Amritsar, March 23
President of the SGPC Avtar Singh has said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be honoured with a siropa (robe of honour) at the Golden Temple here tomorrow.

Unprecedented security for the visit of the Prime Minister here today converted the holy city into a police cantonment. He is likely to visit the Golden Temple at 6 am tomorrow to avoid inconvenience to devotees due to security arrangements. After offering prayers at the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple, he would visit Durgiana Temple at 7.10 am.

According to Ramesh Sharma, finance secretary, Durgiana Management Committee, the Prime Minister would be honoured with a siropa by the head priest of the temple.

Meanwhile, talking to The Tribune, SGPC president said though no formal memorandum was being given to Dr Manmohan Singh, who is on a private visit to the town, the SGPC would definitely seek his support to take up among other issues the racist attack on London’s gurdwara with the countries concerned. 

The SGPC president said he would also urge the Prime Minister to take up the matter with his Pakistani counterpart for providing security to around 300 families of Hindus and Sikhs, who had taken shelter in Sikh shrines there due to growing influence of Taliban.

Earlier, the Prime Minister landed at Rajasansi International Airport at 6.10 pm. He was received by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, PPCC president Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Congress candidate from Amritsar Om Parkash Soni, MLA Sukh Sarkaria, Prof Darbari Lal, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Jasbir Singh Dimpa, Shallinder Shalley and senior leaders of the SAD, BJP and the Congress.

Khatkar Kalan (Nawanshahr), March 23
Political parties today exploited the martyrdom day function of Shaheed Bhagat Singh to project their candidates and criticise rivals in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

The patriotic fervour was not noticed at the function and the candidates accompanied by party presidents preferred to address the rally to paying homage at the martyr’s memorial.

At the Congress rally, more was said about the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh and former minister Darshan Singh Kaypee than martyrdom of Bhagat Singh. 

The shift in focus was due to the projection of the background of party’s Anandpur Sahib constituency candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu, a grandson of Beant Singh, and the presence of PPCC president Mohinder Singh Kaypee, party candidate from Jalandhar.

Kaypee, mincing no words, said SAD candidate and CM’s media adviser Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema did not have any connection with the Anandpur Sahib constituency. “Born and brought up in Gurdaspur, he has practised in Jalandhar and now the candidate from this area,” he remarked.

The rivals, lashing out at the Congress candidate, said Bittu was a novice in politics. The Akali-BJP function was late by an hour as SAD chief Sukhbir Badal reached the venue around 2.50 pm.

That Shaheed-e-Azam’s ideology cuts across all cultural, social and even gender divides, was evident when nearly 33 girls from Government Senior Secondary School, Mahilpur, were spotted sporting saffron turbans a la Bhagat Singh’s style during the homage ceremony at the martyr’s memorial at Khatkar Kalan here today.

Amardeep Kaur, a member of the contingent, said, “I was feeling a bit shy in the morning, but now I am enjoying wearing it.” The girls were a part of a team brought here by the Awareness Mission run by physically challenged Chandigarh Police sub-inspector Ram Dyal Hookran.

Ram Dyal said his idea of making the girls don the turban was that they be put into the attire of Bhagat Singh, make them feel like him and even think like him. 

Hussainiwala (Ferozepur), March 23
Warm tributes were paid to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru on their martyrdom day here today.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal placed floral petals on the martyrs’ samadhi situated at the Indo-Pakistan border in the morning. Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sukhpal Singh Nannu and Lok Sabha candidate of the SAD-BJP Sher Singh Gubhaiya from this constituency also paid tributes to the martyrs.

At Hussainiwala, on the bank of the Sutlej, the bodies of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, along with Sukhdev and Rajguru, were cremated secretly by the British regime after their hanging in Lahore Central Jail in 1931.

Political leaders, including Congress leader Brar, who is contesting the LS poll from here, and PPCC general secretary Vijay Sathi and former ministers Ravinder Babbal and Bal Mukand, also paid tributes to the martyrs.

As the model code of conduct for the LS election was in force no political conference was held on the occasion. There were reports of functions at various other places in Ferozepur and Moga districts by various organisations. Members of the All-India Youth Federation and the All-India Students Federation held a function at Moga to pay tributes to the martyrs.

