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Tehsildar Assault Case
Protesters make beeline for Jalalabad
Sukhbir worth Rs 64.05 cr |
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Cong candidate from Banur files papers
Substandard Transplanters
2,300 posts of Hindi teacher to be created
SAD chief slams Centre
Gurdwara land for defence colony agitates Pak Sikhs
Juvenile home inmates hold protest
Tribune Impact
120 acres for Integrated Check Post acquired
Swine Flu
Land allotted for academy on Ishmeet
Industrialists baffled by 48-hr power cut
Son of hotelier shot dead
Lawyer goes missing
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Tehsildar Assault Case
Ludhiana, July 14 Two personal security guards were provided to him inside the jail this morning even though the rules do not permit special security for anybody inside a jail. Gabria said following the claims of Bains’ brother that there was a threat to his life, he ordered the jail authorities to provide him personal security guards. He said though Bains was sending such SOS calls to hog headlines, he did not want to take any chances. Legal experts said rules as per the jail manual did not permit security guards for anybody inside the jail. If there was a threat to an inmate’s life, he should have been shifted to a special cell. There is a provision of segregation for such inmates, said the experts. This was not the first time that jail rules were thrown to the winds in this case. Three days ago, Bikram Singh Majithia, former minister and brother-in-law of Sukhbir Badal was allowed to take his vehicle inside the jail premises when he came to meet Bains. Gabria had sought a report from the jail authorities. The report said Majithia came in a vehicle with a red beacon atop and they thought some senior official was visiting them. Hence, the gates were opened as it was raining. Interestingly, Majithia visited the jail in a vehicle without a red beacon. A Tribune team was witness to his visit. Photographs in the possession of the Tribune prove there was no red beacon atop his car at that time. Moreover, his car remained parked on the premises for 15 minutes. However, the report states it was sent outside as soon as the former minister came out of it. SGPC member Balwinder Singh Bains, an elder brother of Simarjit, has claimed his brother had a risk to his life on the jail premises. He said several persons, who were on parole, had told him about the lurking danger to his life.
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Protesters make beeline for Jalalabad
Ferozepur, July 14 On Sunday, hundreds of unemployed electrical diploma holders gathered here to protest the failure of the state government to provide them jobs as lineman in the PSEB. Some of them even threatened to commit suicide as they climbed upon the 132 KVA high tension electricity tower at the old power house complex. They climbed down after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal gave a verbal assurance to their representatives to look into their demands after the bypoll. On the same day, association of computer teachers, rural health pharmacists, paramedical staff and ETT teachers launched rallies in Jalalabad and threatened to intensify the agitation. Now, scores of other organisations, including those of roadways employees, EGS teachers, pensioners, are planning to launch agitation in Jalalabad to press the Akali leadership to accept their demands. While EGS teachers have decided to hold a rally in the town on July 15, the pensioners association is planning to launch a fast shortly. Meanwhile, taking a lesson from the electrical diploma holders’ protest, the police has beefed up security around all water tanks and electric towers. The administration is even reportedly planning to barricade water tanks and towers.
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Cong candidate from Banur files papers
Dera Bassi, July 14
While he filed two sets of nomination papers, Roopinder Kaur, his wife, filed her papers as a covering candidate. Leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, former acting PPCC chief Lal Singh and Kharar MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu were also present on the occasion. Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for External Affairs, who arrived late told the party workers to rise above the dissidence and work in support of Deepinder Singh. She said the party would win all three seats. Earlier talking to media persons, Bhattal said the party was united and there was no difference between the Congress leaders. While targeting the SAD-BJP alliance, she said the state government had failed to provide basic amenities to the people of the state. After filing nominations papers, an election rally in favour of Deepinder was held at a Ram Lila ground here. He said he had been working in the area for the last two decades. Now, the party has sent him in the court of the public to try his luck for getting their permission to serve them more efficiently.
