Bathinda, March 29
Even as the Election Commission is keen to rope in film stars and sportspersons as poll ambassadors to motivate young voters to exercise their right to franchise, the youth in the region already seem enthused enough to exercise their democratic right.

“People should know that exercising their franchise is not only their right but also their duty,” Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi is reported to have said.

And the youngsters, especially the first-time voters, definitely feel that they would vote not only because it is their right but also because they have a duty to initiate a change in the country’s political set-up. A majority of these youth said they would definitely exercise their right to franchise and try to bring about the much needed transformation.

Gagandeep, a student of Government Rajindra College in Bathinda, said, “Every party in power criticises the other party. But my vote still counts and I would vote.”

Satish, Sukhwinder, Rajveer and Baltej, Pawandeep, Isha, Ravneet and Maninder, all college-going students, also felt the same.

Manjinder Singh felt that things have not changed much and farmers, teachers and workers are where they were earlier. “My expectation from the forthcoming election is that my vote will help in getting the right candidate elected to power. Leaders become leaders because we choose them. I will strive to get someone who would look into the key issues and help in Bathinda’s development.”

Youngsters, especially girls, said they wanted a leader who would spread awareness about women’s liberation. “Girls have never been respected in Punjab. What is the point of us getting educated when we know that we would not derive much in terms of social equality through education? I would vote for someone who can generate equal opportunities for women,” said Soni Jha, a student of Government Rajindra College.

Some first-time voters stated that they would cast their vote but the decision about whom to vote for would be taken by their parents. And then there were some youngsters who felt that in spite of having a voter’s ID card, they would not vote because things would remain the same.

Akashdeep said, “I will not vote because politicians have divided us in the name of religion and caste. Our women are not respected and there are problems that have simple solutions but they refuse to end, courtesy our leaders. I feel that things would remain where they are. Then why should I waste my time in voting?”

Bathinda, March 29
Criticising the clean chit issued to Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, the accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today termed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the ‘Congress Bureau of Investigation’.

“Working at the behest of the Congress, the CBI has now lost its credibility. The development has jolted the Sikhs, who had borne the brunt of the riots. Adding salt to the injuries of Sikhs, the Congress has given party tickets to both of them,” he alleged.

Sukhbir was here today to campaign for his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is the SAD (B) candidate for the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat.

Lashing out at Raninder Singh, the Congress candidate for the Bathinda LS seat, Sukhbir alleged, “Ever since his candidature was announced, he has not visited the constituency. It is ironical that he is not adhering to his schedule of visiting the constituency while people here are waiting for a glimpse of his.”

On Raninder’s making a list of police and civil officials and submitting the same to the Election Commission of India, he said, “It was a blatant violation of the model code of conduct as he was trying to threaten the officers who were performing their duties impartially.”

On various SAD men joining the Congress, including former SAD MLAs Inderjit Singh Zira and Ranjit Singh Chhajalwadi, Sukhbir said, “It was nothing but a cleansing process of the SAD (B). The residual waste was accumulating in the Congress.”

In a lighter vein, he added that if such practices continued, the Congress would have to launch a new wing the ‘Congress-I (Akali).

On a question related to the recently launched move of the radical Sikhs against the Dera Sacha Sauda, Sukhbir said, “Being the home minister of the state, I would ensure that law and order is maintained.”

Before leaving, he claimed to win Bathinda seat with highest margin in the state as the poll was one-sided.

Abohar, March 29
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal addressed six meetings organised by the warring factions of the SAD and BJP on Sunday besides individuals in this sub-divisional town while kick-starting the election campaign of the alliance candidate Sher Singh Ghubaya. Not only the CM but his younger brother Gurdas Singh Badal and Ghubaya also sought to remind the workers of the popular saying, “united we stand, divided we fall.”

The CM was here for six hours during which he had tea, breakfast and lunch at different places.

