 |
|
|
River Inter-linking
After facing heat & dust, candidates
Labour woes: Mechanised paddy transplanter is the answer
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
PTU students in a fix over results
Dera Visit
Unscheduled power cuts on the rise
Women seek bigger role in governance
Labourers take possession of govt land
‘Scrap FIR against 11 riot victims’
Rice millers laud Kairon’s efforts
Central forces to guard counting centres
Panchayat Secretaries
|
River Inter-linking
Chandigarh, May 14 Political parties in Punjab are turning his utterances on the “inter-linking” of rivers throughout the country into a political issue. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has been forced to issue a statement saying that “the issue of distribution of river waters could be resolved only through an honest application of nationally and internationally accepted Riparian principle”, without contradicting Modi directly at this stage. In what came as a bolt from the blue for Badal were Modi’s utterances from the NDA stage in the presence of Badal when he said: “The NDA is committed in principal to inter-linking all rivers in the country so that not a single drop of water goes waste and is shared between all farmers of the country”. He went on to add: “Badal sahib has already taken a pledge to facilitate the inter- linking of rivers”. Various political parties, including the Congress has termed this as a “conspiracy to give Punjab’s water to other states”. Capt Amarinder Singh, during his tenure as Chief Minister, had got the Vidhan Sabha to pass an Act annulling all water sharing agreements. Water sharing has been a bone of contention between Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. Badal says: “There can be no deviation from the Riparian Principle and we are committed to ensuring that this is not sacrificed while implementing any proposal on inter-linking of river waters. To us, everything comes after the interests of the state had been safeguarded under the Riparian Principle.” In an attempt to clarify Modi’s statement, Badal further said the proposed plan on inter-linking of rivers in the country for judicious and optimum utilisation of water, the SAD and the government would support any proposal so long as it conformed to the Riparian Principle and did not compromise the interests of the state. Badal has clarified that before going ahead with the proposal made by Modi and replicating the “Gujarat Model of inter-linking rivers”, this issue would be discussed and analysed by the top decision-making body of the SAD, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC). He said the SAD will “support the proposal only so long as it does not run against the declared stance of the party on this issue”. Meanwhile, the Congress and other parties like the Left are leaving no opportunity to embarrass the SAD-BJP alliance on the issue.
|
|
After facing heat & dust, candidates seek respite
Chandigarh, May 14 Most candidates have their mobiles switched off and are not accessible except to close friends and relatives. For instance, Khadoor Sahib candidate Rana Gurjit Singh is not available on any of his three mobile numbers. So is the case with many others who are taking it easy and waiting to see how the results unfold. For instance, Gurdaspur BJP candidate Vinod Khanna says, “Jeetenge to ghumenge,” adding that it all depended on the result. Candidates like Congress Sangrur candidate Vijay Inder Singla want to take a break but say they might be needed in Delhi immediately after the results due to the fractured mandate being predicted by most exit polls. However, for some a break is very much on the cards. The Congress campaign committee chairman, Capt Amarinder Singh, when questioned on this some days back said he would ask Congress President Sonia Gandhi to allow him a three-week break so that he could start work on building a house in Kandiali in Himachal Pradesh. Congress Ferozepur candidate Jagmeet Singh Brar is also planning to take a few days off and spend some time with the family at his small ‘hut’ in Chail. Congress Gurdaspur candidate Partap Singh Bajwa says he is going to the Darbar Sahib tomorrow to offer prayers along with his son, who is visiting him. He said post-counting he expected to take time off with his family and go to the hills. SAD Bathinda candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal says she is itching to get back to her social project ‘nanhi chaan’ “which I have neglected for nearly three months”. “If I win there is the dhanwadi daura (thanks-giving round), she says, adding that her husband and kids had, however, convinced themselves that they needed to take a holiday. I only want to go where it is cool,” she says.
|
|
Labour woes: Mechanised paddy transplanter
Jalandhar, May 14 Last year, owing to a shortage of labour the cost of paddy transplantation had gone up from Rs 800 per acre to Rs 1,600 per acre. This year, too, the government authorities are apprehending a shortage of migrant labour from Bihar. A demonstration of a paddy-transplantation machine was held here on Monday. Many farmers attended the demonstration. These machines have been brought from China, Korea and other countries. The However, the state government, which has planned to provide 700 such machines The government has planned to give maximum number of machines to agricultural cooperative societies from where small farmers can get it these on rent. A machine with eight plant-handling lines can transplant paddy on 3 acres in a day. However, only a specialised paddy nursery on polythene sheets in squares of pre-fixed dimensions will be needed for plantation through the machine. Whereas the machine transplants 33-36 plants on 1 sq m, the labour transplants only 18 or 20 plants. The machines maintain an equidistance of 5 or 7 in from one plantation to other. With its one transplanting arm, the machine plants three or four plants at a place. District Agriculture Officer Kulbir Singh Deol and Agriculture Engineer Manmohan Kalia said field trials had proved that there could be up to 10 per cent more yield from the paddy transplanted with these machines. The government would also give Rs 4,000 per acre as financial help for the transplantation of nursery to be used on these machines. Kamaldeep Singh Sangha, Joint Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Jalandhar, said he would direct agriculture cooperative societies to buy one machine each so that marginal farmers were benefited from it.