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Substandard Transplanters
Chandigarh, July 14 While a criminal case has already been registered against a company, which overcharged farmers by Rs 50,000 per transplanter, other companies are also under the scanner for delivering what farmers claim are substandard Chinese transplanters. Agriculture Minister Suchha Singh Langah, who is responsible for changing the rule of third party subsidy, which, his department sources say is partly responsible for the present problems, claims the department acted unwisely by importing Chinese transplanters. “I wanted to import Japanese transplanters, which cost Rs 9 lakh per machine, and had even advocated that the subsidy quotient be increased to Rs 4 lakh to help farmers. However, I went abroad and in between the department gave clearance for low-cost Chinese machines costing Rs 2 lakh per machine, without taking my approval”. Langah said he would order a departmental inquiry into the approval and punish those found guilty. According to sources, while more than 700 transplanters were imported by various companies, farmers purchased 425 transplanters. Most of these transplanters were in the Rs 2 lakh category and were of Chinese make. Farmers have been facing problems of both overcharging and substandard quality. Nathana legislator Ajaib Singh Bhatti even submitted affidavits from 13 farmers, who had bought one such machine each, claiming they had been overcharged. An inquiry into the allegation revealed that against a cost of Rs 2 lakh per machine, the private company involved charged Rs 2.50 lakh per machine. “We have filed a criminal case against the owner of the company and will prevail upon him to return the excess money to the farmers”, the minister said. Agriculture Department sources, however, claim it is the minister who is responsible for part of the problem. They allege that the department has always given subsidy to companies after a farmer has tested the machinery involved. According to a department letter in the possession of The Tribune, all chief agriculture officers were told that the minister had directed that the subsidy amount of Rs 1.50 lakh be given directly to the farmer. The sources said any private company, which had got the entire money from the farmer, could not be held accountable for inferior quality or for a lack of after-sale service. As far as the purchase of the machines is concerned, department officials said the department had only called for an expression of interest for import of the machines and that the machines had been tested by Punjab Agricultural University experts. The sources said only after due testing did a committee headed by the Financial Commissioner, Development, approved a list of machines.
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2,300 posts of Hindi teacher to be created
Chandigarh, July 14 “During the meeting the Centre cleared a proposal on setting up 21 model schools and 21 girls’ hostels in the state,” stated Punjab Director-General of schools Krishan Kumar. “These model schools will be set up on the pattern of the Kendriya Vidyalayas in 21 educationally backward blocks spread across seven districts,” he added. The blocks include Sangat, Talwandi Sabo and Mandi Phul West/Maur in Bathinda district; Khulian Sarvar, Abohar, Jalalabad, Mamdot and Ferozepur in Ferozepur; Mansa, Budhlada/Bhiki, Bareta, Sardulgarh and Junir in Mansa; Lambi and Muktsar in Muktsar, Lehra Gag, Anndana and Sunam in Sangrur; and Valtoha in Tarn Taran. “The Centre will provide funds amounting to Rs 3 crore for setting up one school. Both recurring and non-recurring costs will be shared by the Central and state governments in the ratio of 75:25,” said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal held a meeting with officials of the Education Department, PWD and Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) today to work out modalities of the construction of these schools. “It was decided in the meeting that eight schools in Bathinda, Mansa and Patiala will be constructed by PUDA, and the rest by the PWD. The construction has to end by December this year so that students can be admitted from the next session,” said Krishan Kumar, adding that the process of affiliation with the CBSE would also be started immediately. The Central government also approved the proposal for setting up 21 hostels for girls in these blocks. “The Centre will give Rs 21 lakh to set up each hostel and will share the costs with the state government in the ratio of 90:10,” he said.
