Jalandhar, January 5
With transporters going on indefinite nationwide strike, the prices of essential commodities may go up soon.

According to Punjab State Goods Transporters Association president Bhupinder Singh Pandher, if the nationwide strike continues for even a week, the prices of essential commodities would shoot up and would definitely awaken the Union government from its slumber.

He said the strike was total in the state. Listing the demands of transporters, he said, “Although the prices of crude oil have steeply declined from $147 per barrel to just $33 at the international level, the Union government has not passed the benefit to the consumers and has played a cruel joke on the people by announcing a meagre rollback in the prices of petroleum products.”

He demanded that prices of petrol and diesel should be reduced by at least Rs 15 and Rs 10, respectively, per litre.

Giving details of the other demands of the transporters, Pandher said the VAT on all diesel products should be four per cent, permit fees of transporters should be Rs 1,500 as it was before the present hike, anti-dumping duty on imported tyres should be abolished and prices of tyres should be reduced by 35 per cent, he added.

“If the government can announce decline in the prices of ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) from Rs 72 to Rs 27 then why can’t they consider the demand of transporters in which a majority of the labour class is employed,” he lamented.

While demanding the bailout package for the transporters on the pattern of the package announced for other industries, he revealed that recently the government had formed a Toll Committee to review the toll taxes imposed on the national highways, but no meeting of the committee was held till date failing which the tax was being charged from them.

He also urged the government to free the transporters from the formalities of registration and filing returns under the New Carrier Act and there was a dire need for drastic amendments in the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act.

Jalandhar, January 5
Hundreds of devotees today thronged city gurdwaras to pay obeisance on the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh. Notable among them was Surinder Kaur Badal, wife of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who came to pay obeisance at Guru Nanak Mission Gurdwara.

She was accompanied by local ministers, including cantonment MLA Jagbir Singh Brar, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) chairman Baljeet Singh Neelamahal. On the occasion, the gurdwaras put up tea and sweet stalls besides arranging a langar.

OC adds from Pathankot: Gurpurb was celebrated in and around the town to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh. Special divans were held at Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Model Town Gurdwara, Damdama Sahib Gurdwara, Mirpur Colony, Railway Road Gurdwara, Sainik Gurdwara, Singh Sabha Shahpur Kandi Gurdwara and Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Dinanagar.

Gurdwaras and houses were illuminated on the occasion. Kirtan, Kavi darbar and religious discourses by Hazoori Ragi Jatha of Bhai Satinder Bir Singh from Sri Harmandar Sahib, Amritsar, were also held at Model Town Gurdwara.

Hoshiarpur, January 5
A bride decamped with gold ornaments, given by her NRI husband and parents in the marriage, on the next night after her wedding from Miani village.

According to police sources, NRI Jasbir Singh, son of Harbhajan Singh of Miani village, in his complaint at the Tanda police station last night stated that after coming from France, he got married to Jasbir Kaur, daughter of Gurmit Singh, resident of Dumana village on December 30, 2008. On the night of December 31, his wife served him meal. He alleged that she mixed some intoxicant in the meal and soon after eating it, he fell unconscious.

After collecting gold ornaments, given by him and her parents in the marriage, she fled from the house. On the next morning, when the family member found Jasbir Singh unconscious, they admitted him to the Tanda Civil Hospital. They also searched for Jasbir Kaur, but she could not be found.

The Tanda police has registered a case under sections 380, 328 and 120 of the IPC.

Tarn Taran, January 5
The state government has declared the town as local planning area for the development of this historic township.

A land of 11,379 hectare of the 29 surrounding villages would be included in the plan.

The administration headed by Deputy commissioner Khushi Ram has formed a 26-member committee called as the “Think Tank” to know the views of the different sectors.

Convening a meeting of the committee, comprises 18 members from the public sector, 5 from the private sector and 3 social workers, the deputy commissioner said a master plan under ‘Local Planning Area Master Plan Vision -2021’ would be made for the purpose.

In the area declared as the local planning area, there would be provision for the setting up of industrial units besides other commercial establishments and the health centre, schools including other facilities.

He said there would be provision for the parking and planting trees also. The residents would be given other civic amenities to the residents in a well planned manner in the proposed area. The instructions of the state and the union Governments would be kept in mind while making plan for the area, he added.

The Sai Consultancy Agency has been given the job for making a plan of the town, the DC said. This historic town was established by the 5th Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev, more than 400 years back and was given the district status only two and a half year back.

Amritsar, January 5
The Unemployed Health Workers Union (UHWU), Punjab, has urged the state government to fill of vacant health worker posts with immediate effect.

Union’s district unit president Pradeep Singh Gill in a meeting here yesterday said the union brought the matter to the notice of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and health minister Lakshmi Kanta Chawla two months ago.

He requested the Chief Minister to follow the principle of demand and supply and as per the vacancy available in the government and private sectors fix the seats in colleges imparting training to health workers.

The union strongly felt that measures must be evolved to save youngsters from unemployment blues.