His stay in the meeting organised by the liquor barons inside their business complex was for about 56 minutes while he consumed nearly 8 minutes and 34 seconds in addressing members of Zila Parishad, Panchayat Samitis and sarpanches during a brief visit to the residence of the Balluana MLA Gurtej Singh Ghuriana of the SAD. The circle Akali Dal of Balluana segment organised a rally at a distance of 50 metres from the residence of the party legislator (Ghuriana). The city units of the SAD and BJP held separate rallies inside the marriage palaces located on the East and West roads.

Interestingly, legislator Gurtej Singh Ghuriana accompanied the CM to the massive rally organised by the organisational wing but the banners displayed there ignored his name. The VIPs also avoided mentioning his presence on the dais, while addressing the rally. The SAD general council member, Surinder Saluja and circle president Kaur Singh, conducted the proceedings. They said people have thronged the rally only because of Gurdas Singh Badal.

Former MP Gurdas Singh Badal, known as the “think-tank” of the SAD felt sorry for not having kept the promises made to the electorate of the Balluana segment during the last Vidhan Sabha election.

“I had told you that you would have twin legislators by voting for the SAD candidate but I have failed. I reiterate my promise for taking the CM to each village after the Lok Sabha elections and get your problems solved.

Gurdas and Ghubaya did not make any direct reference but said, "You may have grievances with the local legislator or be unhappy with the functioning of someone else, but the Lok Sabha election is a question of prestige for Parkash Singh Badal who always stood by you.”

The CM said he could not find the time to keep his word about visiting the villages during the past two years. In fact, the whole of the family needs to be involved to come to people’s expectations, he said. “You must realise that the Congress had been discriminating with Punjab in development and allocation of big industries. We should vote the NDA to power at the Centre, it is in our interest,” Badal said.

Earlier, the CM during an interaction with the media blamed the UPA government for ignoring Punjab. He categorically said that the state government is unable to run the Rs 34 crore agro-juice plant here. “Actually, bureaucrats cannot be expected to run commercial establishments. We will have to switch over to privatisation in all such ventures.”

The CM was, however, evasive when asked why the present government had released only Rs 3 crore during the past two years for development works in this town. 

Abohar, March 29
Buoyed over the “results” of his five-hour marathon meeting with local legislator Sunil Jakhar, at the latter's residence here, AICC member and party candidate Jagmeet Singh Brar, claimed that all the Congress legislators and former MLAs will soon put a united show on a common platform.

Speaking to the media at the residence of former MLA Parkash Singh Bhatti here this afternoon, the firebrand former MP refused to divulge the details but confirmed that Guruharsahai MLA Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi was also present during the meeting held inside closed doors. Dr Mohinder Rinwa, former MLA from Fazilka, was also present at the press meet. All sought to convey that the party is totally united.

Brar took Badals to task for falsely claiming that they had got the Raisikh community in the SC list. "We have been fighting for this cause for the last five decades and persuaded AICC president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to get Raisikhs included in the SC list. We will try our best to get a the similar status for the Nayak community after the elections."

Earlier, while kick-starting his election campaign at a well-attended rally outside Bhatti's residence on the Seeto Road here, Jagmeet Singh Brar made a scathing attack on Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal for reportedly giving a call to the electorate to push him (Brar) to Pakistan by defeating again in the Lok Sabha election.

“I have toured all the Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab and I am confident that Congress is heading for a sweeping win. Sukhbir will be known as former Deputy CM, three months after the results are declared. This inefficient and dictatorial government in Punjab is sure to fall. The Badal family has allegedly forced the permit holders to surrender their permits and dispose of buses to raise their family business (transport) tally to 1000. They acquired all the sandmines. They have made Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sher Singh Ghubaya a scapegoat as none else was ready to contest as the alliance candidate from Ferozepore constituency. I avoid joining personal issues and prefer to contest on broader issues of national interest,” Brar said.

Interestingly, the cavalcade of the CM Parkash Singh Badal also passed through the Seeto road where the Congress was holding its first election rally. Former legislators Dr Mohinder Rinwa and Parkash Singh Bhatti said during the rally that the time for teaching a befitting lesson to the SAD-BJP combine for their alleged misrule has come. 

Bathinda, March 29
Shahi Imam, Punjab, Habib-Ur-Rehman Ludhianvi, who is also the president of the All India Majlis Ahrar, has announced support for all the Lok Sabha candidates of the Shiromani Akali Dal (B) in the state.

