Chandigarh, March 3
There’s no stopping Punjab even though the enforcement of the model code of conduct has come into effect, it seems. The state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has taken notice of the “No stopping Punjab, full fast forward” advertisement carried in leading newspapers today without his permission.

According to the rules, no advertisement can be published without seeking clearance of the Electoral Officer once the model code of conduct comes into force. Also, only the party can insert advertisements and has to own them also.

The “No stopping Punjab” advertisement is deliberately ambiguous and does not mention who has got it inserted in the newspapers. It lists the achievements of the SAD-BJP government during the past two years without taking the names of both parties. It features the photograph of the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and the Local Bodies Minister.

Official sources told The Tribune that once the model code of conduct came into force, as had happened yesterday, it became mandatory for all government departments to pull out advertisements issued by them. They said, in case, a political party issued an advertisement it was mandatory to get it cleared from the state Electoral Officer.

State CEO Kusumjit Sidhu said she would ask the Punjab government for its views on the issue.

Sidhu has started getting complaints immediately after the enforcement of the model code of conduct with three complaints being received regarding laying of foundation stones of projects last evening. She said she had asked the Deputy Commissioners concerned to give their report on the cases.

She said complaint centres had been opened in all districts.

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer has released the election schedule for the state. Nominations for four constituencies of Ferozepur, Bathinda, Sangrur and Patiala, which go to the polls on May 7, have been fixed on April 11. The last date for nominations is April 18 and the date of scrutiny is April 20. The last date of withdrawal is April 22, and the counting will be held on May 16.

In case of the nine constituencies of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Khadur Sahib, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Anandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Faridkot, which go to the polls on May 13, the date of nominations is April 17. The last date for nominations is April 24, date of scrutiny is April 25, the last date of withdrawal is April 27 and the counting will take place on May 16. The process will be completed before May 28.

Amritsar, March 3
Morning walkers are surprised to see vegetable vendors set shop at Ram Bagh Garden, the summer palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, here. This has become a permanent feature in the garden.

So much so, medicines are being sold by some unauthorised dealers/practitioners from the premises of the national monument.

BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mayor Shavet Malik, who visited the garden today to monitor the ongoing beautification of the national monument, virtually overlooked the unauthorised vegetable and medicine vendors.

However, they took a strong view of the lack of coordination among government agencies responsible for the renovation work. The MP said it was shocking that the public was not involved in the beautification/renovation work.

A social worker, Dr PS Bhatti, said it was ridiculous that the vendors were using the premises with impunity.

Ram Bagh has a cluster of traditional buildings and canopies, but due to a fast pace of modernisation, the garden is losing its identity.

Both the district administration and the MC should be held responsible for the violation of the Acts enacted for the conservation of historical buildings. A letter by the Director, Cultural and Historical and Museum Department, to the Deputy Commissioner on July 8, 1999, reads: “You are well aware that whole of Ram Bagh has been declared as protected monument, as per government of Punjab’s notification number 1/14/97- TS /2051, dated October 10, 1997.”

The letter also stated that no activity, including marriage parties, political meetings, would be conducted in the garden and no allotment would be made to any organisation.

Earlier, conservationists had found a 200-year-old earthen sanitation system during an intensive digging in the garden.

Chandigarh, March 3
The Punjab government has no system in place to monitor expenditure worth crores being done by panchayats across the state. Panchayats earn annual incomes from the leasing out of shamlat land in the state. Put together, the income generated from Punjab villages is over Rs 10,000 crore each year.

Sources state that the department of rural development and panchayats, which is supposed to supervise works undertaken by the panchayats from its income, is finding it impossible to keep a day-to-day check on how this income is used and if the requisite quality is being maintained.

Sources allege that several cases of bungling done by panchayat members in connivance with employees of the department have come to the fore but no satisfactory action has been taken in most of these cases.

“The act provides for recovery of the amount in such cases from the officials concerned. But there are only a handful of cases where exemplary action has been taken against the officials,” added a source.

The statute provides for a system of how the income is to be spent but this is rarely followed. Ideally, for the expenditure of the panchayat income, a meeting of the panchayat is held where the works to be undertaken are shortlisted. A resolution of the estimate is passed and submitted to the block development and panchayat officer (BDPO). It marks the estimate to the concerned junior engineer or an SDO depending on the amount of expenditure involved for technical sanction.

Once approved, the work is undertaken by the panchayat. Once completed, the concerned junior engineer monitors the work done physically and enters the whole thing in the measurement book (MB). A competent authority then crosschecks the MB. A utilisation certificate is then issued that the amount earned has been spent properly.