Leaders of the CPI and CPM participated in a separate function.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, to a question of mediapersons, said his son who is president of the SAD, would announce party candidate for the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat. He said glory of the Malwa belt would be restored and the Dera Sacha Sauda was no more an issue in the area.

Jalandhar, March 23
Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Iqbal Singh has to give up claim to ticket for the Amritsar seat because of his increased responsibilities in Bihar. Hailing from Jalandhar, Iqbal Singh is also in charge of the Bihar Congress. He will be responsible for Congress’ performance in the state, especially in the changed scenario.

He says the Congress will not only increase its percentage of votes manifold but also secure at least five times more seats against the three seats it won in the last Lok Sabha elections in 2004.

Claiming that the betrayal by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) supremo Ram Vilas Paswan in the eleventh hour will prove “blessing in disguise” for the Congress, Iqbal Singh said his party would revive its lost base in Bihar.

Talking to The Tribune on the phone from Delhi, a former Rajya Sabha member, Iqbal Singh said it was unlikely that the Congress would reconsider its decision of not fielding its candidates on those three seats in Bihar where Lalu and Paswan were trying their luck. Lalu is trying his luck on two seats of Patliputra and Saran.

A veteran Congress leader, Iqbal Singh said the Congress would field its candidates on 37 out of total 40 seats in Bihar despite the fact that the RJD had announced to contest even those three seats of Aurangabad, Sarsaram and Madhubani where the Congress had won last time.

The Congress leader said he preferred not to express his willingness to the Congress high command to contest from Amritsar due to his increased engagements in Bihar after the tie-up of Lalu and Paswan.

He did not forget to thank the leaders and workers of Amritsar for asking him to contest from there after Jalandhar became a reserved seat in fresh delimitation.

Iqbal Singh has been Rajya Sabha member from 1992 to 1998. He is also looking after Assam and Andhra Pradesh units of the party.

Sangrur, March 23
Regarding the election agenda of the Third Front, comprising the CPI, CPM, RSP, Forward Bloc, TDP, AIADMK, JD (S) and BJD, in the current Lok Sabha (LS) elections, a member of the national executive of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Dr Joginder Dayal, said it would be based on pro-people economic policies and improvement in the living conditions of the common masses, besides availability of education and healthcare facilities to all.

Talking to The Tribune today, Dr Dayal said the Third Front would also emphasise on curbing the growing gap between the poor and the rich, strengthening of democratic and secular institutions, implementation of true federal structure to give more fiscal powers to the states, decentralisation of powers, curbing of communal forces etc.

Dr Dayal said as people were against the pro-imperialistic economic policies of the UPA and the NDA, so the Third Front would emerge as a big force in the country. 

He also said the BJP had resorted to its old communal agenda by reviving the issue of Ram Mandir, due to which its alliance partners one after another were leaving it.

Chandigarh, March 23
The Election Commission of India has asked the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Punjab, to send fresh proposal on the printing of “written material” that supplements free coaching classes held by the Edusat Society of the state.

The ECI has asked the state to again represent the case following representation given by the Gyan Sewa Trust- NGO collaborating with the state government for the project.

Over 10,000 poor students of Class XII of government schools in the state are enrolled for free Edusat crash course for pre medical and engineering entrance tests. These virtual coaching sessions are going to be “received” at 195 centres across the state while teachers deliver lectures at the Edusat hub in Mohali.

The ECI had not allowed the state government to print the material needed for these classes till the elections are over. This decision of the ECI was criticised as it affected several poor students who depend on these free coaching classes to prepare for entrance tests.

Sources add members of the Gyan Sewa Trust met the ECI this afternoon which has forwarded the trust’s representation to the state electoral officer. The CEO Punjab is expected to send a proposal to the ECI again with recommendations.

Kusumji Sidhu CEO, Punjab, said she had nothing to say to the Press. When contacted again and asked about the Edusat Society proposal she said, “There is nothing that I have to say. I am very busy.”

