakens, PSEB battles to supply power
Chandigarh, July 25 A minimum power cut of six hours has become the norm in both rural and urban areas of the state this month even as cuts on the industry have been increased to meet the demand-supply gap. The continuous process industry, which has always had a three-hour peak load restriction during shortages, has been imposed a peak load restriction of seven hours for the first time. Industries having induction furnaces have been imposed two compulsory weekly offs, while category two feeders, which carry almost 90 per cent of the industrial load in the state, have been imposed a one and a half day weekly off. An early monsoon this year seemed to be a boon for Punjab farmers as well as the PSEB. While the farmer was able to transplant his paddy crop along with the coming of the rains in early June, the PSEB thought nature had come to its aid and announced it would neither have to go in for large-scale purchase of power like last year nor impose long-duration cuts. While the Board is just about managing to give eight-hour supply to agricultural pumpsets in the state, problems arise in case of faults. The farmers who used the tempo of the monsoon to transplant paddy and hoped the PSEB would sustain their crop as the monsoon weakens this month, are now finding that the Board is hard pressed to meet their needs. The demand started rising in the last week of June, and during this month, it is at an average of 1,750 lakh units per day as against 1,650 lakh units per day last year. So even as the demand has risen by 6 per cent compared to last year, the availability has reduced. Presently, the availability is around 1,475 to 1,500 lakh units per day against the availability of 1,575 to 1,600 lakh units per day during this period last year. The PSEB, which managed to tackle the shortage of 50 lakh units per day in July last year by imposing weekly offs on the industry and sparing all other categories of consumers, has no such option this year. This is because the shortage has increased to 150 lakh units every day and power cuts have become mandatory. This sorry state of affairs has come about because there is no addition in generation since the commissioning of the Ranjit Sagar dam. Though one unit of 250-mega watt has started generation at Lehra Mohabbat, it has not stabilised yet. The performance of the Ropar thermal plant has deteriorated mainly due to fire in unit five. The Mukerian hydro plant is generating less power due to less water release from the Pong reservoir.
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Dera men, Sikhs clash at bhog
Shekhpura (Bathinda), July 25 In retaliation, Sikhs took away three vehicles belonging to Dera followers and damaged them on the outskirts of the village. Though no one sustained serious injuries, tension gripped the area. Sant Baljeet Singh Dadu Sahib Wale, a Sikh hardliner, and Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Jathedar, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, flayed the state government and the police for being mute spectators and for their “inaction” against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. According to sources, Gurmail Singh, a Dera follower, had arranged a religious discourse at his house on the bhog of his wife. Receiving information about Dera followers reaching the venue in hundreds, a number of Sikhs moved towards the village. Though the police was deployed there, the Dera followers reportedly, sensing that the situation was becoming tense, started throwing bricks and stones at them. The stones and bricks had been stored on the roofs of their houses. After repeated requests by the police, the Sikh activists moved back. While leaving, they took away a Peter rehra and two tractors belonging to the Dera followers. A few miles away from the Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, they set the Peter rehra on fire. The tractors were damaged outside the Takht Sahib. Later, Sant Baljeet Singh Dadu Sahib Wale visited the village to inspect the condition, while Balwant Singh Nandgarh was called back while he was on his way to the village. Both Sikh leaders flayed the police and the government for not taking any action against the Dera chief. On the other hand, Dera follower Gurmail Singh, in whose house the ceremony was being held, said, “We were observing the day peacefully but the Sikhs deliberately created a ruckus.” Superintendent of police (H) Manminder Singh, who was at the spot, said: “After proper investigation, the police will take legal action against both parties.” When asked about the stones and bricks collected on the roofs, he said the police was unaware of it.
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‘SAD has failed to protect interest of Sikhs’
Chandigarh, July 25 Hurting the sentiments of Sikhs, Badal directed his party MPs to vote against PM Manmohan Singh, who was one of the most respected Sikhs.
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Infighting in alliance partners Rajnish Sharma
Nabha, July 25
A wrong decision on the chief of the civic body is enough to wipe out efforts of SAD veteran Raja Narinder Singh. Before the election, the SAD was generous and agreed to 14 seats to the BJP and keeping the remaining nine seats for SAD candidates. But the result surprised everybody. The SAD was the largest party with eight councillors, the BJP letting six seats and the Congress got only seven wins. Two who were not allocated SAD or BJP ticket and contested the elections as independents, later joined the SAD. It is learnt that the senior alliance leaders have made up their mind not to oppose each other. But Taksali councillors of both parties are not in favour of considering junior leaders for the post of the civic body chief. They are not prepared to trust an “outsider” who has yet to show loyalty, they say. Now being the largest party with 10 councillors, the claim of the SAD to headship is natural and understandable, but it is hard to digest for those forced to contest on the Lotus symbol. At present everybody out of 16 councillors is in the race. Four seniors Surinder Bawa (BJP), Gautam Batish (SAD), Bhola Ram (SAD) and Dilip Kumar Bittu (Independent) have made it to the council again with easy wins. Surinder Bawa, arch rival of Randeep Singh, MLA Nabha, is the seniormost in the ruling alliance and a winner for the third consecutive time. Bawa is president of the Vyopar Mandal of the town and was senior vice-resident in one term of the council and is a good orator. Gautam Batish, who was made president by Congress councillors in the previous term, switched loyalty to the SAD when asked to step down in favour of another Congress councillor. Bhola Ram and Dilip Bittu are also second timers and have defeated big guns.