Practically, however, the work is undertaken by the panchayats on their own and the authorities are not involved. In many cases where the authorities are involved, they tend to become part of the loot. In most cases, records and registers are maintained much after the work has been done and utlisation certificates rarely issued.

When contacted, Dr Jagpal Singh Sandhu, principal secretary, rural development and panchayats, said he would look into the whole issue. “In case there are statuary provision for the monitoring of how these incomes are spent, it would be implemented,” he said.

Jalandhar, March 3
Sports industrialists of Punjab have decided to oppose the candidates of the ruling SAD-BJP alliance in the state during the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Talking to The Tribune, convener of the Khel Udyog VAT Hatao Sangharsh Samiti Ravindra Dhir said the sports industrialists had decided to oppose the candidates of the ruling alliance in Punjab as the Badal government did not fulfil their genuine demands of abolishing VAT and central sales tax (CST) on the lines of Mayawati-led BSP government in UP.

Dhir remained president of the Jalandhar district unit of BJP Vyapar Morcha until about six months back and supported SAD-BJP candidates in the last Assembly elections.

To a query, he said he preferred his community of sports industrialists to the BJP as the latter had done nothing for them.

Sports industrialists of Punjab had to pay 4 per cent VAT, 2 per cent CST with form C and 4 per cent CST without form C whereas those of UP had been given full relaxation from VAT and CST.

Financial Commissioner (Taxation) SS Brar had informed them during a meeting on August 4 that their demand of abolishing VAT and CST would be accepted in principle, he said.

According to the information, sports goods are manufactured mainly in two cities, Jalandhar in Punjab and Meerut in UP. While 90 per cent of the sports goods are manufactured in Jalandhar, only 10 per cent are manufactured in Meerut until past several years.

Sports goods manufacturing in Jalandhar suffered a major setback due to “anti-sports industry policy” of Punjab and now 55 or 60 per cent sports goods are manufactured in Meerut, Dhir added.

Two lakh voters are directly or indirectly connected with Jalandhar-based nearly 400 sports units, he added. The samiti would launch a campaign against the alliance candidates in the areas falling under four seats of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Amritsar.

Chandigarh, March 3
Should there be a compensatory package for members of the family of a legislator who dies in harness?

This issue was raised in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha today by Independent MLA Charanjit Singh as the House assembled for its second sitting of the current session to pay tributes to those who died since the last session of the House.

Referring to the death of 48-year-old Gurdip Singh Bhullar, MLA from Nurmahal, Charanjit suggested that not all legislators came from affluent families. There are some MLAs also whose next of kin are not keen on continuing in politics. In such cases, there should be a policy of giving employment to an eligible member of the bereaved family, he suggested.

When the House assembled for its second sitting this afternoon, senior leaders of the Congress, including Leader of Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Brahm Mohindra and Partap Singh Bajwa were absent.

After the Leader of the House moves a resolution after paying tributes to eminent politicians, administrators, freedom fighters and others, the Leader of Opposition seconds the proposal. Today, the job was left to Avtar Singh Brar, Congress MLA from Faridkot, after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal moved the resolution. At his instance, Karnail Singh Paras, an eminent Punjabi poet and father of former MP Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, was also included in the list of obituary references.

Industries and Local Government Minister Manoranjan Kalia also seconded the resolution. His suggestion to pay tributes to martyrs of Mumbai terrorist attack was also later endorsed by the Speaker.

Since the agenda of the House was to pay tributes, suggestion of Charanjit could not be seconded as the House was adjourned after paying floral tributes to former President R Venkataraman, former Prime Minister Vishwanath Partap Singh, last surviving member of the Constituent assembly Ranbir Singh Hooda, besides Gurdip Singh Bhullar, a member of the current assembly.

Tributes were also paid to former MLAs Bachan Singh Cheema, Waryam Singh, Jagat Singh Gharuan, and Amarnath.

Besides, nine freedom fighters who died since last session of the Vidhan Sabha, Gurcharan Singh, Narain Singh, Chanan Singh, Kashmira Singh, Baldev Singh Bedi, Sardara Singh, Ishar Singh, Balwant Singh Dhillon and Harbans Singh, were also paid tributes.

The Vidhan Sabha also adopted a resolution to condole the death of 10 persons in a head-on collision between two buses near Barnala. Tributes were also paid to fathers of BJP MP Avinash Rai Khanna, minister Tikshan Sood and former MLA Naresh Kataria.