Claiming to have 25 lakh votes in the state, Habib-Ur-Rehman, said here today, “Before the SAD (B) came into force, nobody sought the Muslim votes, which were centralised in Malerkotla. It is due to Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal that the Muslims got representation in all district cells.”

“In Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency, we have over one lakh votes of our community, most of which would be cast in favour of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the SAD (B) candidate,” the Shahi Imam said.

To a query, he said, “We have no alliance with the BJP. Till the Babri mosque issue is resolved, we cannot even think about it. So, we are offering support to the SAD (B) only and not to their electoral ally.” — TNS

Fazilka, March 29
Thousands of litigants of Fazilka and surrounding areas and adjoining towns of Abohar and Jalalabad stand deprived of their basic right of getting justice at their doorstep.

This is mainly due to the reason that Ferozepur district is spread longitudinally over a distance of about 150 kilometres from areas of Zira sub-division touching the Rajasthan border in Abohar sub-division.

The poor litigants of Abohar, Fazilka towns and surrounding villages have to cover a distance of about 250 km in to and fro journey to Ferozepur for attending the court of the sessions judge. It is time consuming and expensive for the poor litigants.

The members of the Bar Association, Fazilka, have time and again raised the issue of setting up the court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) at Fazilka. They have raised this point many times before the visiting judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court during the annual visit at Fazilka and at different legal platforms.

They have also urged the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court several times pleading that the thousands of litigants of these areas stand deprived of their basic right of getting justice at their doorstep as envisaged in the constitution of India.

The members have pointed that different prime ministers have so many times said that the people shall get speedy justice at their doorsteps. Chief Justice of India S Balalakrishanan is also making sustained efforts for delivering speedy justice at their doorsteps.

He has held several seminars on this subject. Eminent lawyer and former president, Bar Association, Fazilka, Rajesh Angi, has in a statement traced some history of the legal procedure. He has said that the criminal procedure code was amended in 1973 and the evidence of sessions trial cases at lower courts was abrogated.

Since then, all the cases under the criminal procedure code have to be tried at the sessions court level. As such the number of pending cases at the district and sessions court is growing.

He says that after carving out Abohar sub-division in 1986 and Jalalabad sub-division out of Fazilka sub-division, the judicial courts were set up in the year 1992 and 2004 respectively in these towns. He says that by setting up the court of the ADSJ at Fazilka, the cases of litigants of these areas which are at an equal distance of 30 kilometers from Fazilka, can be tried here.

They shall be saved of tiresome and expensive journey. He has also cited the example of the neighbouring state of Rajasthan where the courts of the additional district judge have been established at the sub-division level. In some cases, even the camp courts of the ADJ have been set up in Rajasthan. Such a step can go a long way in securing speedy justice to the poor litigants at their doorstep. 

Amritsar, March 29
The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) would present its annual budget of about Rs 450 crore for 2009-10 at the historic Teja Singh Samundari Hall here tomorrow.

Last year, the budget was to the tune of Rs 387 crore, which was passed amid boycott by opposition members, including those from Haryana.

A premature encashment of the fixed deposits of the Dharm Parchar Committee (DPC) and the Golden Temple to fund Guru Granth Sahib World University at Fatehgarh Sahib, SGPC's Miri Piri Medical College, Shabaz Markanda (Haryana) and Guru Ram Dass Medical College, etc, is bound to raise many an eyebrow in the panthic circles. The break up of the Rs 273-crore supplementary budget, earmarked for the Sikh shrines in Punjab and Haryana, shows that the budget for Darbar Sahib would be as Rs 114 crore, Takht Kesgarh Sahib Rs 23 crore, Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Rs 1,024 crore, Darbar Sahib, Tarn Taran, Rs 7.11 crore, Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib Rs 15 crore and Darbar Sahib, Muktsar, Rs 3.3 crore. Last year, the SGPC had earmarked Rs 226 crore for the management of gurdwaras under its jurisdiction all over Punjab and Haryana and Rs 52 crore for educational institutions.

