 |
|
|
Delayed Monsoon
Ranjit Sagar Dam level tanks sharply
Sikh Literature |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
‘Lawyer did us in’
Sukhpreet Kaur, wife of Sarabjit Singh. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Extent of stamp scam still hazy
6-day remand for Bains
SHO reinstated in tehsildar assault case
Will stay partner in govt: BJP
SAD-BJP losing grip on admn: Bhattal
SAD, BJP boycott MC meeting
PSEB owes Rs 2,050 cr: Govt
Staff oppose officer’s re-designation
Ramesh to take oath as CIC on June 29
Kalia unhappy with solid waste management
E-learning programme for govt schools
Punjabi killed in France
Use of ACs banned in govt offices, boards, corpns
Vienna Attack
Revenue officials to continue stir
ADC to examine complaint against ZP chief
Admission Row
Four cousins die at unmanned crossing
Orbit bus conductor ‘beaten up’
|
Delayed Monsoon
Ludhiana, June 24 “Farmers will suffer a lot as it has not rained yet. The government should announce waiver of agricultural loans in the Budget,” Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, chairman of the Punjab Mandi Board and president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, said while talking to The Tribune here today. The World Meteorological Organisation, an apex UN body on climate, has warned of a “substantially elevated risk” of El Nino this year. El Nino saps the monsoon of its strength most of the times it occurs. In 2004, the El Nino effect was seen on the monsoon when rains were 10 per cent below the normal rainfall. Experts of the Meteorological Department of the Punjab Agricultural University have indicated a weak monsoon. “A scheme for crop insurance will go a long way to help farmers who are at the mercy of the vagaries of the weather,” Baldev Singh Boparai, a farmer from Gurdaspur district said. The union has also demanded a separate budget for agriculture on the pattern of the railway budget. “Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and the government should come out with a separate budget for the farm sector,” Lakhowal said. The agricultural sector played a vital role in India’s 6.7 per cent GDP growth in 2008-09 when most of the world economies were battling recession. The sector posted a growth of 2.7 per cent in January-March quarter of the fiscal against 2.2 per cent in the period a year ago. Manjit Singh Ghuman, a farmer from Sangrur, said the interest rate on farm loans should be brought down to at least four 4 per cent as Punjab farmers were facing a serious labour shortage problem. Lower interest rates would promote the use of mechanical equipment in farming. At present, the farm sector enjoys the status of priority sector lending entitling it to loans at a rate of 7 per cent. Other expectations of farmers from Budget include provision of MSP for crops like potato, onion, garlic and other vegetables and cash subsidy to farmers on the basis of land holdings.
|
|||||
|
Ranjit Sagar Dam level tanks sharply
Ranjit Sagar Dam, June 24 Generation from the dam’s two power houses, having 150 MW capacity each, could be adversely affected if the water level does not start rising. The current level in the reservoir is only 6 metres above that required for running the powerhouses smoothly. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior PSEB official monitoring power generation from the dam pointed out it would be comfortable for them to generate electricity if the monsoon hit the area within a week. However, a delay of even a day after that could result in trouble for them. Official sources said the reservoir’s water level had fallen to 502 m today as compared to 513 m on the same day last year. The level had been receding by about .25 m daily as water was being released to run the dam’s two power houses apart from operating the Uppar Bari Doab and Madhopur Beas link canals. The sources said power generation from its two power houses out of a total four could be affected adversely if the water level fell to 496 m. Ranjit Sagar Dam GM PK Gupta, while claiming the situation had not become alarming so far, said it could, however, be a major cause for worry if the monsoon gets delayed further. He noted due to less snowfall on the hills, which fed the Ravi, last year, the inflow of water into the reservoir was less this year.
|
|
Panel accuses Centre of conspiracy
Our Correspondent
Amritsar, June 24 The committee, comprising human rights activists DS Gill, former IAS officer Gurtegh Singh, Lieut-Gen Kartar Singh Gill (retd), Gurpreet Singh and advocate Amar Singh Chahal, yesterday observed that on June 7, after the culmination of Operation Bluestar, the Army fired a rocket towards the library destroying the Sikh literature. It said the committee had been able to establish this fact after a preliminary probe to establish the conspiracy angle in the incident. The committee alleged that before setting the library on fire, the Army took away rare books and other items associated with Sikh religion and history. The committee felt that there were several contradictions in the statements made by the government, which never clarified the exact position of the manuscripts that had been lost for ever. Advocate Gill said the committee would submit its complete report to the SGPC within a month.