|
|
PTU students in a fix over results
Jalandhar, May 14 While many students are still not clear about the result of the previous semester examination conducted in December-January, their next semester examination is scheduled to begin on May 18. The students said the result that had been put up on the PTU website was showing RLA (result late) in many subjects for the past more than two weeks. “In case we are not able to make through, we need to fill re-appear forms and will be left with a few days to prepare for the second chance,” they rued, insisting that the university should have at least cleared all the results by May 3 to give them a fortnight’s time. Dilpreet (name changed), a BTech student of a local college, said while the result of most of his classmates had been out since April 30, he had got the result on the website on Tuesday. “I was shocked to see that I had flunked in a subject. I discussed this with my friends who told me that there could be some mistake in the online result and that I should check the gazette first. “I contacted the college authorities who said they had not yet got the result. I was told to check with the PTU today. I found there a maddening rush of students with similar problems. “I was able to meet two officials, one of whom said that I was pass and another one saying that I needed to re-appear. I have been told to come again tomorrow when I will be left with just three days to prepare for my examination,” the student said. A first semester student of the Doaba Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kharar, said many students of her batch had not yet got the complete result. “I have not been able to concentrate on my studies since I am not clear about my fate in the previous result. I have been trying to contact PTU officials over the phone repeatedly but in vain,” she said. PTU Registrar Sarojini Gautam Sharda said she would have to check the status with the examination branch.
|
|
|
Dera Visit
Amritsar, May 14 The meeting, presided over by Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh, stated a visit to Dera Sacha Sauda would be in gross violation of the hukamnama (edict) pronounced by the Sikh high priests to snap all ties with the dera and its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Earlier, Amarinder had announced that he would visit the dera for thanksgiving after the poll results. Meanwhile, the Jathedar gave clean chit to the SAD, which had disassociated itself from the dera. To yet another question, Giani Gurbachan Singh said the Takht would investigate the matter relating to honoring of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani at the information office of the Golden Temple two days before the Lok Sabha elections. Advani had earned the wrath of the SGPC chief for unsheathing of a kirpan in the office. The meeting also took a serious note of the statement of Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, who appealed to the Sikh masses to forget the anti-Sikh riots of November 1984. He said such statements amounted to hurting the Sikh sentiments all over the world. To a question Jathedar said that he had not read the statement of Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on similar lines.
|
|
Unscheduled power cuts on the rise
Chandigarh, May 14 According to sources, while the supply today was 1,200 lakh units per day, the demand was 1,270
LUs. The sources said with the mercury rising all over the state, the demand-supply gap was expected to increase in the coming days. The sources said the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) was continuing with its official line that no power cuts were being imposed in the state. They, however, said the board was forced to impose unscheduled cuts whenever the need arose but that these were not being recorded officially. A source disclosed that 66 KV lines were being switched off at places whenever the frequency was going down in the state, affecting supply in some areas. Meanwhile, the PSEB has also taken the maximum generation possible from the Ranjit Sagar dam during the election period to ensure there was no power cuts. The sources said due to this the water level at the dam had dipped to 499 m presently. They said the level had been 503 m during the same period last year. This is despite the fact that the state had witnessed a good monsoon with the Bhakra and Pong dams having very good water level. The sources said in case the state did not get good rains, depleted water reserves could mean lesser water for both irrigation and power during the paddy season.
|
|
Women seek bigger role in governance
Chandigarh, May 14 Though official figures of polling by men and women in the 2009 elections are still not available, initial estimates suggest that the number of women voters was more than the men voters. “We want to be treated on par with our male counterparts. As of now the system is designed for male dominance,” says 27-year-old Ranjit Kaur of Anandpur Sahib. Carrying her two toddlers, she had come to vote with her sister-in-law and mother-in-law. Ranjit is matriculate and a housewife but loves to talk about politics. She complains that women do not get the say they deserve. Political parties not only limit the number of women candidates to less than 10 per cent but also design their election strategies keeping men in mind. Several other women in Anandpur Sahib, Gurdaspur, Fatehgrah Sahib and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituencies corroborated her views. Parjita, 21, of Hoshiarpur, says that though there are fewer women than men in Punjab, they have been outnumbering men in voting. She blames the leadership of various political parties for not making women equal partners in the political governance of the state as well as the country. Parjita was also voting for the second time. This time, she said, almost all women Amarjit Kaur, 26, who had come to vote at Piplanawala School in Hoshiarpur, however, finds the present system working well. “If more women want to contest, no one is stopping them,” she says,” holding that it is the society which does not encourage girls or women to take to politics. Amarjit is a political science teacher. Sushma, 19, of Mukerian loves politics. “I want to be a politician. I am convinced that if there are more women in politics, corruption will come down. Women have always made excellent rulers,” she says, revealing that Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi are her role models. She said she was thrilled to vote for the first time. “It is such an unusual and pleasant feeling that I have become a part of the system to decide the future ruling party of the country. What can be a greater feeling than choosing my own rulers?” she quipped. A cross-section of women, however, felt that political parties discriminate against How many political parties have a girl or a woman heading their youth wing? How many parties have named girls or women from other than political families as their candidates in the ongoing elections? Is it only a vote the political parties need from us or they want us to play a bigger role in the political governance of the country? These are some of the issues, which they had raised during interaction with The Tribune team yesterday.