While the state Edusat Society provides printed material to these students free of cost the Gyan Sewa Trust provides free services of teachers to the society. “If the state is not allowed to print written material, we would have to find ways to get the material printed on our own for the sake of student’s future,” said HS Phoolka chairman of the trust.

Chandigarh, March 23
Fastway News is back on television sets two days after the channel claimed it does not produce news. Today the channel highlighted Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s visit to Bathinda yesterday, as well as the visit of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to the martyr’s memorial at Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district today.

All this apparently does not constitute news for the channel which in its evening “Punjab Ais Vale” (Punjab Right Now), also reported today’s activities of the jyotish sammelan at Nabha, an alumni meet at Hoshiarpur and a rally by the Bharatiya Valmiki Samaj at Ferozepur.

The channel has been accused of telecasting news programmes illegally and a complaint in this regard was submitted to the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) two days back. The channel had temporarily pulled off its news programme as well as telecast of other channels to which objections had been raised, but they are all back on the air again.

It seems the Chief Electoral Officer’s office here, which has earlier taken the rule that it was not clear about the law in this case, is still not clear on the issue despite having received reports from most of the Deputy Commissioners in the State. The DCs had been asked to inquire into the allegations leveled by the Congress.

State Additional CEO RL Kapoor when questioned, said, “Procedural methodology has to be understood and that the matter is still under investigation”. When asked what the various Deputy Commissioners had written in their reports, he said a few had mentioned that permission had been given to Fastway to show various kinds of programmes. 

When asked whether “news” constituted part of the permission, he said it was still being ascertained as to who could give permission in this regard.

Meanwhile, sources disclosed that local channels had in some cases taken permission to air programmes from DCs, but there was no specific permission to air news. The cable TV regulation act only allows broadcasting of films, features, drama, advertisement, audio, video presentation, live performance, serial through VCR or VCPs. 

Amritsar, March 23
The elections of the Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD), the oldest Sikh Body, saw Charanjit Singh Chadha winning the post of president for a third consecutive term by a voice vote yesterday. The faction of Dr Harbhajan Singh Soch boycotted the elections.

The elections were held in the presence of Giani Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar of Akal Takht. As many as 239 out of 345 members attended the meeting.

The other office-bearers of the diwan from the Chadha group, including Dr Santokh Singh, Bhag Singh Ankhi and Nirmal Singh, were elected vice-president, secretary (honorary) and resident president, respectively.

However, Dr Soch, former Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, said he would take legal recourse to challenge the election of the Chadha faction. Earlier, a petition of Dr Soch seeking the elections through secret ballot was dismissed by the local court.

Dr Soch said the elections of the diwan were held in violation of its constitution. However, Major Sarkaria, one of the oldest members of the body, expressed happiness over peaceful elections.

The diwan has an annual budget of about Rs 16 crore and runs hundreds of educational and social institutes, including an orphanage where Shaheed Udham Singh was brought up.

After a gap of about five years, Tarlochan Singh, a Rajya Sabha member and former Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, in a missive to Giani Gurbachan Singh had urged him to ensure that the elections were held amicably.

Chandigarh, March 23
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) today transferred Chief Engineer, North, as Chief Engineer, Jalandhar, today following complaints that he had violated the model code of conduct by distributing meters and other goods to help the ruling SAD-BJP alliance in the polls.

Though state Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) RL Kapoor refused to confirm the development, sources disclosed that Thind had been transferred.

Earlier Congress candidate from Khadoor Sahib, Rana Gurjit Singh, had complained to the CEO that Thind was distributing electrical meters as well as other goods in parts of Kapurthala district and also Mansa and Bathinda.

The CEO had asked the Board to carry out an inquiry in this regard which did not substantiate any of the allegations. However, following more complaints against Thind, the CEO had directed the Secretary, PSEB, to go into the complaints again. The sources said the Chief Engineer was transferred as fallout of this development. 

Chandigarh, March 23
Did the Punjab government violate the model code of conduct in re-employing a Deputy Secretary in the Home Department?

Insiders maintain that though the operation of the model code of conduct started immediately after the Election Commission announced Lok Sabha elections’ schedule on March 2, the Punjab Chief Minister cleared the re-employment of Bharat Bhushan Sethi, Deputy Secretary, Home, for another year on March 3.

