Chandigarh, August 27
The Ministry of Human Resources Development gave in-principle approval to the Punjab government for setting up the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in the state.

An assurance to this effect was given by Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at a meeting held in his office in New Delhi on Wednesday. The upcoming IIIT would be developed in PPP mode over 100 acres, with equal share of the Centre, Punjab government and industry.

Sibal also informed the Chief Minister that the ministry had already approved the proposal for establishing 13 new degree colleges in educationally backward districts of the state as recommended by the Experts Committee of University Grants Commission. These would be set up in Amritsar, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Nawanshahr, Patiala and Sangrur.

Sibal also assured the Chief Minster that the ministry would soon release Rs 63.42 crore for setting up 21 model schools in educationally backward blocks of Punjab as the case had already been sent to the expenditure finance committee (EFC) for its sanction. He informed Badal that the proposal sent by the state government to sanction one additional model school in Ghudda village of Sangat Block, Bathinda district, would also be got examined by the ministry.

The minister told Badal that the ministry had already sanctioned Rs 5.50 crore for the construction of women hostels in the seven colleges of the state as recommended by the UGC. He said the proposal sent by the government for releasing Rs 11.92 crore for 21 other such hostels was also under active consideration of the ministry.

Badal urged the ministry to bear the cost for acquisition of 11.3 acres for the construction of an approach road from Sangrur to the Barnala national highway to link it with the Sant Harchand Singh Lognowal Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Referring to the issue of finalisation of the site for Amritsar World Class University to be developed over 700 acres, Sibal informed the Chief Minster that the site selection committee, headed by the Chairman of the UGC, would visit Amritsar on September 26.

Referring to another issue raised by Badal to enhance the amount of mid-day meal from Rs 2.08 per child per day to at least Rs 4 in view of prevalent high food costs, Sibal told the Chief Minister that the Centre was seized of the issue and it would soon take a positive decision in this regard.

Chandigarh, August 27
In Punjab, wheat virtually rotted in the open this monsoon but the Food Corporation of India (FCI) chose to lift the foodgrain from covered godowns rather than attending to stock piles lying in ‘kutcha’ plinths and ‘mandi’ yards.

It is learnt that the FCI chose to lift 7.52 lakh tonnes of wheat from covered godowns in July this year against only 1.14 lakh tonnes lifted from open storage areas. The state had its maximum rain during this month.

According to the Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, in the last three months while 11.5 lakh tonnes of wheat was moved from covered godowns, only 3.8 lakh tonnes was moved from open storage facilities.

Kairon said this situation arose because the FCI itself needed space to store the rice delivered to it after milling by the state agencies. “They promised to lift wheat lying in the open before August 1 but this did not happen as they had run out of space to store rice,” he said. Rice 
can be stored in covered godowns only.

According to Kairon as much as 23 lakh tonnes of wheat lay in the open in Punjab during the monsoon season this year. Though the state agencies are still to quantify the damage caused to the foodgrain, sources said its quality had been definitely affected. Already Punjab has unsettled claims of Rs 510 crores, which are pending with the FCI due to quality issues.

Meanwhile, sources said a bigger danger lurked ahead for the state due to accumulation of the highest-ever wheat stockpile in the history of the state. Punjab has 120 lakh tonnes of wheat in stock with it and is likely to have a stockpile of 70 to 80 lakh tonnes by March 2010. This means it will have virtually no space to store the next wheat crop.

Kairon said the Food Ministry had asked the state to increase the storage capacity last year. “Against a request for creating an additional storage capacity of 50 lakh tonnes, we added a capacity of 22 lakh tonnes. We expect the same demand this year, but it will not be possible to store the next wheat crop satisfactorily,” he added.

FCI senior regional manager Dev Raj admitted the need to generate space for rice resulted in movement of wheat from covered godowns but maintained that the quality of wheat lying in the open was not likely to be much affected.

He said the FCI had, however, taken a list of vulnerable areas from the state government and would be moving wheat stored on plinths, mandi yards as well as with rice shellers on a priority basis. He said 8 lakh tonnes of wheat stored on plinths and 6 lakh tonnes stored with rice shellers would be lifted by September 31.

The FCI officer said efforts were also being made to speed up movement of wheat out of the state. “We hope to reduce the accumulated stocks of around 120 lakh tonnes to 60 lakh tonnes by March next year,” he added. 