On a resolution moved by Virsa Singh Voltoha, MLA from Valtoha, tributes were paid to Dr Shavinder Singh Sandhu and his wife Manveen Kaur who died in a road accident in Rajasthan. 

Sangrur, March 3
In an attempt to prevent the members of Sikh community from heading towards the venue of proposed naam charcha to be held today by followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda at Bugra village, near Dhuri, the police resorted to a lathicharge on the agitating Sikhs, due to which five persons sustained injuries and they were admitted to the civil hospitals at Dhuri and Sangrur.

Dhuri, SDM, Rajesh Tirpathi told The Tribune this evening that the followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda had planned holding of naam charcha in a house of a dera premi at Bugra village today. When members of the Sikh community came to know about the naam charcha in the village, more than 100 persons assembled in the village gurdwara to oppose its holding.

The SDM further said some of the agitating Sikhs were armed with swords and lathis. The agitators had also become unruly as they broke the first human barricade formed by policemen to prevent them from heading towards the venue. On this, the police came into action and resorted to a mild lathicharge in which five persons sustained minor injuries. Three persons had been admitted to the Civil Hospital, Dhuri, and two to the Civil Hospital, Sangrur, he added.

He also said the administration had made all arrangements to avoid the clash in the village between both sides. He said he, along with Dhuri DSP, today also visited Bugra village to prevent any untoward incident.

Patiala, March 3
Taking a cue from an ancient Chinese ritual, popular among physicians over there, hundreds of contractual rural doctors from six districts supervised the Pulse Polio campaign by going door to door bare-footed to express discontentment against the government.

As many as 1,193 rural doctors, led by the the Rural Medical Services Association, have been seeking regularisation of services. They have been serving people in far-flung areas of the state for over three years under the now despised contract system of the Punjab Health Department.

“We are fighting for the cause of rural people and for the protection of their right to health. Instead of going in for a boycott of dispensaries, we took a leaf out of the Chinese tradition of bare-footed doctors and have tried to awaken people and the government about our problems in a peaceful manner,” said association president Aslam Parvez.

He alleged the rural doctors were feeling cheated as the SAD-BJP combine had promised to regularise their services.

Amritsar, March 3
The Department of Posts has planned to hire aircraft for carrying parcels and documents to compete with courier agencies.

In the first phase the aircraft will provide faster movement of mail in five cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad for efficient working.

Jaswinder Singh, Postmaster-General, Punjab, said the department had hired a charter plane for moving postal articles and parcels in the northeast and the experiment had paid off so it was decided to have more planes to connect all big cities.

The department has also decided to sell gold coins and railway tickets for people’s convenience. He said due to slowdown, people were turning to other safe investment, including purchase of gold, the price of which had registered an unprecedented spurt in six months. He said the department would provide gold coins with Swiss international certification. Initially the scheme was launched in select post offices of Punjab and was likely to be extended to other cities, including Amritsar very soon.

The Postmaster-General said they had tied up with world-famed Deutsche Post Worldnet Express for faster movement of parcels in the country. He said service would be available at select post offices in Chandigarh and soon more post offices in the state would be included in it.

The department has also ventured into electronic money order (EMO) and instant money order (IMO), besides deciding to expand network of finance marts in 11th plan to provide financial services to customers. He said five finance marts were being set up this year at Phagwara, Jalandhar, Khanna, Jagraon and Patiala head post offices. An outlay of Rs 5 lakh was being provided for every mart.

Meanwhile, 1,100 more post offices have been identified in the country for the upgrade under project arrow to rectify core operations and enhance service abilities. Out of these, 50 post offices are in Punjab.

Jaswinder said under the project Rs 20 lakh and Rs 10 lakh had been allocated for each head post office and sub post office, respectively. He said select post offices would have a distinct and symmetrical look, modern facilities, effective mechanism, quicker operations etc for which front office staff would be trained for delivering quality service. He said the project was likely to be completed by end of June. 

Jalandhar, March 3
All eyes are on the Congress high command for the declaration of nominee for the Jalandhar reserved seat.

The declaration, likely to be made in the next couple of days with other seats for Punjab, will decide on the outcome of the electoral battle with the Akalis who have already made their choice in Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans.