|
|
Labourers take possession of govt land
Sangrur, May 14 The CPI (ML) Liberation will also take forcible possession of government land in Ratolan (near Sulargharat), Bigarwal, Chhahar, Nanra and Ugrahan villages. Talking to The Tribune over the phone today, state acting secretary of the party Sher Singh Dhandholi said in Dhandholi Kalan village, near Dirba, around 150 families of landless labourers had taken possession of seven acres of government land and in Bhutal Kalan village, near Lehragaga, about 300 families had taken possession of 14 acres and in Janal village, near Dirba, the families of about 250 landless labourers had taken possession of 12 acres of government land. Dhandoli said SAD had promised five marla or 10 marla plots for landless labourers in the previous assembly elections, but nothing had been done in this direction. The landless labourers said the state government had “failed” to make available land to them for houses and accumulation of cow dung and other waste material.
|
|
‘Scrap FIR against 11 riot victims’
Sangrur, May 14 State general secretary, Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, Mukhtiar Singh Mokha said yesterday that his organisation would extend all help to the victims of the riots. Mokha said, however, his organisation would not allow anyone to take political mileage out of the problems of the riots victims. Mokha said his organisation would pressure the state government to withdraw the case registered against 11 riots’ victims as the victims had been protesting in a peaceful manner at Bhawanigarh when they were arrested. He said these 11 persons had been released from Sangrur jail the previous day, but the case was pending against them in a Sangrur court.
|
|
|
Rice millers laud Kairon’s efforts
Bassi Pathana, May 14 Tarsem
Saini, state president of the asssociation, in a press release issued here today said with the efforts of the minister, rice millers of the state got a major relief as the Union Food & Civil Supply Ministry had extended the date of milling of paddy and relaxation in delivery of rice up to June 30. As soon as the polling was over, Kairon took up the matter with the Prime Minister and directed the union ministry to immediately clear the file, he added. He has urged the state government to continue dialogue with the Union government as rice millers would not be able to meet the deadline for want of space. He said space available with the FCI was only for 6 lakh MT. He demanded that the date should be extended to September 30.
|
|
Central forces to guard counting centres
Chandigarh, May 14 Earlier, the Election Commission had directed that all 48 counting centres where electronic voting machines have been stored after the May 7 and May 13 polling might be guarded by the central security forces. Since the initial deployment of paramilitary forces was only till the completion of the polling in the state, most central forces started withdrawing from Punjab today. These paramilitary forces would be deployed in the inner security circle while the outer and general security would remain with the Punjab police. Congress leaders had apprehended that the ruling SAD-BJP might tinker with the EVMs.
|
|
Panchayat Secretaries
Chandigarh, May 14 The petitioner, Surjit Singh, contended an inquiry report found “various irregularities” in the earlier selection. The government terminated the services of these panchayat secretaries vide order dated December 10, 2002. But, the respondents reemployed the terminated panchayat secretaries initially on six-month basis, an action which was violative of directions issued by the high court and the Apex Court. The petitioners added the respondents had played a fraud not only on him, but also the court, as the action of the government was not justifiable in the court of law. He also sought directions that he should be deemed to be in service as a panchayat secretary on the basis of his educational qualifications. Notice of motion
Justice Rajan Gupta today issued notice of motion for May 19 on a petition filed by Punjab MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu and ex-MLA Sucha Singh Chhotepur for entrusting to the CBI or an other independent agency the investigation of two cases registered against them and former minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia in a poll-related incident on May 7 in prestigious Bathinda parliamentary constituency. The petitioners have contended that the independent agency should be outside the control of the Punjab government. Directions were sought to the special investigation team not to proceed with the FIR registered initially against Majithia at Talwandi Sabo police station in
Bathinda; and asked for directions against their arrest during the pendency of the present petition. Two cases were registered on May 7 and the next day, when there was a reported clash between the supporters of SAD-BJP candidate Harsimrat Kaur and Congress candidate Raninder Singh from Bathinda parliamentary constituency.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
mechanised