|
|
‘Lawyer did us in’
Bhikhiwind/Amritsar, June 24 Sheetal Dass Kaler, secretary of the South Asian Human Rights Group (SAHRG), Canada chapter, told The Tribune on the phone from Canada that they would file a fresh petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan to save Sarabjit. Kaler said a delegation of the association would file a petition against the lawyer who failed to appear before the court despite the fact that he was given Rs 1.95 lakh payment as per the agreement. He said he would meet the President of Pakistan to urge him to grant clemency to Sarabjit. He had already submitted all required documentary proof to the Pakistani authorities and the Supreme Court of Pakistan through his lawyer, pleading innocence of Sarabjit. Kaler was the first Indian to meet Sarabjit in Pakistani jail in 2003. Unable to control her tears, Sukhpreet Kaur, wife of Sarabjit, urged the Indian government to take up the matter with the Pakistani government for providing them visa so that they could meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Geelani to present the documents to prove the innocence of her husband, who was victim of mistaken identity. The documents have sufficient proof that her husband is Sarabjit and not Manjit Singh, who is an accused in the blast case. She alleged that the file, which was to be presented before judges in the case, was deliberately misplaced in the court. It could have otherwise proved Sarabjit’s innocence. She alleged the court prepared a new file in order to speedily dispose of the case and prove him guilty. Sukhpreet blamed advocate Rana Abdul Hamid, who was to present Sarabjit’s case in the Supreme Court, for losing the case. Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit, said the defense lawyer earlier representing Sarabjit had recently told the family that he had become an advocate general and therefore could no longer fight the case. He had assigned the case to another lawyer. However, that lawyer didn’t appear before the court during three successive sessions, leading to the rejection of his plea, she added. Dalbir said the advocate had agreed to fight the case for Rs 3 lakh out of which Rs 2 lakh had been paid and the remaining amount was to be given to him after Sarabjit returned home free. Later, the lawyer demanded Rs 6 lakh to fight the case. She said human rights activist of Pakistan Ansar Burney assured the family on the phone today that he would take up the case with the President of Pakistan.
|
|
Extent of stamp scam still hazy
Ludhiana, June 24 Major Benipal had, in the course of a single day, detected as many as six fake stamp papers, each of Rs 20,000 denomination, produced for registering properties. Unlike in the Telgi scam, the stamp papers were not printed in a security press, but were merely colour xerox copies, recalled Major Benipal. While the general public pay up in good faith the stamp duty, unscrupulous stamp vendors are the ones who have been making money by distributing fake stamp papers. The state government of course loses out on the money, which would otherwise accrue to the treasury. With 114 revenue tehsils in the state, the state will be losing Rs 1.14 crore every day, assuming that just five fake stamp papers are used in each one of them. The annual loss to the exchequer, by this token, would be in the region of Rs 300 crore. Besides sale deeds, power of attorneys and Will, stamp papers worth several crores are sold across treasuries in the state. Several tehsildars, who had assembled in Ludhiana to express solidarity with Major Benipal and protest the murderous assault on him, admitted to this correspondent that they too had come across fake stamp papers but, unlike Major Benipal, had decided to remain quiet. They reluctantly admitted the possibility that some of their tribe might even have connived with vendors to push fake stamp papers into circulation. What is even more troubling is the legality of the transactions in which fake stamp papers might have been used. These transactions run the risk of being declared illegal if it is established in future that the stamp duty was not actually paid. This is likely in cases of disputes that are taken by courts or when somebody challenges the validity of the trnsaction. Civil officials, however, are reluctant to speak on the subject and more than one official has advised this correspondent to drop the subject. The vendors who had sold fake stamp papers in Ludhiana are still absconding. A clearer picture is expected to emerge only after they are apprehended.
|
|
6-day remand for Bains
Ludhiana, June 24 The court of Duty Magistrate JPS Wehniwal witnessed an exhange of hot words between private counsel engaged by the complainant Benipal and a battery of defence lawyers. However, the court allowed the request of the accused that his counsel be allowed to meet him during custody. There were fewer arguments on law points. The stress was on levelling allegations of corruption against the tehsildar. A defence lawyer even alleged that Major Benipal had indulged in malpractices of taking bribe from everyone, who came to him for some work. This was the reason that he was taught a lesson by the general public and his client was innocent. Another defence lawyer alleged that it was all due to political vendetta. The private counsel of the complainant opposed this contention and stated that the accused was a leader of the ruling SAD party. Hence the question of vendetta did not arise. Supporters of Bains staged a dharna in front of the courtroom.