Amritsar, August 27
Intensifying their agitation against government’s indifference towards their demands, junior doctors today shut down the out patient departments (OPDs) and operation theatres (OTs) at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Government Dental Hospital and their allied hospitals here.

The doctors did not allow working at operation theatre- II, resulting in postponement of 12 operations scheduled for today. Two patients got themselves discharged after seeing the dismal situation in the hospital. The doctors also blocked the back gate of the hospital by raising a brick wall. However, the emergency ward situated in the new building remained open.

Patients and their relatives could be seen entering and coming out of the hospital through windows.

Meanwhile, no classes for MBBS/BDS students took place in the Medical and Dental Colleges. The doctors of Dental College staged a dharna in front of the hospital gate and prevented senior doctors and staff from entering the hospital premises. They blocked traffic at a chowk and cleaned roads in a symbolic protest.

Dr Karamjit Singh, general secretary of the Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers Association, said the association had called general body meeting on Monday to decided on the further course of action in case the government failed to accept the demands of the junior doctors.

Similar were views of Dr Birendar Singh, senior vice-president of Amritsar and Tarn Taran.

A group of junior doctors met SSP Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh last evening. They demanded action against the DSP who cane charged doctors a few hours after the the strike.

Amritsar, August 27
Heath services in villages of the state, particularly in the border areas, may be hit with exodus of the government doctors on contract in these areas to Haryana to seek greener pastures. The government dispensaries were almost were sans paediatric and other medicines for nine months in the border areas in Ferozepur, Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts.

Doctors posted in these dispensaries have alleged they have not been getting regular supply of medicines for a couple of months so they were unable to treat patients.

“The condition in case of minor patients is pathetic, as we have not been provided with paediatric medicines for six months in the border areas. We are without cough syrups,” questioned Parampal Singh, posted at government dispensary at Basarke Gill village. He wondered if the dispensaries were not getting any medicines properly, then it had been a big question as to where the monthly earmarked amount of Rs 7,500 for medicines went.

Of total of 1,193 rural dispensaries in the state, where the government had posted doctors hired on three-year contract basis, 400 dispensaries had been virtually closed, as these had been sans doctors.

Doctors, who had opted for these dispensaries on contract basis have preferred to leave jobs and get employment in Haryana, where each of them had been getting monthly salary of Rs 36,000 plus other facilities, compared to lump sum amount of Rs 30,000 being given to them in the state.

Of this monthly amount of Rs 30,000, rural doctors were made to spend Rs 5,000 to a pharmacist, Rs 1,000 per month to sweeper and have to pay all other recurring charges such as power bills from their own pocket.

“More than 20-25 doctors from Amritsar, 10-15 from Gurdaspur, and 10-15 rural doctors from Ferozepur district have left jobs, as they have got selected in Haryana, which offer more facilities to them.

So much so, that three- year contract of the Punjab doctors had come to an end on May 31, but no effort had been made to renew it, forcing doctors to look for alternative employment avenues.

All about 800 doctors had been working under a sense of insecurity, as their contract was being renewed now on monthly basis and that, too, would get expired on August 31,” said president of the Rural Medical Services Association, Punjab, Aslam Pravez.

Amritsar, August 27
An Air France civil airliner violated Indian airspace and entered India from Pakistan’s side towards south- east of the city making Defence top brass sit up and dispatch a fighter MIG-29 aircraft to follow airliner to probe the incident.

Indian Defence set up became alert when Amritsar-based Indian Air Force radar picked up images of an aircraft- like object hovering over in Indian airspace in the city in the northern sector at 6.10 am The aircraft was flying at 37,000 feet and had entered Indian airspace on an established border entry point on ATS route.

The aircraft’s not being in communication with the Air Traffic Control officials perplexed Air Defence officials . Besides, the Secondary Radar Response Code (used to identify whether an aircraft was of foe or friend) or the Squawk code of the aircraft was not correct hence, the aircraft fell in the stipulated “unknown” category.

As the aircraft staff failed to establish communication with Indian officials an IAF MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to intercept the aircraft and establish identity of the unknown carrier,” said Defence spokesperson Naresh Vig.

While the MiG followed the “unknown” aircraft, it was only little later the aircraft crew started transmitting correct secondary radar response code and these were picked up. Subsequently, the Air Defence radar identified the aircraft as as civil airliner(A-343)of Air France(AFR-164).The flight

was from Paris to Bangkok. It was only after identification of the aircraft that the MiG-29 fighter aircraft was given instructions to break-off and return to base. A formal report of the incident has been forwarded to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) by the Indian Air Force.

