J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Ownership Issue
Mandi Board land sale raises brows
Jalandhar, October 3
The auction of 41 kanal, 5 marla residential land along Kapurthala Road by the Punjab Mandi Board on Wednesday has raised many an eyebrows, especially as the land had been earmarked for the staff colony of the board employees and dispute over its ownership is yet to be resolved.

‘Declare Jallianwala Bagh martyrs freedom fighters’
Amritsar, October 3
With a view to mobilise the masses to get freedom fighter status for the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh tragedy, various organisations, under the aegis of ‘Jago India Jago’ movement, joined hands to donate blood at a camp organised here to mark Gandhi Jayanti today.

Reemployment
Varsity flouting UGC norms
Amritsar, October 3
At least 38 professors, readers, directors and non-teaching employees of Guru Nanak Dev University have been given reemployment and extension after their retirement. The appointments of retired professors to statutory or non-statutory bodies by Guru Nanak Dev University today came under scanner when the Association of Self-Financed Colleges of Education, Punjab, today alleged that the appointments were being made in total violations of the norms of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Students enact a play during a youth festival which culminated at DAV Public School in Amritsar on Friday. Photo: Vishal Kumar

Mill worker’s suicide: BSP protest chokes highway, hundreds stranded
Jalandhar, October 3
Hundreds of commuters were stranded on the Jalandhar - Ludhiana highway after workers of the BSP blocked the road to protest the suicide of a worker allegedly due to humiliation by the management of the JCT Mills, Phagwara.

Patwari held on graft charge
Jalandhar, October 3
The sleuths of vigilance bureau (VB) arrested a patwari while he was receiving a bribe of Rs 2,000 here today. Acting on a complaint of Mohan Lal, resident of Guru Nanagk Nagar, Ladhewali, a VB team laid a trap and caught Nirmal Das, patwari of revenue halqa Jandu Singha.

Ownership Issue
Mandi Board land sale raises brows
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 3
The auction of 41 kanal, 5 marla residential land along Kapurthala Road by the Punjab Mandi Board on Wednesday has raised many an eyebrows, especially as the land had been earmarked for the staff colony of the board employees and dispute over its ownership is yet to be resolved.

Board officials have said there was no interim order passed in the case filed by a claimant, Raj Kumar, and that they had got the possession of the land in question following an eviction order passed in the case by the SDM under the Public Premises Act. But the manner in which the land has been hurriedly sold off has certainly raised suspicion. The site has now been purchased by an industrialist for Rs 21.23 crore.

It is learnt that the board had purchased the land from the Jalandhar Improvement Trust way back in 1988. Senior board employees tell that the construction of the colony had begun with the laying of roads and getting power connection when the complainant Raj Kumar started claiming ownership of the land.

The matter remained pending for two decades and the board managed to get rid of the land just two days back. The estate officer of the board, R.P. Singh, said the demand of a colony for employees at this stage was not being felt and the site had now been sold as a vacant unutilised land. He added that there was no stay granted on the matter in the high court and the SDM here had dismissed the appeal filed by Raj Kumar. He simply laughed when he was asked as to why everything was done in a haste.

District Mandi Board officer Sarabjit Singh Atwal also claimed that all legal procedures had been followed. Gurbaksh Singh Sekhon, secretary, market committee of the board, refused to divulge any details and said his job was only to make arrangements for the auction.

The deputy commissioner, Ajeet Singh Pannu, too passed the buck saying, “Better ask the Punjab Mandi Board officials. As far as I know, it was simply a land acquired from the improvement trust.” When questioned about his conducting of the auction, he replied, “I go to all auctions.”

The city’s property dealers, however, believe that the auction has fetched the board a fairly good price for the land, especially with a congested approach, low category flats on one side and a religious place on the other.

‘Declare Jallianwala Bagh martyrs freedom fighters’

Amritsar, October 3
With a view to mobilise the masses to get freedom fighter status for the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh tragedy, various organisations, under the aegis of ‘Jago India Jago’ movement, joined hands to donate blood at a camp organised here to mark Gandhi Jayanti today.