|
|
SHO reinstated in tehsildar assault case
Ludhiana, June 24 Mandeep had been accused of extending hospitality to prime accused in the case and SAD councillor Kamaljit Singh Karwal while in
police custody. Agitating revenue officials had complained against the police for providing Karwal an air-conditioned room and allegedly offering him samosas and jalebis. Dr Chauhan said SHO’s suspension orders were revoked after the tehsildar, Major GS Benipal (retd), requested that he should be sent back to the police
station. The DIG added Major Benipal felt that the SHO had not extended any hospitality to the prime accused. Though Major Benipal refused to comment on the development, sources close to him said he had felt that the SHO was made a scapegoat in the entire case.
|
|
Will stay partner in govt: BJP
Jalandhar, June 24 All senior leaders of the party, including MLAs and MPs, were present at the meeting held under the chairmanship of Balbir Punj, national general secretary and in charge of the party affairs in Punjab. For the past few days, the party was under pressure from its middle-rung office-bearers to extend support to the SAD only from outside. Such voices had become louder when SAD MLA Sarabjit Singh Makkar abused BJP senior minister Manoranjan Kalia at his official residence in Chandigarh. But senior leaders in today’s meeting were in favour of continuing the existing arrangement with the SAD. There are five BJP ministers in the SAD-led government in the state. In fact, the SAD is in power because of the BJP which has 19 MLAs in the Punjab Assembly. Without BJP support, the SAD is in minority. Meanwhile, the party discussed the reasons for the massive defeat in the LS elections. All leaders were of the view that the party had failed to protect the interests of people in urban areas where the party had got a massive mandate during the last Assembly elections. Some of the speakers found fault in the functioning party ministers. They said they would give top priority to redress the grievances brought in their notice by party MLAs. Among the speakers were Manoranjan Kalia, Master Mohan Lal, Tikshan Sood and Amrik Singh. Senior leaders raised the issue of denial of power supply to urban areas. The issue of scarcity of potable water also came up. One leader asked why was octroi being charged from urban people on power, diesel and petrol when it had been waived in the state. Another said people in urban areas had to give 3 pc more stamp fee on getting property deeds registered compared to people in rural areas.
|
|
SAD-BJP losing grip on admn: Bhattal
Chandigarh, June 24 Bhattal said officers were working with a sense of insecurity and were discontented and disenchanted with the government because of its arm-twisting approach. Further Bhattal lamented that the power position in the state had worsened. Farmers were first compelled by the government to sow paddy after June 15, but now adequate power supply to irrigate paddy fields was not available. She stressed that when the Congress could buy electricity from other states to ensure at least 8-hour supply to farmers, what was stopping the present government from doing so, especially when it called itself “farmer friendly”. She called upon the government to provide at least 8 hours power supply to farmers and regular supply to domestic and industrial sector which were on the verge of collapse due to recurrent cuts. Meanwhile, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira urged Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon to set up a committee of the Vidhan Sabha to probe the alleged scam related to the sale of fake stamp papers that led to the assault on Major GS Benipal (retd), tehsildar, Ludhiana, and “undue favours” amounting to Rs 50 lakh given to Sarabjit Singh Makkar, MLA, as admitted by Manoranjan Kalia, Local Bodies Minister, Punjab. “The Congress demands that these matters related to corruption and loss to the state exchequer be brought on the agenda of the House for discussion and setting up a special committee of the Vidhan Sabha to probe the allegations of the Local Bodies Minister,” he said in a missive to the Speaker.
|
|
SAD, BJP boycott MC meeting
Sangrur, June 24 In a letter written to the executive officer (EO) of the council by an independent councillor and eight councillors of the SAD and the BJP, they had urged the EO to cancel the meeting and hold it on some other day. They had also told the EO that if the meeting was not cancelled, they would boycott it. EO Surjit Singh said he had presented the letter to council president Harbans Lal. But the president declined to postpone the meeting. He also said eight municipal councillors attended the meeting which passed several resolutions, including approving nine tube wells in the town to end water scarcity. On the other hand, Harbans Lal, who belongs to the Congress, said he had no information about the bhog, so four days ago he had got the agenda of the meeting circulated. Besides, no bhog card had been sent to the council office or the councillors. At the eleventh hour, he had been informed about the bhog, so it was not possible to postpone the meeting. District president of the BJP Jatinder Kalra, whose wife Aarti Kalra is a municipal councillor, said holding of the meeting was cruelty towards the departed soul of a close relative of a woman municipal councillor. SAD councillor Iqbal Singh Punia also criticised the president for holding the meeting.