Jalandhar, August 27
Punjab’s huge investment in the construction of railway overbridges (ROBs) in various cities and towns is lying waste owing to the apathetic attitude of the Railway Ministry. The bridges are constructed on cost-sharing basis by the state government concerned and the Indian Railways.

Besides ROBs, there are some railway underbridges(RUBs), which remain incomplete due to the indifferent attitude of the Railways Ministry.

Punjab has invested about Rs 250 crore in the ROBs at Jalandhar, Tanda, Bathinda, Beas, Morinda, Amritsar, Malout, Abohar, Batala and some other places with the objective of removing traffic hazards faced by people at railway crossings at these places.

Whereas the portion to be constructed on these bridges with the funds provided by the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) has been completed, the Railways have not done so as yet.

The ROB at Jalandhar-Amritsar rail line at Masoodan, near here, was to be completed by July 31 this year. Its total cost is more than Rs 23 crore. On it about 93 per cent work has been completed but delay in its opening for traffic is because the Railways’ portion of work has not been completed. The Railways construct the vital part of the bridge under which the train passes. It does not allow states to handle this job.

Several letters have been written at the Chief Minister’s level to the Railway Ministry to expedite the work on these bridges. But the Railways is moving at its own pace without bothering about the problems being faced by the people in the state owing to the delay in the completion of these bridges. In fact, owing to the delay in the completion of these bridges, problems with regard to the smooth flow of traffic in the towns and cities concerned have become more acute.

These bridges have virtually become eyesores in absence of their any utility to the public so far. “Indian Railways, which has done almost nothing to improve the railway infrastructure in the state during the past 60 years, has virtually become a thorn in Punjab’s flesh,” said a senior officer.

The four-lane ROB on the Buccho-Bathinda Rail Line, near Bathinda, and the two-lane ROB at Bathinda are to be constructed at a cost of Rs 42 crore. On these bridges, 95 per cent work has been completed. Owing to the delay on the part of the Railways in handling their job, completion of these bridges has been delayed.

Only 83 per cent work has been completed on the RUB under construction at Bathinda. By now this underpass should have been opened for traffic. The opening of the ROB at Beas is held up owing to the Railways. Of the 13 ROBs and RUBs being constructed in Punjab, there is only one bridge on which work is going fast.

That bridge is being constructed near Khalsa College here with an estimated cost of Rs 38 crore. Only 60 per cent work has been completed at a ROB near Jawala Flour Mill at Amritsar whereas by July 31 this bridge should have been completed and opened for traffic. 

Sangrur, August 27
Members of the Dhuri Bar Association led by president of the association Sukhvinder Singh Meemsa today burnt an effigy of the Dhuri SDM. Earlier they also held a march, carrying the effigy, through the Dhuri town, 14 km from here, and raised slogans against the SDM, accusing him of “misbehaving” with the lawyers.

They also staged a dharna near the SDM’s office, which was attended among others by lawyers, including Sukhvinder Singh Meemsa, president of the Dhuri municipal council, Raghbir Chand Thanedar and some municipal councillors.

The speakers condemned the SDM for allegedly “misbehaving” with lawyers and others. The president of the Bar Association demanded transfer of the SDM from Dhuri.

Dhuri SDM Rajesh Tripathi refuted the allegations levelled against him. He said he had neither misbehaved with any lawyer nor any such incident had occurred in his office. He also said that even the president of the Bar Association had never brought any incident of misbehaviour with any lawyer to his notice. He said he could not understand why the lawyers were adopting a path of agitation against him. 

Chandigarh, August 27
The government yesterday ordered transfer of 10 DSPs with immediate effect. Mukhwinder Singh, DSP/CM Security has been transferred as DSP/SD, Malout, Manmohan Kumar Sharma, DSP/Computer, Punjab, Chandigarh , (holding charge of DSP/SD/Malout) has been posted DSP/SD/Rajpura; Rachhpal Singh DSP, SD/Rajpura is yet to receive posting orders.

Baljit Singh, DSP/SD/Muktsar becomes DSP/Rural/Bathinda; Bhupinder Singh, DSP/Rural/Bathinda is now DSP, 6th IRB/Ladha Kothi, Sangrur. Harinderpal Singh Parmar, DSP/CM Security Punjab goes as DSP, SPL. Branch and City, Bathinda.