Political experts are of the view that SC voters hold the key in this seat with the Ad-dharmi community being the deciding factor. In the past elections, the Congress was humbled in the Doaba belt due to swing of the SC votes towards the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

While the SAD seems to have erred in naming Hans, a Balmiki, its candidate, the Congress is yet to decide on its nominee although the name of PPCC chief Mohinder Singh Kaypee and former minister Chaudhary Santokh Singh are doing the rounds, they point out.

Those in the know maintain that the Congress high command is veering around to the idea that the state chiefs should not contest the polls and should be available for canvassing for its official nominees. This has been necessitated after the defeat of its Rajasthan unit chief by just one vote in the recent assembly polls.

Sources said Kaypee was said to be reluctant to contest and was being egged on by a faction within the party to remain as PPCC chief and not jump into the electoral fray. Instead, he is being asked to lobby for the candidature of a former PPCC chief from here, the insiders claim.

Incidentally, the BSP has named Surjit Singh, a Ramdasia, its candidate from here. The Ad-dharmis are banking on the Congress for naming a candidate from their community. There are 1.46 lakh Balmiki votes in the constituency.

The sources said as of today, the Congress was lagging behind by at least 1 lakh votes in all the nine assembly segments of Jalandhar. In this scenario, the Congress would have little option but to select a candidate who is able to cash on the numerical superiority of the Ad-dharmi community. The obvious choice would be the Santokh Singh in view of his wide acceptance among the nearly 3.5 lakh strong Ad-dharmi community in this constituency.

Chandigarh, March 3
The Punjab government has reached out to the Brahmin community also, one day prior to the enforcement of the model code of conduct with the government acceding to the demands of the Shri Brahmin Sabha, Punjab, to establish a heritage village at the ‘taposthal’ of Bhagwan Parshuram at Phagwara, besides a Parshuram Chair at Punjabi University, Patiala.

The sabha, which is the largest representative body of the Brahmin community in the state, had been making both demands for the past two years, but they were lying in limbo. The government has in a notification now announced a grant of Rs 1.5 crore for the establishment of a heritage village at Khatti near Phagwara.

According to sabha president Devi Dayal Prashar and general secretary Behari Lal Saddi, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal assured them during a meeting here today that Rs 1.50 crore had been sanctioned for the heritage village and would be forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, at the earliest.

The sabha members also showed another communication received from the Chief Minister assuring them that money would be provided by the government for establishment of the Parshuram Chair at Punjabi University.

Amritsar, March 3
Pakistani Punjabi scholar Sayyad Sibtul Hassan Zaigham has transliterated in Shahmukhi (Persian script) a controversial book written by Sirdar Kapur Singh (1909-1986), who had been dismissed as ICS officer and was architect of the Anandpur Sahib resolution. The Shamukhi version of “Sachi Sakhi” would be shortly published in Lahore to mark Kapur’s birth centenary.

This was disclosed by Canada-based columnist Jai Teg Singh Anant, who has compiled articles on the life of the former ICS officer.

The “Sachi Sakhi”, published by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, has been in the web of controversies when senior SGPC member Kiranjot Kaur sought review of the controversial book since it contained derogatory remarks against her grand father Master Tara Singh in 2000.

Meanwhile, the centenary birth celebrations of Kapur in India has started with the organising of a seminar by the Dal Khalsa here. The seminar was presided over by Baba Harnam Singh, chief of the Damdami Taksal. The resolution passed on the occasion asks the state government to set up chair in the name of Kapur either at Guru Nanak Dev University or Punjabi University.

A message of Dal Khalsa’s Pakistan-based leader Gajinder Singh was also read out.

The centenary birth anniversary celebrations of Kapur may embarrass the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal amid the Lok Sabha elections since it (SAD) has virtually abandoned the controversial Anandpur Sahib resolution.

Besides Sikh theology, Kapur was vastly learned in philosophy, history and literature. He was selected to the Indian Civil Services . In 1947, he was appointed DC of Kangra. Later, he was dismissed as ICS officer.

After a brief stint as Professor of Sikhism under the authority of Akal Takht, Kapur joined active politics. In 1962, he was elected to the Lower House of Parliament and a member of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 1969.

Patiala, March 3
The Punjab Civil Medical Service Association (PCMSA), seeking prohibition like in Gujarat, condemned the excise policy for ruining mental and physical health, social fabric, culture and family economy by making the youth, even girls addicted to intoxicants to ward off frustration due to unemployment and failing farm economy.

Dr MS Randhawa, patron, PCMSA, said due to an anti-farmer farm policy, farmers were forced to commit suicides, whereas farm sector alone contributed one-fifth of the total GDP.