Members of the NGO said the blood donation camp was organised to wake up the government from deep slumber to ensure that the status of freedom fighter be given to the martyrs who were killed during the massacre of April 13, 1919.

The blood donation camp got a tremendous response from the people. Sitting BJP MLA Anil Joshi, along with numerous workers reached to donate blood. Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh youth Front (NGO), led by Gurmit Singh, also turned up with dozens of people to donate blood. Director principal of Spring Dale School Manveen Sandhu, along with students and teachers, also donated blood. Police personnel, mediapersons and dozens of tourists also voluntarily offered to donate blood on the occasion.

President of Jallianwala Bagh Shaheed Parivar Samiti Bhusan Behal was also present on this occasion. Manveen Sandhu said she was also paying homage through this blood donation camp to her grand father who was the eye witness of the massacre of Jallianwalla Bagh at the age of 20 when he was a student of Khalsa College Amritsar. — TNS

Reemployment
Varsity flouting UGC norms
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 3
At least 38 professors, readers, directors and non-teaching employees of Guru Nanak Dev University have been given reemployment and extension after their retirement.

The appointments of retired professors to statutory or non-statutory bodies by Guru Nanak Dev University today came under scanner when the Association of Self-Financed Colleges of Education, Punjab, today alleged that the appointments were being made in total violations of the norms of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

In a communique to the Chief Minister, Governor, who is also chancellor of the university, chairman, University Grants Commission, Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court, and Higher Education minister, the association alleged that the UGC in its orders had clearly mentioned that retired professors of the university could not be reappointed on any post of the university.

However, the registrar of the university justified the reemployment and extensions to the teaching and non-teaching employees on the pretext that it was done as per the university calendar and rules. He claimed that these extensions and reemployments were cleared after they were passed by the syndicate. He claimed that by doing so rules were not violated.

Mill worker’s suicide: BSP protest chokes highway, hundreds stranded
Amarjit Thind/TNS

Jalandhar, October 3
Hundreds of commuters were stranded on the Jalandhar - Ludhiana highway after workers of the BSP blocked the road to protest the suicide of a worker allegedly due to humiliation by the management of the JCT Mills, Phagwara.

Till the filing of the report, the police were trying to convince the agitators to remove the body from the highway, which had been blocked since 6.30 pm. According to protesters, led by BSP leader M P Singh Goraya, deceased Shinderpal Sidhu, a former employee of the company and an ex- municipal councillor nominated from the factory quota, had been under tremendous stress since he had not been re-nominated this time and had been replaced by another employee, Hussan Lal. Sidhu committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance on Thursday.

The genesis of the problem was in the visit of the deceased to the factory premises a few days ago when he had to collect his provident fund dues. He was summoned to the office of the general manager where was humiliated by using caste derogatory remarks. His clothes too were torn by the staff present there, the protesters alleged.

Baba Sabri, a friend of Sidhu, alleged that his friend had confided in him that he had been humiliated and that he could not take the humiliation any longer since he had served at the mill for over 30 years.

This proved to be the last straw and he ended his life. “We rushed him to the DMC, Ludhiana, but the doctors could not save him,” Sabri alleged.Tempers ran high among the protesters who brought his body to Phagwara in the evening where it was kept at the main gate. Later, the agitators shifted it to the main highway as a result of which traffic was held up on the busy road. 

Patwari held on graft charge
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 3
The sleuths of vigilance bureau (VB) arrested a patwari while he was receiving a bribe of Rs 2,000 here today. Acting on a complaint of Mohan Lal, resident of Guru Nanagk Nagar, Ladhewali, a VB team laid a trap and caught Nirmal Das, patwari of revenue halqa Jandu Singha.

Talking to The Tribune, SSP (VB) Jalandhar, Surinderjit Singh Mand said the patwari was demanding Rs 3,000 from the complainant for copies of mutation registration of his land. The SSP said the complainant was given marked currency notes of Rs 2,000 to be given to the patwari, who was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe. A case under prevention of corruption act has been registered against the accused.