Sethi was otherwise scheduled to retire on February 27 on attaining superannuation. His retirement was, interestingly, notified in the state gazette of February 27.

Re-employment normally requires sanction of the Council of Ministers.

But in this case, though the file for his re-employment was cleared in the back date (February 26), no sanction was taken from the Council of Ministers that held its meetings on February 27 and March 2.

The Chief Minister, while giving one-year extension to Sethi, had put the rider of a post-facto sanction of the Council of Ministers to the clearance. But, since the sanction was not taken at two meetings held before the code of conduct became applicable, the action has raised resentment among employees.

The Deputy Secretary, Home, holds sensitive charge, including that of the establishment that makes postings and transfers of IPS and PPS officers besides handling affairs of NRIs, Home Guards and the release of prisoners on parole. Besides, he also deals with files relating to the Department of Law and Justice.

A couple of other officers, especially PPS officers, have also been given extension by the present SAD-BJP government. Their extension in service, like that of Sethi, is still to be ratified or endorsed by the Council of Ministers. One of them got extension in service for a year in August last year. He is an SP.

“It is a routine matter,” says a senior functionary of the government, maintaining that the sanction of the Council of Ministers was only a formality after the head of the State, the Chief Minister, had cleared the related extension on file.

He says that all extensions are in accordance with the laid down procedures.

Jalandhar, March 23
Things seem to have come a full circle for a majority of Americans agriculturists who are going organic in a big way giving the go-by to conventional farming.

Interestingly, this development has taken place at the global level when the Punjab Farmers Commission report has ruled out such farming on a major scale in the state citing several reasons that have been widely reported and debated in the media.

Talking to TNS, Dr Vincent Amanor-Boadu, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, said the farmers here were resorting to the indiscriminate use of fertilisers and pesticides that were not only ruining the environment, but also posed a great danger to the food chain and people, whereas American farmers were adopting organic farming in deference to the larger dangers that conventional farming posed to the environment.

Although the figures were not presently available about the numbers of farmers who have taken to organic farming, the increasing floor space being given to organic products in all stores across the US were an apt indicator that people were opting for healthier foods frown in an healthy environment, he pointed out.

When told about the large presence of pesticides and fertilisers in the groundwater, he said although their farmers too used such inputs, they could not use them indiscriminately in view of strict laws that dealt with such matters. For example, a farmer could not spray his fields if the wind was blowing beyond the prescribed velocity, he added.

Commenting on the agricultural policy back home, he disclosed that the number of farmers was on the decrease in the past, but their numbers is on the rise again since the government relaxed norms for an individual to avail benefits of being a farmer, he said.

Dr Vincent said another reason for doing this was that the US government wanted more farmers to avail of the concessions to produce more foodgrains that could be procured for not only its people, but also for meeting its huge social obligations under various UN mandated food aid programmes across the world.

He also said that the basic problem plaguing the Indian farmers was the shrinking land holding while an average American farmer owned around 450 - 500 acres. The farmers there mostly grew wheat, maize, soya and sorghum as compared to the wheat - paddy cycle here, he added.

Reacting to a query on the percentage of African-Americans owning farms, he said their numbers were few and mostly concentrated in the Southern states.

He also revealed that it had been seen that the number of women opting to run family farms was on the rise. Many were widows while others were daughters who were returning home to take over the reins of their inheritance.

The 40-member delegation today visited the farms of the Jalandhar Potato Growers Association and saw the farm operations here.

Patiala, March 23
Government procurement agencies have said they would not lift wheat stocks till all their demands are met. Officials of state government agencies Markfed, Pungrain, Warehousing Corporation, Punsup and Punjab Agro today met at a specially conveyed meeting here and decided to take this step.

Their demands include the clearance of 48 lakh metric tonne of wheat stocks lying with the government agencies. Krishan Sangruri, who has been made convener of a co-ordination committee, comprising officials of the five agencies, said it was not possible for the agencies to lift stocks since it already had 48 lakh metric tonne of wheat in their stocks.