|
|
PSEB owes Rs 2,050 cr: Govt
Chandigarh, June 24 The government, which claimed as an investor it could not be denied interest on its loans, is set to file an appeal on the matter. However, leave aside refunding the Rs 500 crore, the government has brought it to the commission’s notice that PSEB had not paid it Rs 413 crore per annum return on equity put up by it to set up the board. This outstanding amount has not been paid since 2003-04. The government has asserted it was “strange” that the annual equity due to it, which had been allowed by the commission and was being recovered from the consumer, was not being paid. It said this had happened despite a signed statement by PSEB’s financial adviser asking the board to pay the dues. Meanwhile, sources said the government realised that asking the PSEB to cough up this huge amount when it was in such a precarious financial position was not possible. They said the government could also not refuse to pay a subsidy of Rs 216 crore per month as mandated by the regulatory commission to offset the losses incurred by the board in supplying power free of cost to the farm sector as this would deny the latter of much needed funds. Accordingly, the government has suggested the funds due on equity be converted as equity or be converted into loan. The sources said if the Rs 2,050 crore is converted into equity PSEB will have to pay a return of about Rs 700 crore (much more than the Rs 413 crore at present) to the government annually. Meanwhile,the issue of dismantling it has been taken forward further, despite an earlier understanding that the board would be dismantled after the parliamentary elections. According to a letter written by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, it has been requested that the PSEB be allowed to exist in its present shape till December 15 this year. The letter says: “It is hoped the period of reorganisation of the board shall be completed during this period, particularly after the paddy transplantation season is over on September 30”.
|
|
Staff oppose officer’s re-designation
Chandigarh, June 24 The union in a representation to the corporation submitted that Chugh had superceded six senior officers in the past 16 years and that the latest re-designation was in violation of the existing promotion policy, which envisaged promotion from DGM to GM after at least five years of service. The union claimed that six superceded officers had not even been made senior DGM despite putting in four to 13 years of service, whereas Chugh had been promoted from DGM to GM in just two years. The union demanded that this anomaly be rectified. Industries Secretary SS Channy said Chugh was doing the job of two officers as company secretary and DGM (Administration). He said the Board of Directors had noted that officers doing such work were designated as GMs in most corporations and had taken a decision to re-designate him as such.
|
|
Ramesh to take oath as CIC on June 29
Chandigarh, June 24 The Chief Minister is also expected to share this development with his cabinet colleagues when they meet for a meeting on June 27. SAD alliance partner the BJP, that had boycotted the last cabinet on June 18 due to a spat between Industries Minister Manoranjan Kalia and SAD legislator Sarabjit Singh Makkar, has decided to attend the meeting. The main agenda before the cabinet will be to give a final shape to the state’s annual Budget. Incidentally, the CM will be meeting Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia on June 26 to get an annual plan of about Rs 8,600 crore cleared. The cabinet will also discuss the response Punjab gets from the Planning Commission. The cabinet is also likely to discuss the issue concerning the huge financial burden the state is facing and the possibility of imposing taxes for the purpose of revenue generation. It is also expected to take up the issue of acute power crisis in Punjab.
|
|
Kalia unhappy with solid waste management
Chandigarh, June 24 Kalia held here a meeting with senior functionaries of the Department of Local Government here on Wednesday to review the implementation of the municipal solid waste management system in the state. The minister told the officers that the work should be done quickly so that people could get immediate relief. DS Bains, Principal Secretary, Local Government, apprised the minister that a vision document for the state had been prepared which mandates that Punjab should have an effective garbage removal and management system. He said the government had taken a significant step for developing the municipal solid waste management system by dividing the state into seven clusters on scientific basis to ensure 100 per cent coverage of urban local bodies.
|
|
|
E-learning programme for govt schools
Chandigarh, June 24 Stating this here on Sunday, Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur said the CAL programme was started under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) project to establish an environment for teaching and learning and to combine learning with play. Besides, the programme makes learning interesting and joyful by breaking pressure and the monotonous teaching system. It would also promote creativity and thinking of students as well as teachers, she said. Upinderjit further added that to educate children in a peaceful academic atmosphere, fully equipped computer labs had been set up in state schools with provision of enlarged display devices like LCD TVs and computer-cum-projectors having broadband Internet connectivity.
|
|
Punjabi killed in France
Kapurthala, June 24 One of his friends Jagir Singh, hailing from Mukerian in Hoshiarpur district, informed his father Gurcharan Singh on the phone about his son’s murder on June 22. Rachpal is survived by his parents, wife Kulwinder Kaur and son (10) and daughter (9). Gurcharan Singh said Rachpal had gone to Belgium in 2005, from where he went to France. Jagir saw some policemen outside Rachpal’s house when he had gone there on June 21 morning, Gurcharan Singh added. The policemen told Jagir that some unknown persons had stabbed him to death the previous night, he said, adding that the exact cause of his murder was not yet known. Efforts were on to bring Rachpal’s body to India for cremation.