The general board fund for 2009-10 is Rs 31 crore while Rs 10 crore would be spent on the Gurbani and Gurmat literature.

The education funds would be Rs 15.35 crore while Rs 4.25 crore has been earmarked for Golden Offset Printing Press, Rs 20.28 crore for trust funds and Rs 58 crore for schools and colleges.

Bathinda, March 29
Considering the high infant mortality rate in state, doctors from the Rural Medical Services Association (RMSA), Punjab, working under Zila Parishads, in a statement today said it was imperative that all efforts were made to improve the health of newborns by educating people and health personnel working in this area.

Dr Aslam Parvez, state president of the RMSA, said the rural doctors were holding camps in rural areas across the state to disseminate information on infanticide. He said, "High infant mortality rate is mainly due to high neonatal mortality rate."

Sources said the association had chalked out plans for holding educational and motivational camps, talks and seminars involving health staff, anganwadi workers, NGOs, ASHA workers and panchayats across the state.

“It is important to educate the people about common causes of newborn deaths, which were due to infections, diarrhoea, congenital malformations and birth defects among others,” a doctor said.

The sources said importance would be given to educate old ladies. "Our main aim will be to educate and sensitise old women to bring their daughters and daughters-in-law for institutional deliveries, education of expectant mothers about various problems, nutrition counselling and supplementation of iron and vitamins, and 100 per cent immunisation of the children."

Doctors said they were seeing a lot of discrimination towards girl child. A male child gets priority when it comes to immunisation, health, nutrition or education. They said they were making efforts to change the mindset of people towards girls in Punjab.

Bathinda, March 29
Following a news report published in The Tribune about uranium found in hair samples of children in Punjab, Dr Carrin Smith and Dr Vera Dirr have come to India from South Africa to take samples of urine and blood of the children for further research.

Baba Farid Centre for Special Children, Faridkot, today admitted around 10 children for the samples. Presence of uranium in these children has attracted a lot of interest from all over the world and experts have now decided to test the soil and canal water to ascertain the cause of presence of uranium.

Dr Smith said, "If hair shows traces of uranium then the body would contain high level of the metal. But we have to find out from where this uranium is coming and how grave is the problem."

According to sources, mentally challenged children need to undergo detoxification, which would cost Rs 3 to 6 lakh per year and the treatment may go on for four years.

"The detoxification of the children would prove very expensive for the Indian government. Keeping this in mind, we are requesting other countries to extend financial help," Dr Smith added.

He also appealed to the NGOs and the government to come forward and work for eradicating the root cause of uranium presence, which would be ascertained soon.

Naturopath Preetpal Singh, who is working with the centre, said, "We have admitted 10 children. Their samples would be taken for further testing, which would be conducted in German laboratories. We would keep these children under observation."

Meanwhile, Dr Smith said that the reports of hair samples were sent to the National Child Right Protection Commission, New Delhi, and a response from the Commission was awaited.

Bathinda, March 29
Political personalities cutting across party lines today mourned the sad demise of Captain Kanwaljit Singh, Punjab minister for cooperation.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the SAD candidate for Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, "It is unfortunate and a big loss to the party. He was one of the most articulate leaders of the party. He was also making efforts to give a modern face to the SAD (B)." Raninder Singh, Congress candidate for the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat said, "I share my heart-felt condolence with the bereaved family. He was the leading voice of this region. His demise would not only be a loss to his party but to the whole region."

Harminder Singh Jassi, Congress MLA from Bathinda, "He was a gem of a person. The news of his death is really shocking. Despite being an Akali minister, he never refused me any grant for my constituency. When I was chairman, Markfed, during all the meetings, he appeared to be a man of values."

Hardev Singh Arshi, CPI candidate for the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency said, "He was a real Akali leader. His father had played an important role in the development of the old PEPSU region and following in his footsteps, he too performed his work with dedication and honesty."

Jagdeep Singh Nakai, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Cooperation, said, "He was an upright minister, who was open to all. When I came to know about the road accident, I cancelled all meetings and immediately left for Chandigarh but unfortunately, I received news of his death on my way."