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Hooligans attack venue
Hoshiarpur, July 25 The BJP had proposed the name of Shiv Sud for the post of the president of the MC, whereas the name of Gopi Chand Kapur, who is also a BJP councillor, was proposed by five rebels of the BJP, six of the Congress, five of the SAD and two Independents against the official candidate. As soon as Kapur’s name was proposed, some hooligans possessing weapons went berserk and broke the barricades, erected around the Town Hall to restrict the entry of common people, in the presence of the heavy police force deployed there to avert any mishap. At that time minister for parliamentary affairs, medical education and research, forest and wildlife and labour, Punjab, Tikshan Sud, who is an MLA from Hoshiarpur segment and chief parliamentary secretary, Punjab, Mohinder Kaur Josh, who is representing the Shamchuarasi segment in the state Assembly, were also present there. On seeing the hooligans, having weapons, all councillors rushed to the adjoining rooms for their safety. The hooligans remained inside the election venue for more than half-an-hour in the presence of Sud and Mohinder Kaur Josh.
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Kashmir Singh elected sarpanch
Amritsar, July 25 It may be mentioned here that Kashmir Singh was allegedly bundled into a police gypsy and taken to an unidentified place this afternoon with a view to pressurising him to vote for the SAD for the election of a sarpanch. Health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla alleged that Kashmir Singh who was on his motorcycle was hit by the official gypsy of sub-inspector Naurang Singh and then taken to an unknown place. However, BJP activists staged a dharna, led by district BJP president (Rural), Ram Sharn, in the main chowk of Ajnala and blocked traffic for three hours. Succumbing to pressure, the police had to release Kashmir Singh after a few hours of illegal custody. A drama followed when the ruling SAD at behest of an MLA pressured Kashmir Singh to give an undertaking that he would run the village panchayat on rotation. However, the BJP refused to oblige its political partner.
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Security restored to PM’s kin
Amritsar, July 25 PM’s brother Surjit Singh Kohli said they were taken aback as the security gunman guarding the house did not report on duty and the family was in touch with the police headquarters who feigned ignorance about the instructions to withdraw the security. However, the personal security gunman provided to him and his brother reported on duty. Suddenly on the morning of July 23 when the PM won the no-confidence motion turned up to guard their houses. SSP Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh said he was not aware of this withdrawal of security and added that he would ensure that proper security cover was provided to the family round the clock in future.
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A monument lost, courtesy ignorance, apathy
Amritsar, July 25 US-based software engineer Paul Joseph, who is writing a book on the “mutiny” of 1857, was extremely disappointed to see the neglect shown to the monument by the state government. Joseph had come all the way from America to click the pictures of the monument. The caretaker, Mohinder Singh, has placed a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib in the room, constructed by filling the historical well. Talking to The Tribune, Mohinder Singh said his father had migrated to Ajnala after the Partition and a retired army officer, Col Harbans Singh, had told his father to preserve it because the well belonged to martyrs. However, the advice seems to have fallen on deaf ears. The border town of Ajnala has played a stellar role in the liberation of the country from British clutches. However, the apathetic government seems to have forgotten the supreme sacrifice made by army jawans in 1857. When Mangal Pande blew the trumpet of rebellion against the British in 1857, its echoes were felt in this border district, too. A platoon of more than 300 soldier stationed at Lahore rebelled against the British government by leaving their barracks. History reveals that soldiers bravely crossed the nearby flooded Ravi and reached the adjoining Ajnala town. However, acting on a tip-off, Fredric Cooper, the then deputy commissioner of Amritsar, ordered that all of them be put in a cage-like room of the Old Tehsil (Ajnala) where almost 200 soldiers died of asphyxiation. The rest of them were brutally shot the next morning and their bodies thrown into the Kalliwanwala Khuh. The book “From The Crisis in the Punjab from the 10th of May until the Fall of Delhi”, authored by Fredric Cooper, has mentioned startling facts about the sepoys who were executed by the British soldiers. The book says Cooper received a number of missives from the then Chief Commissioner for Punjab Sir John Lawrence like: “I congratulate you on your success. I trust the fate of these sepoys will operate as a warning to others”. The then judicial commissioner of Punjab, Robert Montgomery, wrote “it will be a feather in your cap as long as you live”. (To be continued)
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Modernisation of Jail Factories Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, July 25 A meeting in this regard was held at the Vardhman Factory where DGP, Jails, Mohammed Izhar Alam had a discussion with a number of leading hosiery, cycles and cycle parts manufacturing industrialists on what kind of machines can be provided. At present, the convicts in the jail factories were using old machines like handloom. The Punjab government was of the view that modernisation of the machinery could help the inmates in finding employment when they were released. It would also help the jails in resources generation, as production would rise.