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SAD chief slams Centre
Ferozepur, July 14 Sukhbir was referring to the recent constitution of a task force by the union government to study the viability of bringing agricultural debt taken by the farmers of Maharashtra from moneylenders under the purview of the debt waiver scheme and deliberately excluding Punjab from Raising doubts on the sincerity of Congress MPs from Punjab towards the state on these crucial central government policies, he alleged that it was a calculated attempt to further marginalise Punjab farmers, who were reeling under spiralling agricultural debt, especially that taken from moneylenders. Addressing electoral rallies in various villages in the Jalalabad segment, Sukhbir said the Budget speech of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had corroborated the apprehensions of the SAD about the touted whole debt waiver scheme, which was customised for the benefit the farmers of Maharashtra, keeping out deserving Punjab farmers who were repaying their loan instalments religiously. Sukhbir said the Punjab government had already submitted a detailed dossier to the union Agriculture Ministry citing that 67 per cent farm debt on the farmers was to be repaid to moneylenders and only 33 per cent to the banking institutions. Punjab had been requesting the Centre to take the loan advanced by moneylenders in the ambit of the scheme as Punjab was contributing 60 per cent wheat and 34 per cent rice to the central kitty whereas in return, the state got only Rs 700 crore waiver, which comprised only 1.1 per cent of the total amount. Accusing the UPA government of failure to address the root cause of farm suicides in Punjab, Sukhbir said owing to erroneous policies of the central government, especially on fixing MSPs of foodgrain, the state had suffered a lot and their exclusion from the scheme would compound their problems. About the MSP of paddy being fixed at Rs 950 per quintal, Sukhbir said nothing below Rs 1,400 per quintal was acceptable to the SAD.
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Gurdwara land for defence colony agitates Pak Sikhs
Amritsar, July 14 Former president, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC), Bishan Singh said on the telephone that the Sikh sangat would hold an emergency meeting at Nankana Sahib soon to protest with government of Pakistan. “The board had no legal right to dispose of the land of historical gurdwara,” he said. Earlier, Pakistani Sikhs held a series of meetings with Syed Asif Hashmi, the first non-army chairman of the PETPB, but he failed to deliver goods. Dera Chahal is 35 km from Lahore towards Ghawindi. The Sikh shrine is called Janamasthan Bebe (elder sister) Nanaki. Guru Nanak Dev visited this village several times as his maternal grandparents were from this village. Here Bebe Nanaki, elder sister of the Guru, was born in Samvat 1524. The building of the gurdwara was in bad shape till 1996 when the then Prime Minister of Pakistan spent Rs 5 lakh out of public exchequer to get it repaired. Earlier, the Archaeological Department of Pakistan had listed 130 important historical gurdwaras in a survey, conducted after Partition. These gurdwaras have own property in the form of agricultural land and buildings. Such land had been donated by Sikh devotees for the maintenance and upkeep of these gurdwaras. Some of these gurdwaras, especially Janam Asthan Nankana Sahib, have thousands of acres of land. However, this property went under the control of the Waqf Board after Partition and has since then been systematically misused. The PSGPC has been without president for a long time and the decisions regarding gurdwaras are being taken by the PETPB without taking Sikhs into confidence.
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Juvenile home inmates hold protest
Hoshiarpur, July 14 According to SDM, Hoshiarpur, Capt Karnail Singh (retd), Shiv tried to go inside the complex without getting himself registered in the visitor’s register in the office. The caretaker asked him to sign the register. Later, Dharam told him that the visitor’s time was over and he could not meet Simarjit . Shiv managed to meet other inmates and allegedly instigated them to hold a protest. Later, pacified by the district administration, all juvenile delinquents went inside the home.
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Mess in Higher Education Rights panel asks Education Secy to explain Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, July 14 Following a report in The Tribune on July 11, “Higher education in state a mess”, the commission has asked the Secretary to submit a report in the light of the contents of the news. Chairman Justice RS Mongia and other members of the commission have asked the Secretary to submit the report by September 16. The Tribune had said the functioning of colleges and universities was in the doldrums due to the indifferent attitude and failure of the government authorities concerned. Nearly 40 per cent posts of regular lecturer are vacant. Several colleges are without regular principals. A number of colleges have only two to three regular lecturers and such colleges are being run with the help of either guest faculty or part-time lecturers. Even there is no regular DPI(Colleges) and the charge has been given to a deputy director. For months even the posts of Vice-Chancellor have been vacant. Parents and students have to suffer due to the laxity of the administration and the government in running the educational institutions. There is no system to punish the officers concerned for failure to act in time and put hard questions to the political masters in this regard. So it has led to collapse of the education system in the state.