Dilbagh Singh, DSP/SPl Br. and City Bathinda is the new DSP, 5th IRB, Amritsar; Harvinder Singh Randhawa DSP, Spl. Br. Fardikot has been posted DSP, Detective, Bathinda; Baljit Singh, DSP, Detective, Bathinda becomes DSP, 2nd Commando battalion, Bahadurgarh , Patiala and Kesar Singh, DSP, SD/Budhladha is the new DSP, 5th Commando , battalion, Bahadurgarh , Patiala.

Chandigarh, August 27
Punjab gvernment has waived off the domicile requirement for admission of wards of defence personnel to professional colleges and institutes in the state. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced this at the annual Civil Military Liaison Conference between the state government and Headquarters Western Command here.

This would directly benefit children of defence personnel who were not able to complete their Class X and XII from schools in Punjab due to frequent transfers. Having Punjab domicile is mandatory for admission to professional colleges in the state.

Badal also handed over cheques worth Rs 1.35 crore to the cantonment executive officers of Jalandhar and Ferozpur towards reimbursement of the excise duty and construction of four underpasses on National Highway -64 at the Bathinda Military Station.

He also released Rs 1 crore for Sainik School, Kapurthala for construction of the school boundary wall, and Rs 45 lakh to Sub-Area Pathankot for construction of a Sainik Aramgarh for the welfare of ex-servicemen from Gurdaspur district.

The conference also discussed matters of mutual interest were discussed and several issues resolved. In his inaugural address, Badal lauded the role of the armed forces and complimented the traditional bond that existing between the Services, the people and the government of Punjab.

He assured that the state government and local administration in Punjab would never be found wanting in providing any assistance to the armed forces.

Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen TK Sapru, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command, thanked the state government for a positive response on various issues taken up with them and for various welfare measures taken by the government for the welfare of ex-servicemen.

Chandigarh, August 27
Dead men do tell tales of conspiracies and intrigues. Less than a fortnight after her husband was booked for her murder, “deceased” Charanjit Kaur of Jalalabad appeared before the Punjab and Haryana High Court this morning to tell how the police connived to first pocket Rs 4 lakh from his parents, and then to book him for her murder to save their skin.

And for adding a touch of authenticity to the production, how the cops planted a body and even sent it for post-mortem examination.

As the petition came up before Justice L.N. Mittal, Charanjit Kaur’s counsel Gurjit Singh Khaura stood along with her to say she was very much alive, while her husband Chamkaur Singh was in judicial custody for a murder that was never committed.

Charanjit Kaur and her father-in-law Jora Singh said Chamkaur Singh was “badly tortured” after being picked up by the police a day before the Independence Day. SHO Bhupinder Kaur and DSP Gurdarshan Singh demanded Rs 4 lakh for his release, before the warrant officer appointed by the high court found him detained illegally on August 20.

After being discovered, Bhupinder Kaur claimed an FIR for murder had been registered under Section 302 of the IPC against Chamkaur Singh for his wife’s murder.

“Even the body of a woman was planted upon Chamkaur Singh by Bhupinder Kaur and Gurdarshan Singh just to save their skin. The body was sent for postmortem to Jira civil hospital and was then referred to Faridkot medical college,” the petitioners asserted.

The two said the story was concocted after Charanjit Kaur’s father and the two police officials connived following a minor matrimonial altercation between Chamkaur Singh and his daughter.

Building up a case for CBI probe, they concluded, “Keeping in view the peculiar facts and circumstances of the matter, particularly the fact that police officials, including the top brass, are involved, minute consideration is necessary.

Hence, the investigation of the case must be handed over to the CBI”. Taking up the matter, Justice Mittal has put the state and other respondents on notice for September 9.

Chandigarh, August 27
The convener of RTI Users Association, HC Arora, has written to Wajahat Habibullah, Chief of the Central Information Commission, asking the information commissioners in Punjab to make their assets public.

“The act of the Supreme Court judges to make their assets public is a revolutionary step that would definitely enhance the prestige of the judicial system, and introduce transparency in the judicial system. The HC judges are expected to follow suit,” he wrote.

“Through this letter, therefore, I appeal to all the information commissioners to make their assets public by putting those on the official website of the State Information Commission, by following the example set up by the Supreme Court Judges ,” he added.