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Israeli woman dies in accident
Nangal, July 25 The Israeli family, husband Jacob, wife Din, daughter Adi and son Aaj were going from Delhi to Dharamsala. The family had hired a taxi from Delhi driven by Surjit Singh. The taxi had a head-on collision with a Himachal Pradesh Roadways bus coming from the Una side. Fiftyfive-year-old Din and driver Surjit Singh died on the spot, while Jacob, Aaj and Adi sustained injuries. Din's body has been sent to BBMB Hospital. Jacob said Din's body would be taken back to Israel after getting a postmortem conducted. MP Avinash Rai Khanna reached the spot and met the aggrieved family. SSP P. K. Sinha said the family was too shocked to talk about the incidence. "We are waiting for them to compose themselves and will then take down their statements," he said. Meanwhile, the police has contacted the driver's family in Delhi and apprised them of the tragedy. Also the Israeli embassy has been contacted.
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Punjab DGP quizzed on multiple queries
Chandigarh, July 25 Taking a serious view of the violation, Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia has issued a notice to the DGP asking him to “file an affidavit as to why directions given by him are not being adhered to by his subordinates”. Justice Ahluwalia has also emphasised the need for instilling a sense of self-discipline among the top brass of the Punjab police to prevent recurrence of such violations. The practice of holding multiple enquiries in criminal and other cases is quite rampant in Punjab. More often than not, a party manages to get a favourable enquiry conducted by the officer of its choice simply by moving an application. Reluctant to concede defeat, the rival party succeeds in getting a second enquiry ordered by its hand-picked officer. In the process, the case not only turns murkier and hard to disentangle, but also results in inordinate delay. In these circumstances, the DGP, vide an order dated April 1, had observed: “It has come to light that enquiries are being got conducted by the applicant’s side, or opposite side, by giving various applications. “In this connection, on one application or case, various enquiries are conducted from the officers of the district or from the higher officers of outside districts. “Keeping this experience, reports are given against one another, which affect the case. The senior police officers face difficulty in finding out the truth and giving independent decision. “So, in future, concerning one application or case, the enquiry be conducted only by the concerned officers of the district, which should be complete on the basis of proofs”. The DGP’s orders were brought to the court’s notice in a petition alleging holding of multiple enquiries in contravention of the directions. The petitioner had alleged embezzlement of money on the pretext of sending him abroad. After going through the DGP’s orders and the petitioner’s contentions, Justice Ahluwalia ruled: Multiple enquiries had not only caused injustice to the petitioner, but has also become a source of abuse, harassment and caused delay in the conclusion of the criminal investigation and trial. “A sort of self-discipline is required to be instilled in the Punjab police by the officials who are at the helm of affairs,” Justice Ahluwalia observed, while fixing August 13 as the next date of hearing the matter.
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Councillors file plea against Capt
Chandigarh, July 25 Taking up the petition by Narinder Sharma and others, the Division Bench of Justice K.S. Garewal and Justice Daya Chaudhary issued the notice of motion to the State of Punjab and other respondents for August 4. The councillors, in the petition, asserted directions should be issued to the state, Mohali deputy commissioner and others to hold the first meeting of the elected members of the Zirakpur MC having 15 members. The petitioners submitted the first meeting, scheduled to be held on July 23, was postponed in a totally illegal and arbitrary manner under the influence of Capt Kanwaljit Singh. They contended that the Mohali DC was “under political pressure of the minister, who does not want to hold the election of the MC president as the candidates owing allegiance to him do not have a majority. The majority is with the petitioner number one (Narinder Sharma), as total nine members are before the HC declaring their support in favour of the petitioner for his election as president of the MC," the counsel pleaded. The petitioners also asked for directions to quash the July 23 orders passed by the deputy commissioner, postponing indefinitely the first meting of Zirakpur MC.
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Relief for law
officer
Chandigarh, July 25 The direction was issued on Sandhu’s writ petition by Justice S.K. Mittal and Justice A.G Masih. The former law officer was seeking the issuance of 10 days notice before arresting him in any case to be registered anywhere in the state. The petitioner claimed he was being targeted as he had represented several congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Capt Amrinder Singh and his family, in legal matters from time to time during his tenure as law officer. He was also attached with the vigilance bureau. His counsel Himmat Singh Shergill claimed the petitioner was deputed by the government to co-ordinate and pursue Hawala transactions of over Rs 7 crore of ruling party president Sukhbir Badal. As in the past the petitioner was arrested without even being named in an FIR, he was apprehending the registration of another case.