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120 acres for Integrated Check Post acquired
Amritsar, July 14 According to the district administration, the Union government financed the project for the construction of the ICP under the first phase. Around 120 acres of land has been acquired for the construction of modern high-tech cargo terminal catering to the growing trade with Pakistan. The terminal will include six lanes, including three roads, for catering to the goods entering the country. Similarly, the other three lanes will be used for the export of goods. The project envisages the construction of godowns, parking of cargo laden trucks, quarantine area, offices of the Customs and Security Department, besides setting up an administrative block for clearing house agents and other facilities.
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Swine Flu
Jalandhar, July 14 The four persons suffering from influenza A (H1N1) have recently come from the USA to meet relatives in Jalandhar. The blood samples of a couple and their two children, were sent to the NICD, New Delhi, yesterday. The NICD report received today confirmed that they were suffering from the disease.
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Land allotted for academy on Ishmeet
Chandigarh, July 14 A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister this morning. He also asked the local government Minister Manoranjan Kalia to immediately finalise the already allotted site for the construction of state-of-the-art Ishmeet Sangeet Academy at Ludhiana. The Chief Minister also reviewed the progress of another prestigious project of Harpal Tiwana Centre of performing arts for which the state government had already allotted 1.5 acre of land in Patiala. Meanwhile, Additional Chief Administrator PUDA Hardev Singh, who was also present in the meeting handed over two cheques of Rs 50 lakh each for the Ishmeet Singh Memorial Trust and Harpal Tiwana Yadagar society to the concerned authorities. It may be recalled that the state government had already earmarked a sum of Rs 20 crore for the completion of these two prestigious projects.
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Industrialists baffled by 48-hr power cut
Patiala, July 14 While, industrialists said they were left baffled over the quiet and sudden “re-introduction” of a 48-hour long weekly off just within two days, the PSEB authorities have claimed that they have only “withdrawn” the 24-hour weekly off system in the wake of increased demand and lack of rains. The PSEB confided that though the relaxation was given to the category II and III industrial units by reducing their weekly-off period to 24 hours but, it was not “declared officially”. Spatters in certain parts of the state almost failed to shower any relief on consumers as they were made to bear with one to three hour long power cuts after a brief gap of two days.
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Son of hotelier shot dead
Tarn Taran, July 14 Gurmit Singh Gill, principal, Kalyan Homoeopathic Medical College, here has been arrested in this connection, while the police has registered a case against nine persons under Sections 302, 148, 149, IPC, and 25, 27, 54 and 59, Arms Act. Dr Gill was admitted to the Civil Hospital as he received injuries after he had a scuffle with hotel employees. Other accused fled from the spot soon after the incident. Paviter Singh Bhullar, Director of the medical college, said an emergency meeting of the management had been called and they were going to suspend him. Sukhdev Singh Brar, SSP, said here today that the accused opened fire on Jug when he objected to the misbehaviour by the accused with the hotel manager. The manager had demanded payment for the bill for the meal served to the accused. He said the accused came to the hotel when the employees of the hotel were just closing for the night. Dr Gill on his cell phone requested Jug to accommodate them. After finishing their food, the manager demanded Rs 2,800 against the bill, which they refused to pay and later beat up the manager. Manager Chakar Bahadur called Jug from his residence as he had gone to sleep. Jug objected their alleged rudeness. Then, Dr Gill fired four shots on the victim. Jug was admitted to the Civil Hospital in a serious condition where doctors declared him brought dead. The SSP said, besides Dr Gill, five other accused had been identified as Amandeep Singh Arora, Gurpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh Arora, Varun and Kamal Pathania. Four of the accused were yet to be identified.
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Lawyer goes missing
Ferozepur, July 14 Lawyer’s family suspects that an employee and an elected member of the cantonment board were after his life for quite some time because Pandey had filed many applications under the RTI Act in the board’s office to expose a nexus of corruption in the local body. The SSP, while talking to The Tribune, said: “I talked to office-bearers of the District Bar Association and marked an inquiry into the disappearance of the lawyer,” he said. Meanwhile, Pandey’s mother Lilavati has alleged that an attempt was made to kill her son by crushing him under a tractor-trailer a few days ago. The lawyer had suffered minor injuries.
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Dera Bassi, July 14