The agencies were running short of space and from April 1, when fresh wheat stocks start arriving in mandis, the agencies could not accommodate more stocks.

He said long-pending demand for concrete floor to stock fresh wheat arrivals had not been fulfilled yet.

As per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the agencies had been asked to pass on all the wheat stocks lying with them to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) before March 31. However, the government had taken no concrete steps to adhere to the orders, he claimed.

Criticising the government’s decision to make use of plastic bags to store wheat, Sangruri said it was necessary that air crossed the bags to prevent stocks from rot. Moreover, Sangruri said, the plastic bags would lead to more wastage.

The meeting also decided that if their demands were not met, they would first hold a rally in Jalandhar on March 30 and then abstain from work from April 1, when the procurement season in Punjab started.

Patiala, March 23
Paddy bonus, announced by the Central Government in 2008, still seems to be a distant dream for a large number of farmers who are running from pillar to post to get their cheques enchashed.

Most of the farmers who were still running around to realise their bonus payments were those who had got cheques directly from two state procurement agencies---Punjab Agro and Punsup. As many as five procurement agencies--Punjgrain, Markfed, Warehousing Corporation, Punjab Agro and Punsup-- had purchased paddy crop from farmers.

While Punjab Agro and Punsup had distributed their cheques directly to farmers, other three procurement agencies had given cheques through commission agents.

A large number of those farmers, who had got their cheques directly, were forced to suffer as payment had got delayed for a number of factors like mentioning of wrong names on cheques handed over to them by the respective agencies.

District Food and Supply controller Ajayvir Singh said cheques with wrong names were being rectified at war-footing to facilitate early payment to farmers.

Chandigarh, March 23
Jalandhar Municipal Corporation’s operation against nursing homes and hospitals operating without authorisation from the residential areas has been put to hold. The matter is currently pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Taking up the issue of commercial establishments running business from the residential areas, the Jalandhar MC had given a month’s notice to the “violators running hospitals and nursing homes from residential buildings”. They were asked to restore the buildings to their original use. The notice period expired on February 28.

In an affidavit filed before the high court Division Bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Hemant Gupta, Jalandhar municipal town planner MD Sharma stated the affected doctors made representations to the government, on the basis of which a high-level meeting was held on February 16 under the chairmanship of the local government minister.

Among others, the principal secretary and the director, local government, were present at the meeting. The issue of formulating a policy and asking the corporation authorities not to act till then was discussed. 

After detailed deliberations, it was decided that the government would consider the matter and the policy would be framed. It was further decided to file an affidavit before the high court Division Bench for seeking six months time to frame the policy.

Another decision was taken to direct Jalandhar MC commissioner not to initiate further proceedings by the civic body against hospitals and institutions as mentioned in the corporation’s speaking order on the issue, dated January 28. The affidavit added the senior town planner had put the action to be taken in pursuance of the speaking order in abeyance.

After going through the affidavit and the rival contentions, the Bench made it clear that it would like to hear Punjab advocate-general Hardev Singh Mattewal on the issue before passing any order in the matter. The case will now come up for further hearing before the Bench on Tuesday. 

Sangrur, March 23
Acting upon the report of the local SDM-cum-Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) for the Sangrur Assembly constituency, the police has registered a case against unknown activists of the Student Organisation of India (SOI) for allegedly violating the provisions of the election model code of conduct and the orders issued by the district magistrate under Section 144, CrPC. The police has registered a case under Section 188, IPC, in this regard.

The SOI had organised a meeting on March 20 in a hall situated in the complex of Gurdwara Nanakiana Sahib here. This meeting was attended among others by Punjab PWD Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa and president, SOI, Gurpreet Singh Raju Khanna. 

At the meeting the minister had also allegedly violated the code by asking the SOI members and activists that the current elections were the biggest fight, so all had to fight the same with full strength. Khanna had also stated that the Congress leaders were issuing statements against the SOI, seeing their defeat (in elections).

According to sources, in the report sent to the local DSP the SDM-cum-ARO mentioned that activists of the SOI had violated the code and orders issued by the district magistrate under Section 144, CrPC. The ARO also mentioned no prior approval for the rally had been taken from him.