Dispossession stayed
Issuing notice of motion on a petition filed by Jalandhar’s Shopkeepers and Stall Holders’ Association, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the dispossession of 72 stall holders. Carrying out business from Jalandhar’s Ghara road for over 35 years now, the association members, in their petition placed before Justice K.S. Garewal and Justice Daya Chaudhary, had earlier sought directions to the State of Punjab and others against the removal of their stalls. Claiming that they were paying the requisite fee to the municipal council, they had suggested the formulation of a policy in case the authorities concerned wanted to dispossess them. Alternative sites should be provided and a policy should also be framed, they had further demanded. The matter will now come up for further hearing on August 1.
Contempt: DC summoned
The inquiry conducted into the status of Ludhiana deputy commissioner (DC) Sumer Singh Gurjar’s health has categorically stated the ailment was not that serious. The inquiry was ordered after he had failed to turn up in the High Court. He was to appear in connection with a contempt petition filed by Ludhiana resident Jasjeet Singh. He had blamed the DC for willful disobedience of the judgment passed by a subordinate court. As the matter came up for hearing, the DC appeared before the Court and was directed to remain present on August 8 also. In his report, the Chief Judicial Magistrate submitted that the DC was having some health problems. But the same was not so grave so as to prevent him from attending the High Court.
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Chemistry Olympiad Tribune News Service
Sangrur, July 25 Goel had earlier obtained the second position in the All-India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) 2008 and 26th rank in IIT-JEE 2008.
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Now, farmers to demand quota: BKU
Chandigarh, July 25 Announcing this here today, BKU president Lakhowal claimed that farmers from 17 states will participate in the gherao. He said the agitation would call for reservation on economic lines and demand that reservation be given to farmers as well as farm labourers. Keeping in view the present demographic situation, 70 per cent of the seats in engineering and medical colleges, besides other professional institutions, should be reserved for people residing in rural areas, the leader added. He said though the government had written off loans amounting to Rs 70,000 crore, what fell in the share of farmers in Punjab was only 1 per cent of this amount. He said besides asking for waiving all bank loans (private and institutional), the BKU would also demand a one-time waiver of farm loans taken from private traders. He said farmers in Punjab owed moneylenders Rs 22,000 crore. Lakhowal said farmers in the country were committing suicide because they were not being paid remunerative prices for their produce. He said while the income of government employees had risen by 55 times since 1966 and of traders by 120 times, the maximum support price (MSP) of various crops had increased by only 15 times. He said farmer organisations would demand an MSP of Rs 1,580 for paddy, Rs 4,000 for cotton and Rs 3,750 for pulses and oil seeds. Meanwhile, former chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) T Haque, who resigned from his post a few months ago, said the UPA government had taken a wrong decision by allowing an MSP of Rs 850 for wheat instead of going by the CACP recommended price of Rs 1050. Haque said the UPA government was not following the concept of fixing remunerative prices for foodgrains and that he had also been pressurised to reduce the MSP of both cotton and sugarcane. “I refused to do this and resigned,” he added.
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Farmers to get paddy plantation machines
Chandigarh, July 25 Langah today met a four-member delegation from Japan headed by Satoshi Nishioka, senior manager, Yanmar Agricultural Equipment Company, Japan, who gave a presentation and explained to the minister that they would provide eight row paddy plantation machines, which would sow paddy nursery and also transplant paddy. Langah said a team in which tractor manufactures would also be included would visit Japan so that from next year paddy transplant machines would be manufactured in Punjab. Free textbooks The Punjab government has launched a special scheme to provide textbooks free of cost to needy Scheduled Caste (SC) girls studying in schools and colleges. Disclosing this here today, welfare of SC and BC minister Gulzar Singh Ranike said SC girl students studying in government as well as private recognised schools and colleges were eligible to get textbooks free of costs during the academic session. The students would be assisted by providing assistance at the rate of Rs 1,300 to medical and non-medical students and Rs 800 to commerce and arts per SC girl student for purchase of books for class XI and XII. 13 sewage plants To stop pollution of various rivers in the state and provide cleaner environment to the public, the government has commissioned 13 sewage treatment plants in various towns, which will have capacity to treat 497 million litre sewage daily. Presiding over a meeting of municipal commissioners of Ludhiana and Amritsar districts, local government minister Manoranjan Kalia said 17 more sewage treatment plants in various towns of Punjab would be constructed.
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Olive cultivation on 300 hectares
Chandigarh, July 25 Punjab Agro, the nodal agency for this project, has already held negotiations with Indolive Enterprises Limited, Israel, to study prospects of olive plantation in the state.
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