|
|
Use of ACs banned in govt offices, boards, corpns
Chandigarh, June 24 Disclosing this here today, a spokesman of the Punjab government said this decision had been taken by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in view of the acute shortage of power supply due to the increase in demand in the agriculture sector and delayed monsoon. The ban on the use of ACs could also be further extended depending on the power situation in the state, added the spokesman.
|
|
|
PM urged to get report
Jalandhar, June 24 In a letter written to the PM, convener of the Morcha Satish Bharti stated that the public wanted to know the truth behind the attack. — TNS
|
|
Revenue officials to continue stir
Ludhiana, June 24 Members of the joint action committee said they would call off the strike only when their demands were met. During a meeting of the committee today, members claimed that the FCR had threatened them to come back on work. ‘‘We are not going to take this attitude lying down. We are not withdrawing our protest,” said Ram Singh, spokesperson for the committee.
|
|
ADC to examine complaint against ZP chief
Sangrur, June 24 The complaint was given to the DC by 21 ZP members (14 directly elected members and seven chairmen of Block Panchayat Samitis) on June 18 here. It levelled allegations on her and demanded the appointment of an administrator in the ZP as she had lost majority in the ZP.
— TNS
|
|
Admission Row Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 24 The varsity was allegedly demanding fine for “excess admission”, on the “threat” of withholding the results”. As many as 300 B.Com first year students are now expected to benefit from the orders of Justice SD Anand. In its petition filed through counsel Sameer Sachdeva, the college had earlier sought directions for quashing the varsity’s action in “unilaterally demanding fine and payment of the dues/fees on account of alleged excess admission of students for academic year 2006-07 by way of arm twisting methods”. The petitioner had contended it was not granted proper opportunity of hearing, even though the college was not at fault, and was willing to justify the entire admissions “duly approved by the express/implied action of the university, for which the varsity has duly issued the registration cards and examination roll numbers”. Taking up the matter, Justice Anand asserted: “The impugned penalty has been imposed by the university upon the college for excess admission/intake. Besides, the university has required the college to pay up fee, etc., obtained from the excess students. The announced threat is that the result of the affected students shall be withheld otherwise. Counsel for the petitioner, Sameer Sachdeva, states that the petitioner shall furnish bank guarantee to the extent of Rs 2 lakh from today. Issuing notice of motion for July 8, along with notice regarding stay, Justice Anand asserted: “In case of an administrative feuding, there is no reason why the interest of the students should suffer. It could be ideal if the university and the college could iron out their administrative creases without holding the students to virtual ransom. “It is an unenviable state of affairs that the college has had to apply for the restraint of the university from withholding the result. The students cannot be allowed to be used as a bargaining commodity in the process of averred feuding. “In the meantime, the respondents shall not withhold the result of the students under reference,” the court said.
|
|
Four cousins die at unmanned crossing
Gurdaspur, June 24 The accident took place when the deceased Iqbal Singh, Balwinder Singh, Mani and Raju were coming to their village from Dinanagar town on the fourwheeler loaded with bottles of cold drink to supply the same to a shopkeeper in the village. When they were crossing the level crossing, which was at a considerable height from the road level, a passenger train coming from Pathankot and bound for Amritsar collided with it and dragged the same for about a km. While Raju, who fell out of the fourwheeler, died on the spot, the remaining three, who remained trapped in the mangled vehicle, were found dead when they were taken out of it. Sukhpal Singh, SHO, Dinanagar police station, who was the first to reach the spot, said the train left for its destination after formalities were completed. He added that a case under Section 174, CrPC, would be registered. The bodies were shifted to the local Civil Hospital for postmortem. Information gathered by TNS revealed that the deceased could not see the train as their vision was obstructed by the sharp curve of the rail track
and trees.
|
|
Orbit bus conductor ‘beaten up’
Sangrur, June 24 Sunam DSP Pritpal Singh Thind said this evening that the police had registered a case against 10 students of the ITI and of them nine had been arrested. He said the police registered the case on the complaint of the conductor of the bus, who had been “beaten up” by the students. He said the police had got the medical examination of the conductor conducted.
|
|
| 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 | |
The BJP will continue to be a coalition partner of the Shiromani Akali Dal in the Punjab government. The issue came up on the first day of the two-day meeting of the BJP held here today to discuss the latest political situation in the state apart from the setback suffered by the party during the recently held Lok Sabha elections.