Gill said it was noticed that political parties tended to promise regular jobs before elections however remained silent on the subject after coming into power.

According to him, so far the SAD-BJP coalition government was treading the same path and added that it could be disastrous for the parties in the forthcoming elections.

He said if the Parkash Singh Badal headed government did not accept their demands then they would be forced to take the agitation path.

Jalandhar, January 5
The Doordarshan (DD) Kendra today commenced the Punjabi version of tele-serial ‘Guru Manyo Granth’. The programme was produced in connection with tricentenary celebrations of Guruta Gaddi Divas of Guru Granth Sahib.

Prasar Bharti CEO Baljit Singh Lally said the production of the programme is over and it has already been telecast in Hindi on the national network of DD from October 23 to 30 last year. A brainchild of Lally, the programme was produced with an aim to highlight the cause of national integration among masses.

Talking about the tele-serial he said, “With the success of the programme on the national network we are now planning to come up with the English, Urdu and Arabic versions of the serial. And from today onwards we are launching the Punjabi version of the programme. The programme would be telecast at prime time slot from 7.30 pm to 8 pm daily till January 11.”

Answering a query pertaining to the improved technology in DD, the CEO said, “We have undertaken a pilot project to telecast the upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010 on ‘High definition TV’. Under this format the telecast of the games will be of sharp quality with high resolution. The four metros in the country --- Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata --- are already working on the project.”

By the year 2017, DD would be completely digitalised with enhanced technical quality of programmes, he added.

Nawanshahr, January 5
Union tourism minister Ambika Soni today said the Congress-led UPA government would tackle the menace of terrorism with an iron hand.

Speaking during a ‘Shardanjhali Samoroh’ organised at Soondh village here, she said the international community has also endorsed India on the issue of tackling terrorism.

The function was organised to commemorate the death anniversary of former Congress minister Chaudhary Jagat Ram Soondh, who was gunned down by terrorists 21 years ago.

She said the Congress leaders and workers had sacrificed their lives to restore peace in the state, which had to undergo a traumatic period of terrorism for more than a decade. Recalling the sacrifices of former ministers Jagat Ram Soondh, Darshan Singh Kaypee, Joginder Pal Pandey and former chief minister Beant Singh, the Union minister said their sacrifices had not only brought peace in the turbulent state but were also instrumental in bringing the state back on the track of development and prosperity.

While the Congress leaders and workers braved the terrorism, the SAD leaders exhibited timidity by taking a back seat during the turbulent period in the state, she added.Taking a dig at the much publicised recent ‘Vikas Yatra’ being taken out by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the state, Soni said the money being doled out by the CM with an eye on the ensuing Lok Sabha polls had virtually been allocated by the Centre.

“The wrong economic policies by the SAD-BJP government during the past two years have rendered the prosperous state like Punjab into a virtual fiscal crisis,” said Soni adding that the state government has been facing problems in releasing salaries to its employees.

Ambika Soni, who is a strong contender for the Congress ticket from the Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency during the coming Lok sabha polls, while enumerating her contributions in the development of the area as Union Minister of Tourism, said a sum of Rs16 crore was being spent for sprucing up the memorial of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at his native village Khatkar Kalan, commemorative coins to mark the birth centenary of the great martyr were also released at a function held at Khatkar Kalan last year, a sum of Rs 1.6 crore would be spent on the project to spruce up historical village Khuralgarh associated with Guru Ravidas.

PPCC president Mohinder Singh Kaypee lambasted at the SAD-BJP government saying that during its regime there was neither peace nor the rule of law. Terming the government a failure on all fronts, he said the people of all sections of the society had become disillusioned with the performance of the government.

Nawanshahr, January 5
Ravneet Singh Bittu, newly elected state Youth Congress president, while talking to mediapersons here said the visionary move of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi of holding organisational poll of the Youth Congress (YC) with a view to strengthening it at the grassroots level had proved successful in the state.

Bittu said the elected delegates had come from the grassroots level and they would be helpful in exposing the failures and anti-people policies of the SAD-BJP government in the state during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Besides, the Youth Congress activists would be helpful in thwarting the possibility of SAD-sponsored “terror” during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, he added.

Bittu said the state Youth Congress organisation would be completed in the end of this month. Officials of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) would shortly visit the state and the organisational structure would be finalised as per the guidelines issued by the IYC. Besides, the policy and programme given by the IYC would be implemented in true spirit.

Hoshiarpur, January 5
The SAD-BJP government is not properly implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) scheme in the state, alleged former state minister and Congress leader Romesh Chander Dogra.

Criticising the Punjab government for providing inadequate funds to the gram panchayats for implementing the scheme in their respective villages. Dogra lamented that cardholders registered under the said scheme were not getting their dues in time.

He alleged that needed funds were not provided to the panchayats. The pro-Congress panchayats were being deprived of their due share according to the registration of cardholders in their respective villages whereas the SAD-BJP panchayats were being given beyond their required limit, alleged Dogra.