Dr Gurdev Singh Preet, former Director, Health Services, Punjab, too criticised Punjab government’s excise policy that would lead to opening more liquor shops luring “debt-ridden farmers” to sell liquor under farm tourism policy by paying Rs 10,000 a year. He also condemned raising quota of vends by 25 per cent. He cautioned Punjabis that alcoholism was fast becoming fashionable among youngsters and average age of alcohol intake had come down to 13.5 years from 28 due to “liberal excise policy”.

He said regular intake of a glass of wine raised the risk of breast, oral, liver and rectal cancer in women compared to teetotallers.

Chandigarh, March 3
Twentytwo years after the recommendations of the Third Pay Commission were accepted by the Punjab government, the school board employees will get the benefits of special pay, along with arrears.

Even as the state government employees are eagerly awaiting the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations, the teachers had to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court for getting the benefit of the Third Pay Commission.

Coming to their aid, the High Court has now held that Parshotam Lal and other teachers of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) were entitled to special pay of Rs 100 per month with effect from January 1, 1986.

Pronouncing the orders in an open court on a bunch of petitions with similar prayers, Justice Permod Kohli directed the State of Punjab and other respondents to “work out the arrears of special pay”.

Allowing the petitions without directing the imposition of costs, Justice Kohli further directed the respondents to pay the arrears “to the petitioners within a period of three months from the date a certified copy of this order is supplied to the authority competent”.

In one of the petitions, Parshotam Lal and 48 other teachers, through counsel Dheeraj Jain, had sought the benefit of special pay of Rs 100 per month with effect from January 1, 1986.

Adjudicating the matter, Justice Kohli asserted: Specific averment has been made in the writ petition that Third Pay Commission’s recommendations were accepted and the benefit was conferred upon the employees with effect from January 1, 1986, which has not been denied by the respondents.

Justice Kohli ruled: “This petition, accordingly, succeeds and disposed of with a direction to the respondents that the petitioners shall be entitled to special pay of Rs100 per month.”

Chandigarh, March 3
The Punjab and Haryana High Court is obviously dissatisfied with the way the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has collected samples from Dera Bassi-based Punjab Meats Limited (PML). The unit is owned by Dr AS Bindra, father of ace shooter Abhinav Bindra.

As the matter came up for hearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Hemant Gupta, CPCB counsel was verbally asked to explain how the sample was drawn, when the plant was not even functioning.

“What have you done?” asked Chief Justice Thakur, while speaking on the behalf of the Bench. “When the plant was not functioning, how could you take the sample?”

As the CPCB counsel looked for answers, Chief Justice Thakur further asked, “Why didn’t you ask them to start the plant?”

The Chief Justice asserted in the open court: “If the plant had been shut down deliberately, that is also a possibility, you should have approached us. You take samples from somewhere and go back. You say the effluent treatment plant has to be reengineered, how can you say that?”

Taking a note of the arguments raised by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) counsel, the Chief Justice pointed it out to the PML counsel there was hardly any improvement after the last sample was drawn.

Chief Justice Thakur added CPCB’s assertion that the treatment plant was to be reengineered, spelled deficiency. The Judge also reminded the counsel of an undertaking given by PML that the plant would be shut down in case of deficiency.

Fixing March 18 as the next date of hearing in the matter, the Bench asked PPCB to take samples, test them and submit a report to the court.

Appearing before the Bench, counsel for PML asserted the unit was functioning at 60 to 70 per cent capacity. He said the slaughter house too was operational.

Counsel added CPCB had come out with seven suggestions for upgradation. Out of the total, five had been complied with. Some of the suggestions, like lab facilities, had come for the first time. In any case, they had a regular environment consultant and were in touch with the Thapar Institute.

Counsel added the ETP had been upgraded and Rs 1.5 crore had been invested. In any case, the population in the vicinity was not being affected.

Chandigarh, March 3
The Punjab and Haryana High Court wants the trial court to furnish its comments on the alleged delay in trying Paramjit Singh Bheora in the Beant Singh assassination case.

Taking up an application forwarded by Bheora through Burail Jail, Justice Pritam Pal directed: Before proceeding in the matter, let the comments of the trial court be obtained for April 16.

An accused in Punjab’s former CM Beant Singh’s assassination matter, Bheora had earlier claimed the case against him had not come up for hearing for six months now.

In a communiqué, Bheora had asserted the “case of murder of Beant Singh is pending against me” and directions may be issued for hearing the matter at the earliest.