The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Publicity Stunt Badals wasting taxpayers’ money: Khaira Amarjit Thind/TNS Jalandhar, February 17 Fearing an onslaught by the opposition party and of utter failure on all fronts, the SAD-BJP government has chosen to present a vote on account instead of a full-fledged Budget. Having nothing concrete to offer to the masses of Punjab, other than false propaganda by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Singh, the government has failed to ensure even the minimum sittings of the Vidhan Sabha in a year. Although the House is slated to meet on February 27, the members have not been circulated any agenda listing the issues to be discussed in the assembly, alleges Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira. The Congress also questions wastage of the exchequer’s money by pursuing “vendetta” cases against Capt Amarinder Singh and former DGP S.S. Virk in the Supreme Court by hiring top lawyers. Although the state is supposed to contest its legal cases in the Supreme Court through the office of the Attorney General of India, who heads an expert team of law officers to defend such cases, the government had chosen to squander more than Rs 100 crore by engaging private lawyers. In cases against Capt Amarinder Singh and Virk, the government had engaged top-notch legal eagles like Harish Salve, Soli Sorabjee, P.P. Rao and others who charged an average of Rs 5 lakh per appearance. “The Congress urges the government to make public the amount spent on hiring such lawyers since at the end of day, the crores given to these lawyers is people’s money not meant to be spent to settle personal scores of the Badals,” he pointed out. Similarly, another area where the government was hellbent on squandering public money was by issuing full-page “bogus” advertisements in all newspapers daily, running into over Rs 200 crores of public money annually. Projects like metro rail for Ludhiana and express highways such as the much-touted Pathankot-Ajmer one, are being projected to mislead the masses since such projects would never see the light of the day, he alleged. Would the government spell the rationale for giving such ads when it knew that these projects would never take a practical shape? Was it not a criminal waste of the tax-payers’ money to promote the father and son Badal duo purely because the Lok Sabha elections were around the corner, he questioned. Instead of wasting money, the government could have spent it to spruce up the infrastructure at the medical colleges of the state, supply safe drinking water to the people and provide more facilities in 18,397 state-run schools, he said.
	Badal pays surprise visit to govt school Parmod Bharti Nawanshahr, February 17 Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal paid a surprise visit to Government Senior Secondary School, Farala, on his way to the development rally at Khera village in the Mahilpur constituency today. The Chief Minister, accompanied by the DC, Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, SSP, Rakesh Aggarwal, Markfed chairman, Jarnail Singh Wahid, and chairman, district planning committee, Jaswinder Singh Anokharwal, visited the school and found the entire staff present barring three teachers who had been deputed to attend a meeting in connection with a practical examination. The Chief Minister immediately rang up officials of the education department instructing them not to call all schoolteachers for such meetings. “One teacher from each school should be called, who can convey the instructions to the other teachers,” Badal said. The Chief Minister visited various classrooms and interacted with the students to know their problems. Besides, the Chief Minister asked the school principal to introduce meritorious students of each class to him. When the Chief Minister saw some of them without proper clothings, shoes, etc, he sympathetically asked about the economic condition of their parents. While apprising the Chief Minister of the economic condition of the students, the principal briefed him that some of them were fatherless and economically weaker but very good in studies. The Chief Minister asked the deputy commissioner to grant Rs 5,000 each to 20 meritorious but economically weak students. The Chief Minister rang up the secretary, education, for starting science and commerce stream in the school when he was told that only arts stream was being run in the school. Besides, he asked the deputy commissioner to submit a report about the rural area schools where science streams could be started so that the students of the rural areas could be enabled to face the challenges of the present era of rapid strides in science and technology. The Chief Minister said the government was committed to raise the standard of school education and setting up of an Adarsh School in every block of the state was a major step in this direction. He said the infrastructure in the existing government schools was also being upgraded in 351 senior secondary schools at a cost of Rs 142 crore in the state.
	Announces upgradation of football academy Hoshiarpur, February 17 Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced that the existing football academy at Mahilpur would be upgraded to an international standard in view of Mahilpur’s significant contribution in producing eminent football players of national and international repute. Addressing a development rally at Khera village in the Mahilpur assembly constituency, the Chief Minister urged the people that SAD-BJP alliance nominee Dr Daljit Singh Cheema from the Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency was the most eligible and competent candidate to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Kandi belt. On the occasion, the CM handed over a cheque for Rs 1 crore to the municipal committee,,, Mahilpur, and cheques worth Rs 3.72 crore for the execution of development works in various villages of the Mahilpur constituency. Earlier, the Chief Minister laid a foundation stone for the upgradation of 48 km Garhshankar-Adampur Road at Kot Fatuhi via Panshata and Mehatiana along with Doab Canal, at a cost of Rs 25 crore. — OC
	PSEB eases peak-load curbs Tribune News Service Jalandhar, February 17 In a major relief to the power-starved industrial sector, the PSEB has decided to ease peak-load restrictions in the state with immediate relief. According to T.S. Thind, CE, DS (north), the board has relaxed the restrictions imposed on all large supply consumers, including arc/induction furnace consumers and continuous process industries. From today onwards, only three-hour peak-load restriction on all types of industries as per the terms and conditions already in vogue in the board would be operative, he informed. He also thanked the industrial consumers for cooperating with the board during the acute shortage of power in the state. “I am hopeful that the relaxation would bring a sense of relief to the bulk consumers,” he added. Meanwhile, sources in the board said the restrictions in the domestic and other sectors would continue as per schedule.
	Farmers given prizes Pathankot, February 17 The Punjab Mandi Board organised a function to distribute prizes among progressive farmers of Pathankot subdivision here today. About 925 farmers were given lucky coupons during the procurement of paddy in this subdivision for which a draw of lots was held today. Nine farmers were declared winners for prizes worth of Rs 2.5 lakh. Kuldip Singh was given the first prize of Rs 50,000. Three runners-up, Ranjit Singh, Ravel Singh and Darvesh Singh, were awarded prizes of Rs 35,000 each. The second runners-up were given prizes of Rs 20,000 each. SDM Abhinav Trikha distributed the prizes. The government had announced the scheme last year. — OC
	6 held for rioting Jalandhar, February 17 The police arrested six persons for allegedly firing into the air and rioting in public place in Baldev Nagar of Kishanpura area here today. According to the police, Kashmir Singh, Swaran Singh, Balwinder Singh, Parminder Singh, Harpreet Singh and Paramjit Singh have been arrested for firing and rioting in the area. Cases under sections 160 and 336 of the IPC have been registered against them at police station No 8. The incident occurred when Balwinder Singh parked his tractor-trailer amid the road blocking the traffic. Local residents raised objections and asked him to drive his vehicle away. Angry over this, Balwinder made a phone call to his friends, who soon joined him at the spot with weapons and sticks. The gang fired in the air. The shopkeepers called the police, who nabbed the six at the spot. — TNS
	Lover’s body identified Our Correspondent Pathankot, February 17 One of the two bodies of lovers who had committed suicide by jumping into the UBDC here has been identified as that of Dinesh Lal of Hoshiarpur. Pushpa Devi, mother of Dinesh (20), reached the civil hospital here today where the bodies had been kept since yesterday and identified the body of her son. She told the police that the suicide had been an outcome of a love affair. She said she was a widow and her son was working in the spinning mill at Hoshiarpur. She said she had come only after reading the newspaper today carrying a story of suicide by a young pair (the news was published in these columns yesterday). The police had recovered the bodies of two youths in the age group of 18 to 20 years yesterday from the UBDC near Ferozpur Kalan village in the Sujanpur constituency.